Marketing Pilgrim

Today, according to the Facebook blog, Facebook’s 200 millionth active user joined the most popular social network in the world.

To celebrate, Facebook shows off a world map of its user density, fun facts about the number 200 million and, in an era of community outreach, highlights a few ways they’re making a difference around the world in a video today. Check out where they’re most popular:

The highlighted apps include an app that helps to find missing children in South Africa, one that keeps users updated on delays in the London Underground and groups that unite users against the Colombian terrorist group FARC (The highlighted group, with over 430,000 members, describes itself as a “military weapon of espionage.” That’s a little freaky.). “Together we can make a difference,” the video concludes.

I suppose you may have had the same response to this idea that I did initially so let’s jump right in.

Carri Bugbee, a Portland OR, PR agency owner has started a new business at www.supportingcharacters.com that is designed to help companies utilize Twitter to their advantage by replicating what made Ms. Bugbee ‘famous’ in the first place. In February, the first Knight Foundation-backed Shorty Awards honored Ms. Bugbee’s “Mad Men” character tweets as the year’s best Twitter advertising campaign. This award recognized her ‘campaign’ to become the Twitter version of Peggy Olson, the executive assistant turned copywriter and a whole lot more. I use quotes around campaign because ordinarily these kinds of things are paid for but Ms. Bugbee did this on her own and outside of any input from the show or AMC which airs it.

Let’s pretend for a moment that you’re the newspaper industry. Your ranks are dwindling as even old stalwarts are dropping like flies. You’re pretty much clueless about the online information economy. You’re even resorting to using your old nemesis, video, to attract online viewers.

So now what? Oh, I know! Let’s lash out at Google. Clearly, the failings of a centuries-old industry to adapt to a new communication paradigm are all Google’s fault. (What isn’t?) As reported by Business Week, because this is the logical route to take (DUH!),

the AP plans to build an online destination where it hopes Web users can easily find and read its news stories and those of other content creators. When it comes to compiling online news, the AP wants to out-Google Google. The Web search giant “has a wacky algorithm” for collecting news stories, AP Chief Executive Tom Curley says in an interview. “It does not lead people to authoritative sources.”

Ok, so exodus may be a bit strong but it got your attention right? What is certain though is Google is leaking some big executives. If you have ever worked in a corporate environment, be it large or small, these kind of changes can indicate either concerns with how the company is going or opportunity for new ideas and new spirit to be injected. Regardless of the real reasons which may never be known anyway it does cause disruptions in the course of normal business that more often hurt than help.

The latest big name to leave is Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Google’s president for Asia-Pacific (APAC) & Latin American Operations. She has departed for Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley VC that has invested in the likes of Facebook. As reported at VentureBeat

The folks at comScore put some numbers to what everyone already suspects. Twitter traffic is growing at a very rapid rate. What may surprise some are the people that are leading the charge. They also say that the March numbers to be released in the next week will raise some eyebrows as well.

Twitter has grown in legend and lore as of late. It is being used by Shaquille O’Neal, Ashton and Mrs. Kutcher, big business like Dell and Southwest Airlines and President Obama. You can’t seem to turn around without bumping into someone either blubbering over the importance of Twitter or another person bemoaning the decline and fall of Western civilization as a result of it. One thing is for sure, people read, write and talk about it a lot and as the talk grows so does the usage.

This year April 16th is no longer just the day after your taxes must be done (or extensions filed depending on what’s going on). This day is now a new Opening Day of sorts. It is the day the Facebook’s new terms of service (TOS) will be unveiled after the 30 day public comment period. The new document called the Facebook Principles and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities will be open for a vote through April 23rd. The whole process is starting to have a game show kind of feel to it as the entire process is being audited by Ernst & Young. I wonder if the envelopes will be hermetically sealed as well. So much suspense!