Featured page owners get subscribe button – Fans can now more easily subscribe to Facebook page admins who make themselves visible as “Page Owners.” Facebook added a subscribe button to this featured section of pages on Friday. This only applies to page owners who have enabled subscribers.

Zuckerberg weighs in on SOPA -  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg weighed in on the Stop Online Piracy Act on Wednesday, writing in a Facebook post, “We can’t let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the Internet’s development.”

Facebook fifth in video viewers – ComScore reported this week that Facebook was the fifth most popular destination for online video behind Google, VEVO, Yahoo and Viacom. This is among the 182 million Internet users in the U.S. who watched online videos in December. Last year Facebook placed sixth, but generally has not seen steady growth in this category. [Image via ZDnet]

Employees increasingly use social media at work -  Palo Alto Networks found a 300 percent increase in social networking on corporate networks this year. Specifically, bandwidth consumption for Facebook apps, social plugins and posting increased from 5 percent to 25 percent since October 2010.

Update on Koobface virus -  Facebook security team posted an update about the Koobface virus this week, noting that after three years the company is been able to keep the virus off the platform, but is still seeking those responsible.

Next gen iPad includes Facebook code - iMore is reporting that buried within the iOS 5.1 beta 3 code for iPad3 are “ongoing references to Facebook.”

MTV uses Facebook for scholarships -  MTV has partnered with the College Board and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to run a campaign called My College Dollars, which guides students to college scholarships for which they can apply.

Facebook and Vevo have met at least twice and the most recent talks took place earlier this month about bringing the popular music video service to the social network’s platform and sharing ad revenue, according unnamed CNET sources.

Scoring a deal with Vevo would be a huge win for Facebook over Google. The social network drives a lot of traffic for videos around the web, but is not a video destination itself. Vevo is an industry-backed website for music videos that are also syndicated on YouTube. According to CNET, the discussions are very preliminary — Vevo’s contract with Google is not up for another year yet – but could result in an ad revenue sharing model similar to what Google and Vevo have now. In November 2011, the NY Post reported that Vevo was looking to renegotiate its deal with Google, which since 2009 has given the company 35 percent of its revenue from the ads played before Vevo’s videos on YouTube.

According to ComScore, Google was the top online video content property in December with 157.2 million unique viewers, mostly on YouTube.com. Vevo ranked second with 53.7 million, and Facebook was fifth overall with 42 million. Vevo, though, is YouTube’s top channel overall, with over 53 billion views generating major revenue for both companies.

What Google could lose, Facebook stands to gain and possibly improve upon. Although YouTube is far and away the most popular video site in terms of unique viewers and time spent per viewer, it has not capitalized on its opportunity as a social network. There is little incentive for users to log in to YouTube and the site is filled with spam and hate from anonymous commenters. Google is likely looking for ways to incorporate Google+ to address these issues, but it’s interesting to see how Vevo is already using Facebook on its standalone site.

Vevo has Open Graph integration, which means that when users watch videos on Vevo.com, the activity shows in Ticker, Timeline and News Feed. When people watch the same videos on Vevo’s YouTube channel, the activity is not shared on Facebook. Vevo.com also uses the Facebook comments plugin, which surfaces comments from a user’s friends first and helps demote spam. Vevo.com similarly includes Like buttons that YouTube does not.

The social network currently offers video ads as a premium unit on the homepage, but because the units are small and opt-in, they are not ideal for advertisers who can get guaranteed views on other sites that run pre-roll ads. Facebook wants to preserve the user experience by keeping ads minimal, but billions of Vevo views suggest many users will accept these ads. A partnership with Facebook could allow Vevo ads to play directly in News Feed and Timeline. Currently Vevo.com links do not embed video on Facebook. Videos from Vevo’s YouTube channel do play directly within Facebook, but do not include pre-roll ads.

What is unclear, though, is how deeply the social network would incorporate music videos into its core product. For instance, Facebook could make Vevo videos discoverable from search as opposed to requiring users to visit a canvas app. The company positions itself as a platform for others to build upon, not a media site like MySpace, but to compete with Google, Facebook has to offer Vevo a bigger or at least more profitable audience.

Lionsgate has made its 2011 thriller “Abduction” available for streaming on Facebook for $3.99. This is the first time a studio has released a film on DVD and Facebook simultaneously.

Users can purchase 48-hour access to the movie that will stream from a Facebook canvas app, Lionsgate Social Cinema. The app accepts credit cards and PayPal, but does not include Facebook Credits as an option, even though it does so for a number of older titles. Facebook takes 30 percent of transactions with Credits.

Warner Bros. was first to bring movie rentals to Facebook in March 2011, when it made The Dark Knight available for 30 Credits, or $3. It later offered “Inception,” two “Harry Potter” titles and other films for streaming. Lionsgate has made popular films like “The Blair Witch Project” and “Saw” available for Facebook rental, but no studio has offered a release as new as “Abduction” on the social network.

The action movie had weak box office performance and was widely panned by critics. Lionsgate is probably hoping to capitalize on star Taylor Lautner’s large online following. As of this writing, though, there was no mention of the rental on Lautner’s official Facebook page. The Abduction page has made two posts today to its more than 991,000 fans, but getting a mention on Lautner’s page with more than 12 million fans could give the effort a huge boost.

Like other Facebook rental plans, “Abduction” is available to users for 48 hours, during which time they can pause, rewind and play as many times as they wish. Users can leave Facebook and come back to the movie, but they have to do so using the same account. People who rent the film will also get access to trivia and an exclusive interview with Lautner.

Engaging users with New Year’s festivities was a big theme on our round up the featured Facebook campaigns this week. We spoke to IFeelGoods about their use of Credits as buying incentives. Then we saw Weight Watchers promoting its services, as well as 24 Hour Fitness, and Applebee’s as part of 2012 musts. Finally, there was H&R Block, which launched a TV/Facebook campaign lauding its services to help customers find extra money in their tax returns.

Below is an excerpt of this week’s full Featured Facebook Campaigns entry in the Facebook Marketing Bible, which also includes detailed breakdowns of over 100 other Facebook marketing campaigns by top-performing brands and other organization on Facebook.

IFeelGoods’ 1-800 Flowers Case Study

Goal: Network Exposure, Engagement, Product Purchase

Method: Utilizing IFeelGoods’ technology, 1-800 Flowers offered customers 25 Facebook Credits and 15% off a Valentine’s Day purchase.

Core Mechanic: This offer was supported by ads on Facebook, but is at the core of what IFeelGoods co-founder and CEO Michael Amar told us is the company’s emergent specialty. The overlap between social gamers an online buyers is high, he told us and  in majority of people using Credits are women.

The 200-plus campaigns the company has supported in the past year and a half have been aimed at finding different ways to incentivize purchases using Credits. As Credits have expanded beyond games, enabling users to also watch movies, attend concerts, or interact with their favorite TV shows, Amar told us that Credits are beginning to displace other, more traditional incentives for customers.

“Instead of using coupons, you can use Credits,” he said, pointing out a very interesting tactic brands may now use in conjunction with his company’s technology. Brands that by ads on Facebook mentioning the availability of Credits to customers, see a double-to-triple increase in traffic.

“They want Facebook Credits so much that they share with their friends,” he told us, noting that in some cases the strives as much as 30% more users. “People are addicted to Credits, so they will keep following the brand to get more Credits, so we see there is a loyalty play.”

Impact: In the case of 1-800 Flowers, the IFeelGoods promotion resulted in 4,000 orders, a doubling of the Facebook Page Likes, and a 250% increase in Wall posts, according to company numbers. PageData shows us that, since this promotion, the Page has grown even more to 291,500 Likes, even picking up a bump in the past few weeks.

Weight Watchers’ Believe Campaign

Goal: Product Purchase, Brand Loyalty, Engagement, Network Exposure

Method: The app features several videos from spokeswoman Jennifer Hudson, several  success stories of customers, information about how to sign up, and bulletin board for users to participate, and other information.

Core Mechanic: The app has been promoted in the news feed, and engages users by asking them their health goals in 2012. The content also promotes the company’s specials for potential customers in the new year, such as signing up for free.

Impact: The Page currently has 854,600 Likes and PageData shows a recent spike in the number of Likes on the Page.

Charity figured big in our list of featured Facebook campaigns this week, with the Make-A-Wish foundation telling us that up to 40% of their funding comes this month, and even other brands engaging in charity to spread the message on Facebook. TurboTax and IKEA both launched campaigns to promote their products,  but combined them with seasonal charity drives. Orbit Gum and Sheet Energy Strips went the way of user–generated content to grow their audiences, and promote their products.

Below is an excerpt of this week’s full Featured Facebook Campaigns entry in the Facebook Marketing Bible, which also includes detailed breakdowns of over 100 other Facebook marketing campaigns by top-performing brands and other organization on Facebook.

Make-A-Wish’s Season of Wishes Campaign

Goal: Page Growth, Charity, Engagement, Network Exposure, Brand Loyalty

Method: The Make-A-Wish application, Season of Wishes, created by Bulbstorm allows users to Like, watch videos view photos read stories and share to the stream the stories of children who participated in the foundation’s program. The campaign also allows users to share their own stories, and runs from November 15 to December 31.

Core Mechanic: We spoke to Petri Darby, Director of Marketing, Communications & Digital Strategy for Make-A-Wish and Bulbstorm CEO Bart Steiner about the campaign, which revolves around the stories of children who used their wishes to give to others. Darby told us that Bulbstorm custom designed and developed the app for the organization, bringing them from a more traditional tab–based form of marketing, to a more “comprehensive and engaging tool.”

The importance of this app cannot be underscored, given that this organization’s funding is largely provided during this time of year. About 40% of the organization’s funding comes in last few days of December, Darby told us. Yet, the organization’s strategy for obtaining these donations is not simply asking for them, he told us, but by using an app like Bulbstorm’s to create, “stronger relationships and engagement that we believe, ultimately, will lead to more donations, more volunteer support, to more referrals.”

“We look at social media as a channel for a dialogue and build relationships, and we believe content is the best way to achieve that,” Darby told us.

Impact: PageData notes that the Page, which currently stands at 316,700,  has seen steady growth during the period of the campaign, but nothing drastic.

TurboTax’s Gaming for Good

Goal: Page Growth, Product Purchase, Network Exposure, Engagement

Method: The Gaming for Good with TurboTax and Toys for Tots game allows users to both engage with the company’s product, while helping to donate a toy to a child.

Core Mechanic: The Like-gated app has three levels, in which users will match items that are tax deductible. Every time a user matches all of the items, they are told how much the items would cost as a tax deduction. Every time a user finishes one of the three rounds, they are asked to post their score to the feed, and on the final round they may either save their score or learn more about TurboTax’s products.

Impact: Thus far, about 6,200 toys have been donated (that is to say, the same number of users have completed three rounds of the game). And the Page currently boasts 158,100 Likes. PageData shows the Page has experienced recent surges of growth.

Want to learn how top brands are designing their Facebook marketing campaigns? See the Facebook Marketing Bible for detailed breakdowns of hundreds of Featured Campaigns by top-performing brands and businesses on Facebook.

Facebook’s Law Enforcement Rules - Hackers claiming to be with Anonymous published a few documents outlining how law enforcement agencies may obtain user data.

Facebook Users Separated by 4.74 Friends – Facebook and the University of Milan conducted a study to determine how many degrees of separation exist between users on the platform. Turns out that users are separated by just 4.74 intermediate connections, according to ZDnet. [Image Via ZDnet]

Facebook Testing Windows Client – Facebook is in the testing stage of a Messenger for Windows desktop integration. ZDNet reported that the app requires Windows 7 and supports chat, news ticker and notifications.

Skype Now Directly Tied Into Facebook – Users utilizing Windows or Mac clients for Microsoft’s Skype VoIP may now launch a Skype call without leaving the platform, reported Information Week.

Facebook is deepening its integration with Windows through a new Skype-to-Facebook feature and a Messenger client for Windows 7 that allows users to access the Ticker, Chat and Notifications.

The Skype-to-Facebook functionality, found in the Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows released last week, allows users to make Skype calls to one another without leaving Facebook. In order to use the feature, users must link their Skype and Facebook accounts and then launch calls from a video call button that appears after selecting a Facebook friend. Facebook first introduced Skype integrations this year, several months before Microsoft acquired Skype in October.

Facebook’s Messenger client for Windows 7 is a bit more involved, enabling users to access three core real-time features of the Facebook platform directly from their desktops. TechCrunch has confirmed that the client is currently in limited beta on the platform and is wholly developed by Facebook — not as part of a new partnership with Microsoft. Facebook has been experimenting with different ways to package Chat in native apps in the past year, including launching a standalone mobile group chat app for iOS, Android and BlackBerry in August.

It may be worth noting that these features move Facebook further into territory that Google has expanded into in recent years as well, while Google is still trying to get Google+ growing to larger scale.

Charity and contests characterized most of the campaigns on our list this week. An interesting combination of celebrity and charity pushed Street King’s growth this week, then realtors in California are trying to promote the importance of their services in that depressed real estate market. A New York tourism company took advantage of Halloween to promote its tour services, MassMutual promotes life insurance with a video campaign and Farmers Insurance enters into its fourth partnership with Zynga.

Below is an excerpt of this week’s full Featured Facebook Campaigns entry in the Facebook Marketing Bible, which also includes detailed breakdowns of over 100 other Facebook marketing campaigns by top-performing brands and other organization on Facebook.

Street King’s Viral Charity Campaign

Goal: Page Growth, Charity, Network Exposure, Brand Loyalty, Engagement, Product Purchase

Method: Street King is an energy drink from rapper 50 Cent that is also involved in a campaign for the United Nations World Food Programme to provide meals to hungry children. With the purchase of every drink, the company donates a meal.

Core Mechanic: The campaign tightly integrates a celebrity, product, and charity. Engagement has been very high, with news feed posts — that include vulgarity and appear to be written by 50 Cent himself — garners thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of Likes and hundreds of comments. The original goal was to award the United Nations World Food Programme one meal for every Page Like on Facebook to reach million; when the Page came short, 50 Cent donated the difference to feed a million children anyway.

The goal of Street King is to feed a billion children in five years, and the company just launched in September. A star-studded commercial with a parody of “The Hangover” starring Mike Tyson, 50 Cent and boxer Floyd Mayweather was also released as part of the campaign.

Whereas we’ve seen campaigns use Likes as a motivator for charity or product purchase, combining the two and then throwing in celebrity has managed to produce enviable Page growth and exposure for this new product.

Impact: In the past month the Page has grown from tens of thousands to 454,400 Likes, according to PageData. The promotion also has fans talking, primarily because of the fun, celebrity-studded video one might suppose, as the Page recently showed that more than 200,000 people were talking about the product.

Gray Line’s Spooktacular Mystery Contest

Goal: Engagement, Network Exposure

Method: Gray Line New York is a double-decker bus and motorcoach tourism company that launched a Halloween-themed contest on its Facebook Page to give away four tickets to its New York Night Tour.

Core Mechanic: The company posted the contest to its Facebook Page, but posted a link to its Tumblr account with the rules, then asked entrants to go back to the Facebook Page to post the trivia answers that count as an entry.

Impact: The contest was not streamlined and required no Liking of the Page so there appeared to be only a handful of entrants. Entry was pretty complicated: users have to read the rules on a blog, then go back to the post to comment their answers. Ultimately, it would have been more successful if it were Like-gated and if made easier by being held entirely on the Facebook platform. The Page is at 1,300 Likes

Want to learn how top brands are designing their Facebook marketing campaigns? See the Facebook Marketing Bible for detailed breakdowns of hundreds of Featured Campaigns by top-performing brands and businesses on Facebook.

Echo Nest Points Out Flaws in Facebook Music – The CEO of Echo Nest, a music industry service provider, published a blog post this week outlining technical problems with Facebook’s music sharing system. It criticizes errors in how Facebook IDs songs that prevents music shared from one service such as Spotify from being played in a different service such as Rdio.

Wal-Mart Offers Localized Deals for Fans – Wal-Mart and Facebook have partnered to offer the retailer’s Facebook fans deals localized to its 3,500 locations in the U.S. Facebook is not working with other merchants in a similar way because of a lack of resources. We wrote about similar types of deals previously, when Facebook tested tools allowing corporations to administrate all the Places pages of the local instances of their business.

Ooyala Analyzes Facebook Videos – Ooyala recently released a video analysis tool, Custom Analytics with Business Dimension Reporting. The tool helps users segment audiences based on behavior on the Facebook platform.

Flowtown Acquired by Demandforce - Small business marketing firm Flowtown was acquired by Demandforce, a marketing solutions company.

BrightEdge Leverages Open Graph – BrightEdge released a new solution for Facebook Pages trying to improve their SEO, the S3 edition includes things like open graph tags, improved search rankings help, engagement measurement and more.

Other Announcements:

Buddy Media Opens San Francisco, Singapore Offices – Buddy Media has opened new offices in San Francisco and Singapore.

Votigo Launches Self-Service Platform, Offers – Votigo has launched self-service access to its social media promotions platform this week. As part of the promotion, the company is offering contest and sweepstakes apps for two cents to the first 2,000 businesses creating a promotion with the platform before the end of October.

Online video technology developer Ooyala this week announced its new customizable platform for content owners that want to rent and sell video via Facebook applications. Ooyala Social is just that, with a wide variety of viral and engagement features licensees can include such as live chat, sharing of video clips that can be watched in the news feed,

Ooyala Social is the most engaging social video experience we’ve seen yet. With an inclusive set of payment options including Facebook Credits, PayPal, Credit Cards, and mobile, it could help video content owners turn their Facebook presences into new revenue streams.

We reviewed Miramax’s implementation of Ooyala Social last month. Its ability to let users choose from a variety of different films to rent made it more useful to TV and film studios then Milyoni’s Social Theater app. However, it lacked some important social and viral features found in Milyoni’s app. It turns out, though, that Miramax had simply opted for a more stripped down experience, and that the Ooyala platform it was built off of supports many more social features.

With Ooyala Social, video content owners can allow users to:

• Rent videos for a limited time
• Buy videos, which are then stored online and can be accessed at any time
• Subscribe to an updating series of videos
• Share with friends through Facebook social plugins
• Select between high-definition and standard video quality
• Live chat with other viewers
• Purchase and gift a film to friends
• Leave timed comments
• Watch simultaneously and chat with a specific set of friends by distributing a unique URL
• Begin watching the film on one device or social platform and resume playback from a different device or platform
• Receive recommendations on what to watch based on their interests
• View an activity feed of what friends have watched and shared
• Share video clips that are viewable in-line from the news feed (requires custom Ooyala development)