1. Can what we write on Twitter be ruled as libel?

Defamation law walks a thin line between protecting freedom of speech and protecting a person’s reputation from unfair attack. Can negative comments on Twitter about a person or organization be deemed libel – and held accountable just as any other news source?  This question still has courts ruling on what can and can’t be said on Twitter.

2. Can users sue for stolen identity on Twitter?

Twitter verifies accounts, which is especially useful for well-known public figures. However, can imposters be sued for fake tweets? Currently there are state laws regarding impersonation, but no federal law on the issue. The scenario has occurred with companies, perhaps the most famous example @BPglobalPR who parodied the oil giant after the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Twitter continues to question what can be protected under trademark and what satire is.

3. Is our account information protected by Twitter?

The U.S. Justice Department’s ongoing criminal investigation of whistle-blower organization WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange brought an issue of security to light. Last year a U.S. District Judge issued Twitter a subpoena for access to account information of WikiLeaks’ supporters. Twitter challenged the gag order – and won – the right to notify its users that their information was being subpoenaed.

Twitter is constantly challenging and reexamining media laws in reference to trademark, defamation, censorship, and security.  If you have questions or concerns regarding your company’s use of social media marketing, Blue Interactive Agency offers a wide range of services in response to corporate social media, brand monitoring, and reputation management. For more information, contact us at 954.779.2801.

How Twitter is Challenging Media Laws is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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Users with a Google account will have their information integrated among all Google products including Gmail, YouTube, and Picasa. Google has already been collecting this information, but the new policy will allow the company to combine data across all its websites to get a deeper understanding of its user. For example, if you reside in Florida and watch a clip of a Miami Heat game on YouTube, you may see NBA ads appear on your Gmail account. Google will be able to tailor search results based on information given on Gmail, Google +, and YouTube to better understand what users mean when they search common terms like “apple” or “pink.”

“In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience,” says the official Google blog. The concept is similar to Facebook’s network of games, messages, and apps all under one user log-in.

However, there has been backlash for the privacy policy updates coming from 8 members of the House of Representatives and SafeGov, a company that conducts cloud computing for government. The congressmen wrote a letter to Google CEO Larry Page, raising the issue that there is no opt out option for the new privacy policy. SafeGov is concerned with how the privacy policy updates will affect the security of government workers. Google has since responded on their Public Policy blog, explaining to users they still have choice and control of their use of services. Will the backlash settle once the privacy policy updates go into effect March 1? Let us know your thoughts.

Google Privacy Policy Updates: Friend or Foe? is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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Pinterest has gained momentum in the last few months with traffic increasing by over 400% between September and December 2011. The social media bookmarking site’s increasing popularity is especially prevalent among women (58% of members) aged 25 to 44 years old (59% of members). Pinterest is compared to Etsy for its central audience of arts and crafts lovers.

The visual bookmarking aspect allows retailers to promote a lifestyle that captures the essence of their brand. Whole Foods has done a great job of capturing their healthy lifestyle with Pinterest boards devoted to gardens, kitchens, cooking, recycling, and art projects. The Travel Channel Pinterest board is filled with beaches, bizarre foods, exotic animals, natural wonders, and trip ideas. Pinterest is the ideal tool for brands to create a visual representation. Companies can also run contests using the social networking site. Fashion merchandiser Lands’ End Canvas ran a contest asking users to pin 10 to 20 items on their retail store and submit their pinboard to enter to win.

The emergence of Pinterest gives retailers new opportunities in social media marketing to represent their brand in a creative manner and drive traffic to their stores.

Pinterest: The New Social Network Driving Traffic to Retail Stores is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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Download our SOPA and PIPA Blacklist Cheat Sheet.

The Global Intellectual Property Center reported the sale of counterfeit goods over the internet reached $135 billion last year. In response to these internet crimes, The Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act legislation have been developed. While this legislation may sound like it will something mildly positive but in reality, both regulations have serious potential to negatively change the internet as we know it.

Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill in the House of Representatives
• Designed to block access to sites containing unauthorized copyright material.
• Content owners and U.S. government would be given power to request court orders to shut down suspected sites associated with piracy
• Government and cop rotations could block any site, foreign or domestic, for just one infringing link.

Consequences
• Block access to infringing domains by suing to have links removed.
• Advertisers, payment processors, and internet service providers would be forbidden from doing business with infringers based overseas.
• Requires search engines to remove foreign infringing sites from their results.
• Email providers may be forced to censor certain links you send or receive.
• Anyone found guilty of streaming copyrighted content without permission 10 or more times within 6 months could face up to 5 years in jail.
• These acts could threaten the security and stability of the global DNS.
The White House criticizes the bill in a statement saying “Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small” and “We must avoid creating new cyber security risks or disruption the underlying architecture of the Internet”.

List of major participants of January 18th website blacked out in protest of SOPA:
• Wikipedia
• Reddit
• WordPress for Business Websites
• Political Buddies
• Good Evening
• Twitpic – censored versions
• Hacktivist group, Anonymous
• Major League Gaming
• The Economic Populist
• Blue Interactive Agency

Download our PIPA Blacklist Cheat Sheet.

Don’t miss this opportunity to stand up in protection of our free speech and the internet as we know it. Continue to follow Blue Interactive blog, Facebook page, and Twitter to stay up to date on integrated marketing advice and stay abreast of current events in the industry.  Blue Interactive Agency offers a complete range of interactive marketing services, including social media marketing, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and more. To learn more, call 954-779-2801 today.

Blue Interactive Blacks Out Website in Protest of SOPA and PIPA is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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While user acquisition for top social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are reaching a plateau, user engagement is growing at a rapid rate. As new features are implemented and easier to use (thanks to Facebook’s new timeline and Twitter’s new dashboard) the type and amount of information shared is increasing. As social media sites become more engaging the time we spend interacting on these sites are steadily increasing. For example, the average Facebook user is up to seven-and-a-half hours on the site each month.  This is up from four-and-a-half just two years ago. What does this mean for the way people use social media sites? For one, there is a big shift from accessing these sites from a computer to mobile devices. The increased amount of time users spend on social media sites also means bigger and better social tactics for businesses. Ecommerce will continue to grow not only on companies’ individual websites, but inside the frame of social media sites. Furthermore, as analytics continue to advance and advertising gets highly focused to target audiences, social media budgets for businesses will continue to rise.

For the first time since Facebook opened its site in 2004, there is now a meaningful second tier of social networks emerging. It is no longer about competing to become the “next Facebook or Twitter”. Companies have begun to realize the best way to grow their social networks is to integrate with these existing powerhouses. Sites that focus on niche markets like Pinterest and Tumblr are seeing sky-rocket growth through social media sharing on mainstream sites. Other notable services such as Instagram or Spodify are incorporating Facebook and Twitter sharing as users look to customize viewing and listening experiences by enticing friends to follow their lead.

Rest assured, we are not forgetting about Google and Google+ and their huge impact on social media. Look out for our next blog post for the exciting changes the Google team will be bringing to you in 2012.

All in all, 2012 will be a year of increased engagement for social media. If you’re seeking social media marketing services, contact Blue today. Blue offers a complete range of interactive marketing services, including social media marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization and more. Call 954-779-2801 today to learn more.

What to Look Forward to in 2012 is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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So which Facebook games made the cut? The Playdom title Gardens of Time was the year’s most popular, and surprisingly was not followed by anything from social games juggernaut Zynga. Gardens of Time is a hidden-object game where players work for an organization to protect the secrets of time travel and maintain the history of Earth. Electronic Arts’ The Sims Social – the Facebook equivalent of their popular simulation franchise – earned the second spot, followed by CityVille from Zynga. The social game developer dominated the list, with four of their games making the top 10.

Here’s a look at the complete top 10 list of Facebook games in 2011:

1. Gardens of Time (By Playdom)
2. The Sims Social (By EA)
3. Cityville (By Zynga)
4. DoubleDown Casino (by DoubleDown Interactive)
5. Indiana Jones Adventure World (By Zynga)
6. Words With Friends (By Zynga)
7. Bingo Blitz (By Buffalo Studios)
8. Empires & Allies (By Zynga)
9. Slotomania-Slot Machines (By Playtika)
10. Diamond Dash (By wooga)

You don’t have to be a fan of Facebook games to recognize their significant profit power, and the same goes for the social network in general. If you haven’t launched a Facebook marketing campaign for your company, consider enlisting Blue Interactive Agency to expand your brand online for the new year. Blue offers a full suite of interactive marketing services, including social media marketing, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and more. Call 954-779-2801 today to learn more.

Facebook Releases Top Games of 2011 is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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Social media in schools can be an incredibly useful tool, but faced with scandals and complaints about teachers who misuse it, officials seem to have no choice but to implement new policies to control the problem. “Some teachers have set poor examples by posting lurid comments or photographs involving sex or alcohol on social media sites. Some have had inappropriate contact with students that blur the teacher-student boundary,” said the New York Times article. “In extreme cases, teachers and coaches have been jailed on sexual abuse and assault charges after having relationships with students that, law enforcement officials say, began with electronic communication.”

However, these strict policies regarding social media in schools are meeting resistance from some teachers due to the increasing importance of technology as a valuable teaching tool that effectively engages students. Since using social media in schools is such a new concept, school districts in many states have attempted to enforce a variety of different policies to monitor and control student-teacher interactions on social sites, but most have been abandoned due to violations of free speech and other constitutional rights.

To learn more about new policies regarding social media in schools, read the New York Times article. From businesses in every industry to the country’s school system, social media is making its way into our daily lives whether we know it or not. Invest in a solid interactive marketing plan to get your business on the virtual map today. From Facebook marketing and Twitter marketing to search engine optimization and SEO copywriting, Blue Interactive Agency can help you launch a campaign that guarantees results. Call 954-779-2801 for more information today.

Schools to Limit Social Media Interactions Between Teachers & Students is a post from: Blue Interactive Agency

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