The OpenSocial Movement, which started out as the anti-Facebook coalition, has been in place for some time now. Its purpose is to create open standards in order to share user information across different applications. Google started this movement last year with MySpace jumping aboard in November.

Now some may say, just to steer even further from the lingering MSN take-over talks, Yahoo! has announced their plans to join the movement! Of course Yahoo! has been in the social media market for awhile, but in all fairness, their sites (e.g. Buzz) have lacked support from their internal technical teams.

In addition to the movement, Yahoo, Google and MySpace have teamed up to create the non-profit organization OpenSocial Foundation, which according to Financial Times, aims to “create their own networks as users are able to communicate, share interests and play with one another across the different social networks.”

So what does all this mean for Yahoo!’s existence and will Facebook continue to run on their own? Only time will tell, I guess, but the movement is stirring up many changes in the overall atmosphere on the Internet today, with a possibility of a very controversial 2008!

Recently I was reading a blog that confirmed a concept I had believed on the subject of marketing, and how the channels of media have been interacting with each other. The article was geared toward teenagers and their behavior in utilizing various media channels.

Teenagers are still watching TV, but that isn’t the only thing they are doing. Approximately 65% of youth aged nine through seventeen are splitting their TV time with the internet. They are actively engaged in online polls, contests and posting opinions on their favorite TV shows in forums. One statistic I found very interesting in the Search Engine Watch blog was, “once a kid is online, the Internet begins to dominate their attention: 47 percent said that the Internet becomes the primary focus, while 42 percent said their attention is split equally between the Internet and TV.”

This conjures up another statistic I found a few months ago that addressed the transition of TV viewers watching their shows on the Internet rather than on the tube. More and more people are watching their shows on You Tube and the like. So, in some cases TV viewers have already made the switch from the old school tube to the new school tube- the internet. While they are there…bring them to your website!

The data is compelling. It is certainly advantageous for advertisers who use TV to reach your audience to further that engagement by driving your audience to your website. The longer you engage them the more likely will recognize your product or service versus someone else’s. So, add creative activities to website, whether it is a contest, or just a fun activity. Give your audience another way to interact with you.

There are other benefits to adding such features to your website. If the activities you create are innovative and fun enough, visitors to your website will talk about it, share it, and in turn drive even more visitors to your site.

The channels of marketing have been in a state of transition since the emergence of the internet and it is very important for advertisers to recognize and utilize the power of this blended media. By incorporating Internet Marketing into your advertising repertoire you’ll create a stronger image and capture an audience you might already be missing. This trend is going to continue as teenagers become adults with greater spending capabilities. No matter who your audience is… it’s time to look at the other tube!

I recently ran across this article from BusinessWeek that discusses the challenges of advertising on social media sites. Websites,  such as MySpace, seemed to come right out of the gate with display advertising,  while others treaded more cautiously before heading down this avenue.

Today, it would appear that neither has found the magic  recipe of pleasing both their advertisers and users at the same time. According  to the BusinessWeek article, advertisers find that “as  few as 4 in 10,000 people who see their ads on social networking sites click on  them, compared with 20 in 10,000 across the Web.” In  addition, users are feeling invaded and frustrated, some going as far enough as  to start petitions against the sites!

Although  predictions for growth on social media sites will be down from last year, we  can still expect a 75% increase in ad spend. Aggravated visitors may choose to  cancel their accounts, but the fact still remains that these sites aren’t going  anywhere! They continue to make great efforts to update their advertising platforms  with future promises of, for example, additional targeting options to reach a  more engaged visitor.

My thought is that it can still be a smart way to reach your target  demographic, but you have to be sensitive to that fact that they don’t want to  feel like their MySpace is a walking advertisement for your product or service.  More to come on this revolution, I am sure!