I am a neophyte user of most social online networks, however facebook is the tried and true version that those in my generation were peer pressured into using while in college. Now of course, we are addicts. I have noticed that each time I log on I am invited to use a new “application” which I must download. Mediaweek has recently reported that companies, specifically CondéNet in this case, are using Facebook applications to engage users and point them to flagship sites and key advertisers.
For example, earlier this year CondéNet bought the independently-produced “What Are You Wearing?” app, which allows users to share what they’re wearing with others. The application already boasts 90,000 users, giving CondéNet a mass audience for branding. They place ads from Guess, a major sponsor with the network, on the application in order to entice the virtual vanity of users. Apparently, and perhaps to the chagrin of the user who is bombarded by various “applications”, this has yielded quicker and better results than widgets and tools developed in house.
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