That's the headline of a recent article at WWD.com which has to do with brands sponsoring bloggers. 

"Barneys New York, Gap, Coach and other big brands are collaborating with bloggers to create new and controversial forms of advertising for a more social age. They might invite a blogger to guest blog, sponsor a series of daily outfit posts featuring their product, create or request a video of the blogger talking about the brand or wearing the product or even ask the blogger to design for the brand."

There's nothing "new" about it. This form of sponsored blogging has been going on for years. It just used to be called pay-per-post, that is until some influential bloggers joined the ruckus (which made it seem okay for many), then Forrester, in their infinite wisdom, white-washed the whole thing by dubbing it "sponsored conversations." Call it what you will, you can't get a silk purse out of a sow's ear. 

Of course, never mind me. I'm the product of the Jason Calacanis school of blogging (I used to write for Weblogs Inc in its heyday.). Jason reinforced in us that editorial and advertorial do not mix, and I have tried to live by that motto ever since. 

Quite honestly, I've tried to remain moot on this subject for the past couple of years, hoping that the whole thing would just go away. But, here it is again, so I'm speaking my mind.

Some of you will say it's a moot point now that the FTC has weighed in with full-disclosure guidelines. Perhaps, but I can't get away from the belief that what is really at stake is an abrogation and subsequent erosion of trust. My character and the reputation I've built is all I have. To lose your trust would be a death-knell.

On the other hand, if someone were to dangle a fat check in front of my face in exchange for a few posts, would I bite? (I may be a purist, but I'm a pragmatic one.) Though the likelihood of that ever happening is slim to none, still, if it ever did, I'd like to believe I could courteously say "No, thank you." 

So, am I too much of a tight-a**? Holier than thou? What's your take? Feel free to disagree. 

It's been a while since I've had opportunity to hang out with my friends in the real estate industry, but am looking forward to it, especially since it will give me the chance to reconnect with some old friends.

I'll try and keep you posted, and plan to do some live-tweeting and blogging during the event. We'll see how that goes, of course.

What if, instead of the corporate website serving as a hub, it was really only one leg on a three-part stool that includes Facebook and Twitter. (There could be more legs, but those are the three main ones. And you need at least three obviously.) Think of it as a chain of shared connections, each one as relevant and important as the other.

How does that fit with your paradigm? Or, how about this, which is probably more realistic?

What I'm suggesting is that the notion of your corporate website being of greater importance than other outlets may be old-school thinking. One thing is for certain: the era of the destination web is over.

What legs would you add to the stool?

Over the past couple of days I have done a good deal of research in an effort to better understand these changes and their implications for business. In this post I report my findings.

Changes to Facebook Pages (fan pages)

Fan Pages are definitely feeling the heat from changes, two of which go into effect today:

• Page widths narrowing to 520 pixels
• Removal of Boxes, both the tab and boxes themselves

If you'd like to know more about these, read my post in The Social Retailer blog at Practical Ecommerce.

Other changes planned for rollout later this year include:

Cessation of new app development based on FBML (Facebook Markup Language, which is their form of HTML). That may mean little to you and me, but for 3rd-party application developers it's critical. And, since many of us use 3rd-party apps like those that come from Involver, Wildfire, FanAppz, NorthSocial and others, it affects us as well. Instead of FBML, app developers will be forced to start using iframe technology, which Pages don't currently support, but will.

Existing fan page apps such as staticFBML, which has been the backbone of custom fan page development, will continue to be supported, Facebook says. But, for how long. I wouldn't be surprised if FBML-based apps are squeezed out altogether over time.

Facebook Places and Pages

Another change is the introduction of Facebook Places, which, as previously noted, is Facebook's version of Foursquare. Huffington Post blogger David All describes Places succinctly:

"Places allows you to easily "check in" where you are and share the friends you're with in real time from your mobile device. After you check in, your update will appear on the Place's page, your friends' News Feed and also your Facebook wall. You'll also be able to see if any of your friends are at your current location, and you can browse the updates of your friends who are checked in at locations nearby."

My interest is the effect it has on business and its correlation with Facebook fan pages, which millions of businesses use. To address that issue, I turn to fan page app developer Involver, which has a blog post that explains things in great detail.

The post first addresses the reason for narrowing fan page widths to 520 pixels.

"Facebook will keep the left sidebar of a page visible no matter what tab on the Facebook Page is selected. This new, persistent space, will likely be the placement for many of Facebook’s new features launching in the next several months. The first feature to get placement in this sidebar is Facebook Places, if you decide to merge your Places Page and your Facebook Page."

It goes on to explain the signficance of Places for business and its correlation with the fan page.

• The check-in is sent to that user’s friends through the newsfeed, creating a powerful implicit recommendation for that place.
• That user is listed as having checked in on that Places Page in the left hand column of the page, creating valuable social proof for users who find your place on Facebook.

The post then explains how businesses can manage Places and Pages, the most significant piece of information being that business owners can merge their listing in Places with their page.

Rather than borrowing more of the post's content than Fair Use allows, let me encourage you to read it for yourself. It's the best explanation to date. Mashable also has a post on using Places for business.

What Does This All Mean, Really?

To quote a Facebook friend, it means that, conceptually speaking, Facebook controls both the "vertical and the horizontal." His quote is a testament to the growing ubiquity Facebook has in its quest to become the operating system of the social web.

Practically speaking, if you own a local business, you need to claim it. Facebook explains how to go about doing that here. (Even better, here's a post from Appbistro that walks you through the process...and another one, from InsideFacebook..)

Currently, you have to use Touch.Facebook.com or the Facebook iPhone app to do so, as the procedure has yet to be hard-wired into Facebook.com itself. Once you claim your listing, it will be available on the website, but the only way to find it is via search. Obviously, Facebook is going to have to make this feature more prominent.

When your business listing is claimed, it becomes a Page of its own, but not a fan page. Instead, it becomes a Community Page (which is a topic for another post). According to Involver's blog post mentioned above, you can merge it with your fan page.

Does This Lessen the Importance of Fan Pages?

AllFacebook.com is reporting that Places has slowed Page growth. However, I am prone to believe that using both in tandem provides a two-pronged approach for business development, especially given the fact that two can be merged.

Neither do I believe that it makes fan pages of lesser importance. It just means they share the limelight with Places. Ultimately, for a local small business, both are good things.

In fact, let's look at the Facebook business arsenal. You now have Pages, Places, Ads, and to a lesser extent, Events available to you. Not bad for a site that allegedly started out as a way for college nerds to meet women!

If you need help sorting this all out, contact me. It's what I do. And, I can assist you in building a comprehensive strategy for using social media to get more customers that incorporates the use of Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social channels.

Rapportive is a social CRM tool that resides in the right-hand column of your Gmail inbox. Anytime you receive an email Rapportive gives a snapshot of where they hang out in social media. The image to the right is one example.

To quote the website...

You can immediately see what people look like, where they're based, and what they do. You can establish rapport by mentioning shared interests. You can grow your network by connecting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and more. And you can record thoughts for later by leaving notes.

Rapportive is easy to install and comes as a free add-on for Firefox, Chrome and Safari.

The company is not just some creation by a kid in his dorm room (I mean, we all know how that turns out, ahem.), but is a serious business that has already received funding by serious investors, including Y Combinator, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail.

I've been using the app for a few weeks and appreciate it for the CRM benefit and real-time nature of the information it provides.

If you use Gmail, I recommend giving Rapportive a try. Did I mention it's free?

3 Ways Facebook is Killing Your Website - Jason Baer

Do We Still Need Websites? - Pete Blackshaw

It's the End of the Web as We Know It - Steve Rubel

The Web is Dead. Long Live the Web. - Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff

Take time to read these, for they are worth the effort. But, let me warn you, for the small business owner, they do not contain good news.

Just when you get beyond brochureware to a fully-functioning, extensible, really good website built on solid web content management technology, you find out they are no longer in vogue. Something else has taken their place. Who are these culprits?

Jason Baer, author of the first article on this list, suggests that it is Facebook. Steve Rubel and Chris Anderson say mobile technology and the many apps available on devices like iPhones and iPads are responsible. Michael Wolff goes so far as to point fingers directly at Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Russian investor Yuri Milner.

No matter who or what is to blame, the truth is the web has changed and we better get used to it.

Does the Company Website No Longer Matter?

If other things matter more, then does the corporate website matter any more? Ah, there's the rub.

I believe the website does matter and I'm about to outline specifically how. But, it has to serve a different purpose than in times past. (Times past equalling about 10 years ago.)

Imagine a bicycle wheel that has a hub and spokes. Your website is a digital hub, but it has to be connected to any number of spokes - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. ("etc" is not a new social network btw; didn't mean to throw you a curve there)

(Source: Socialmediavision.com)

Another way to envision the arrangement is as a basecamp and outposts, with your website serving as the basecamp, or HQ. (Personally, I like blogs for this, so be sure you have one associated with your site.)

Today, you have to have a presence in both places. (See, I told you this wasn't going to be good news.)  You have to be where people are gathering and, yet, you need an operational center from which content can be created and fed to the various outposts. Ultimately, you would like to get visitors from those places to your site, for that's traditionally been where business has been done. (That, too, is changing.)

Yet another way to think of it is as "getting a seat at someone else's table" and "setting a table of your own." Of course, within Facebook you can create a pretty awesome fan page, which is tantamount to setting a table of your own inside the largest restaurant in the world!

What Role Does Each Play?

In order to create a cohesive digital marketing strategy, I believe each channel has to serve a somewhat distinct purpose, though, perhaps, not one that is exclusive from the others. (The lines don't need to be that stringently drawn.)

Company website - As previously mentioned, this is your base of operations. It is where you create, house and archive the bulk of your content. It is also where you transact business in the form of database management, lead generation, ecommerce sales, customer service and other types of interaction. It is also connected to the social networks that serve as your outposts.

This is space you own. The others you rent and, where Facebook is concerned, the landlord can be notorious for making changes with little notice. (Case in point, the recent changes to fan pages.) It would be ludicrous to build your entire web presence on rented land. That's purely common sense.

Facebook fan page - If you are a business, then a fan page (also called "Official Page") is the way Facebook wants you to establish a presence on the network, and they are going to great lengths to accommodate businesses in that manner.

Think of your fan page as your online community. It's where you build a personal relationship between the brand and customers and prospects. It can also serve adjunct roles of lead generation and ecommerce, though those are still emerging functions.

Twitter - This is your real-time, just-in-time, all-the-time broadcast channel. It's a supplement to Facebook in that content posted there can automatically be syndicated to Twitter.

However, to limit Twitter to that function is to do it a disservice, for Twitter can serve just about whatever role you require. Need to use it for customer service, it's there. Want to pitch special offers, discounts and coupons? Can do. Like to share valuable resource information? It works for that as well. Perhaps the best way to think of Twitter is as your digital Swiss Army knife.

YouTube, Flickr - These are additional channels where content can be syndicated in a place where they are more likely to be found.

And the list could go on and on...

Do I Need a Presence Everywhere or a Few Somewheres?

Think in terms of  tiers with your website as the hub, and the above-mentioned networks comprising the first tier. If you have time and the inclination, you can experiment with third-tier services. Here are a few that come to mind.

Posterous - My friend and Miami Realtor Ines Hegedus-Garcia uses formerly used Posterous as her photo blog (she now uses Wordpress) and incorporated it into her website, Miamism.com.

Cinchcast - If you're prone to podcasting, Cinchcast is a new service designed to make it easy. It was created by the same folks that brought you Blog Talk Radio.

Ning - Want to create your own social network? Then Ning is a good fit. It provides much the same type of functionality you have come to expect with Facebook, but is proprietary. Of course, there is a cost involved, but it's minimal.

There are probably thousands of such apps, but who has the time to investigate them all. (Other than Brian Solis, that is, with his very cool Conversation Prism.)

Content Must Be "Findable" and "Sharable"

Everyone knows Google is the new Yellow Pages. If your business can't be found on the first couple of pages, then it doesn't exist in the mind of the searcher.

But, "findability" is no longer the be-all/end-all that is used to be. Once upon a time if you had a website optimized for search engines which returned well for relevant keywords, that's all you needed. Not any more. Now, information has to be easy to share. That's where social media comes in.

In that respect, there are two apps you should consider deploying on your website:

ShareThis - This app is an all-in-one sharing tool that contains links to over 50 social network and social bookmarking sites - Delicious, Digg, Google Bookmarks - as well as Twitter and Facebook. It's easy to add and does a commendable job.

Facebook "Like" Button - If you don't add the Facebook "Like" button to your website, you're crazy! There are numerous advantages, not the least of which is it opens your content to 500 million people. (Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it opens your content potentially to hundred if not thousands.)

Not only that, when the visitor "likes" your content by clicking the button, they remain on the site, but their action gets reported to their newsfeed inside Facebook. You send your content to Facebook without sending the site visitor along with it in the process. (The Like button is part of a suite of social plugins now offered by Facebook.)

Conclusion

I wish I could soft-sell this more easily, but the hard down truth is the web ain't what it used to be. It doesn't act like it used to, nor does it look like it used to. As Chris Anderson said, you could literally spend all day on the Internet  without every once encountering the "web."

Bottom-line: It's not an either/or proposition, but a both/and. You need a website AND you need a presence in at least some of these other outlets. That is my firm conviction.

(One thing you will notice by its absence is any reference to mobile technology or apps. I'm still wrapping my arms around that, but it won't be long before I'll be talking about it. If you need help wrapping your arms around this, please contact me. I'm happy to help.)

For example, instead of Facebook, Russians have Vkontatke (translated it means "In Contact"). Though you may have never heard of it, the site is the leading social network in the Russian speaking world with nearly 85 million registered users (that's right, 85 million!).

If you visit my profile there, you will see it resembles Facebook in a pre-2006 era. There are no fan pages, the Wall is hidden further down the profile page and it seems quite benign compared to what we are used to with Facebook.

You might say, "What Facebook was, Vkontakte is." I say, "What Facebook is, Vkontakte will become."

How do I know? Three words - Digital Sky Technologies, or DST for short.

To quote from their website, "DST is a leading global Internet holding company that originated in the Russian speaking world. We estimate that our companies comprise well over 70% of all pageviews in the Russian speaking Internet, targeting a potential audience of over 300 million people. Our companies hold the #1 and often also the #2 and #3 positions in all CIS states, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia."

Vkontakte is just one of the Russian companies DST has invested in. Another is Mail.ru, which is a rival to Yahoo!. The company's investment portfolio doesn't stop at the border either. They have invested heavily in some of the web's largest online entities including Facebook, Groupon, social game developer Zynga and the ever venerable ICQ. (Though we abandoned ICQ long ago, it is the leading instant messaging application in Russia.)

Russia also has its own version of Google, called Yandex. In a recent query of my name, I found that the search engine returned my Twitter account, this blog, my Plurk profile and a YouTube video, which provided evidence that is using the same universal or blended search technology that US-based engines are. (Russia also has a version of Youtube, interestingly called RuTube.)

According to the students, social media engagement is still largely on a personal level (most of Vkontakte's users are high school and university students). However, there are signs that the site is beginning to be used in a business context. For example, recruiters are using the site to post job listings. Advertising is offered as well. And, though few and far between at this point, some businesses are beginning to set up profiles there.

So, you have a fast-growing Facebook clone, a Russian-based investment company that is putting money into the largest social network sites on the planet, its own versions of major search portals, and an economy that continues its march toward a version of capitalism.

That spells opportunity to me and I plan to keep a sharp watch on the growth of social media for business within the country.