Facebook statistics - 9 facts about the world's biggest social network

• Over 1billion users
• Daily active users: 526m (March 2012)
• 400m users were active on at least six out of the last seven days (March 2012)
• People using Facebook mobile products: Over 500m (April 2012)
• Number of photos uploaded per day: 300m (on average)
• Number of Likes and Comments per day: 3.2 billion
• Number of languages Facebook is available in: More than 70
• % of active users outside North America: 80%
• Number of friend connections: 125 billion

Facebook hits 1bn users - top regional audiences revealed

Facebook has surpassed 1 billion users for the first time, as the newly-listed social networking giant looks to expand its global reach and ad revenues.
To celebrate passing the 1bn mark, Facebook created this ad:.


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Facebook's new 'local' ranking: Winners and losers revealed

A tool that shows Facebook's newly released local data sees Disneyland and Walt Disney drop out of the top ten US Facebook Pages. Full story...

'Map of the internet' shows size of web giants

Google, Facebook and YouTube are the biggest sites in the world, followed by the likes of Baidu and qq in China, according to a new graphic looking at global web use. Full story...

Top 20 Facebook brands - Topshop, Tesco and Ann Summers on the rise

Topshop remains the top UK brand on both Facebook and Twitter, in terms of the number of followers, according to new research. Full story...

Infographic - Top 100 most valuable global brands

Apple is the most valuable brand in terms of dollar value, while Facebook is the fastest growing brand, making it to No. 19. This infographic looks at the key stats behind the biggest brands in the world.

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Facebook growth 2007-2011: Global regions

This chart depicts Facebook's growth between 2007-2011, throughout all global regions.

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Facebook in 2012 - Key statistics (Infographic)

Facebook has had a turbulent month, seeing its stock value plunge by a quarter since its IPO in May. But how can the social network market leader turn around its fortunes?

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Facebook mobile strategy? Tips from our digital strategists

As more and more consumers access Facebook on-the-go - via a mobile app downloaded to their smartphone - consider what this means for your brand page experience and the opportunities it provides for social, local and mobile (SoLoMo) promotions. Images and video needs to work on a mobile screen. Calls to action need to be simplified for mobile response. Promotions need to be geo-targeted - taking advantage of check-ins via FB Places. Consider also how you optimise your Facebook page for mobile search retrieval and the growing number of consumers searching when out-and-about. Full story...

Building your Facebook presence? Tips from our digital strategists

When looking to build your Facebook presence it helps to consider the paid, owned and earned media opportunities available to you. If you are willing to pay to build your fan base then you can invest in a variety of Facebook ad formats as well as Sponsored Stories. You can build up fans by adding a Facebook Like box to your owned website or annotating your YouTube videos with the URL. And you can earn extra audience and impressions through fans - for example by enabling them to tag your page in their photos. It's a blend of all three that works best. Full story...

Facebook Page design? Tips from our digital strategists

When thinking about the design of your branded Facebook page be sure to take full advantage of the new features offered in the Timeline page design. Make sure that your cover photo and profile picture deliver strong brand imagery and messaging. Capitalise on the showcase apps & views to draw the audience into deeper page participation. Consider the use of Pin a post and Milestones to highlight key content. And overall, regularly fill your pages with engaging content that encourages fan likes / comments and sparks community conversations. Full story...

Facebook year in review 2012: Olympics, 50 Shades of Grey and X Factor top list

Facebook has released its Year in Review, a look back at the people, moments and things that created the most buzz in 2012 among the billion people around the world on the social network. Full story...

Facebook introduces 'bank-style' security to tackle cyber fraud

Facebook has begun to move its North American users to HTTPS connections, which are more secure than HTTP connections, the previously default. Full story...

Facebook debuts recruitment app with 1.7 million jobs

Facebook has launched a jobs board in partnership with the Social Jobs Partnership, letting recruiters to post job listings directly on Facebook. Full story...

Instagram debuts 'Facebook-style' user profiles - new channel for brands?

Instagram has launched online profiles that let users showcase themselves and photos they've taken with the Facebook-owned smartphone app. Full story...

Facebook admits nearly 9% of profiles 'could be fake'

Facebook has revealed that 83 million of its accounts could be fake, accounting for nearly 9% of its total users, as the social network comes under increasing pressure to meet advertiser and shareholder demands. Full story...

Facebook 'to launch job board' - a threat to LinkedIn?

Facebook is preparing to launch its own job board this summer, in a move that could pose a threat to LinkedIn, according to a new report. Full story...

Facebook lets users edit comments

Facebook is letting users edit the comments they make on status updates, photos videos or other content posted on the social network. Full story...

Top 6 social networks in Japan

Japan's social media landscape is diverse and fragmented, with many big players battling for dominance (and working together). Full story...

Yandex pulls 'Wonder' social discovery app after Facebook clampdown

Russian internet giant Yandex is to remove its recently-launched app Wonder from the US App Store following Facebook's block on its API access. Full story...

Social media fail: Retailer faces backlash after trading bush fire donations for 'likes'

An Australian online shopping site has apologised for using the bush fire crisis in Tasmania to try to build the number of followers for its Facebook page. Full story...

Social media in India: Top 5 social networks

As more people connect to the Internet in India, time spent social networking is exploding on sites like Facebook and Orkut. Full story...

US elections: Will social media choose the next President?

As social media grows in popularity in the US, the the medium become less of a reporter of political races and more of a predictor of the results? This in-depth infographic from education platform Open Site looks at the evidence...

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LowCostHolidays gives free holiday to 'Thomas Cook' after Facebook snub

In a social media coup, a man who shares his name with travel agency Thomas Cook has won a free holiday, courtesy of rival LowCostHolidays. Full story...

US video ad trends - Facebook overtakes Yahoo as second biggest video site

Facebook has overtaken Yahoo to become the second most viewed video site in the US, behind Google's YouTube, according to new research. Full story...

Top 12 countries in terms of Facebook reach

More than two out of three Americans that were active online visited Facebook during March 2012, equalling roughly 152 million unique US visitors, according to new research. Full story...

Top global brands on Facebook - Fan engagement highest in emerging markets (infographic)

Just days before the most anticipated initial public offering in history, new data looks at how powerful the 901 million-member Facebook platform is for big brands looking to expand their extra marketing tipsfootprint and penetrate emerging markets.

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India 'to overtake US as Facebook's largest market'

India is forecast to overtake the US as the world's largest Facebook market by number of users as early as 2015, according to a new report from Gartner. Full story...

India and China 'most active social media users' - are marketers missing a trick?

India and China have the most active social media users, while web users in the US, Europe and Japan are less likely to post information on social networks, according to a new report. Full story...

Global Facebook audience growth over past 5 years - Latin America leads the way

Facebook's reach amongst the total internet audience has continued to increase over the past five years across all regions, according to research from comScore. Full story...

Half of all European web users visit newspaper sites: Facebook links driving growth

Of the 379.4m Europeans who went online in November 2011, nearly half (47.8%) visited at least one newspaper site, with a considerable number visiting the top 5 newspaper sites preceded by a visit to Facebook, according to new research. Full story...

US marketing trends: Brands 'focusing on getting Facebook fans', investing in mobile search

Brands are continuing to invest in Facebook advertising and focusing on fan acquisition, with spend in social media advertising is now additive to existing budgets rather than subtracting from other digital media channels, according to new research. Full story...

UK: Facebook most searched for brand last year

Searches for 'facebook' now account for 2% of UK searches, while four retail brands are among the top 10 brands, according to new research. Full story...

Global Internet use: 634m websites and 2.4bn users

During 2012, there were 2.4 billion web users and 1.3bn smartphones, recording 2.7bn Facebook likes and 175m tweets per day, according to new data. Full story...

Facebook trends in 2012: The 10 biggest headlines of the year

Forget the movie, this year provided plenty of real-life drama for 'The Social Network'. Full story...

Social Media Report 2012: Social Media Comes of Age

Social media and social networking are no longer in their infancy. Social media continues to grow rapidly, offering global consumers new and meaningful ways to engage with the people, events and brands that matter to them. Full story...

How are consumers sharing personal data with brands? (infographic)

Over 4 in 5 (82%) of UK consumers are happy to share their information with brands across at least one channel, according to this new infographic from Experian.

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Google+ Ghost Town? Twitter tops sharing league as Google lags behind (infographic)

Google claims 170m Google+ users but other reports have said it is a ghost town, so what is the truth? New findings appear to confirm the latter - despite its large number of accounts the platform is bottom of the list of social network users' favoured channels.

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Heineken uses Facebook to 'Meet The World In One City'

Dutch beer giant Heineken went social with this campaign, challenging two men to meet someone from every country in the world in one city, Amsterdam- all with a little help from Facebook volunteers of course.



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'There's no such thing as a happy period': Spoof Bodyform CEO responds to Facebook man's rant

UK maxi pad brand Bodyform has created a viral ad with a fictional CEO responding to a Facebook user, who accused the company of lying to the public.
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P&G anti-bullying campaign increases Secret deodorant sales by 9%

Procter & Gamble's Facebook campaign for its Secret deodorant smartly matched the brand to a key issue facing its target audience - cyber bullying.


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Case study: Heineken turns 'likes' into balloons... and gets thousands of fans in a day

Going beyond the usual 'like us a we'll give you a discount' tactic of many brands, last year Heineken offered to inflate one green balloon in its office for every new 'like' it got on its Brazilian fan page. Full story...

Case study: Heinz Facebook 'Five beanz' quiz reaches 10m people

Back in the summer of 2012, Heinz promoted its new 'Five Beanz' range via a Facebook quiz offering the chance to win one of the five beans with their name engraved on it. Full story...

Reach of top organic Facebook publishers

Among a selection of the 100 leading brand pages on Facebook, those using paid media reached 5.4 times more people on average than those using no paid media.

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Best Facebook fan pages - case studies

These days every brand wants a Facebook fan page, but few brands achieve real engagement. Full story...

Pinterest case study: Mixing Pinterest with Facebook gets 32% increase in followers

Social media 'pinboard' Pinterest is on the rise, but how can marketers tap into its potential? Full story...

Case study: Emirates Facebook page attracts more than 300,000 fans within 3 weeks of launch

Emirates made smart use of Facebook's new 'timeline' layout, attracting more than 300,000 fans within the first 3 weeks of the launch. Full story...

Case Study: Heinz Facebook App uses personalised soup cans to boost brand engagement

Heinz used a Facebook App to allow users to send friends personalised soup tins, with messages appearing below the iconic brand. Full story...

Case study: Barista Facebook campaign creates brand awareness and engagement

Coffee house chain Barista used Facebook to create awareness of its seasonal 'Hawaiian Summers' menu, encouraging users to engage with the brand. Full story...

Coca-Cola runs social media campaign on Spotify's Facebook pages

Coca-Cola has struck a promotional partnership with music streaming service Spotify, that will see the beverage giant run a social media campaign on its Facebook pages. Full story...

Facebook marketing: Customer service from Sainsbury's goes viral on Facebook

In an example of how good customer service can pay dividends, Sainsbury's response to a three-year-old's letter about renaming Tiger Bread went viral, ultimately resulting in the supermarket chain changing the name of its product in stores to 'Giraffe Bread'. Full story...

Facebook mobile users overtake PC users for first time

Facebook's mobile users surpassed computer users for the first time, with mobile accounting for a quarter of all ad revenue for the social network, according to the company's latest financial results. Full story...

Facebook offers free calls for US iPhone users

In a challenge to traditional mobile operators, Facebook is letting iPhone users in the US make free calls via its messenger app, provided they have wi-fi or mobile data access. Full story...

Mobile 'now represents 20% of Facebook ad spend'

Mobile now represents 20.3% of overall Facebook ad spend, with Apple dominating tablet spend and Android dominating smartphone spend, according to new research. Full story...

Facebook adds voice record function to Messenger app

Facebook has added a voice record feature to its Messenger apps for Android and iOS, with plans to introduce full voice calls in the near future. Full story...

Facebook opens mobile app ads to all developers

Facebook is letting mobile app developers promote their ads within the 'Try These Games' box right in the middle of the mobile news feed. Full story...

Facebook tests 'AdSense-style' mobile ad network for 3rd parties

Facebook is testing a new mobile ad network, running ads targeted according to user data on third-party apps and mobile websites for the first time. Full story...

Facebook 'a mobile company now' - Zuckerberg admits IPO 'missteps'

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has made his first public appearance since the companies tumultuous stock market float in May. Speaking at the TechCruch Disrupt event in San Francisco, Zuckerberg declared: "We are a mobile company now."
Watch a video of part of the interview below (source: IDG)


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Twitter beats Facebook for mobile revenues

Micro-blogging site Twitter is on course to make more money from mobile ads than Facebook for 2012, according to new research. Full story...

Facebook puts app ads into mobile news feeds

Facebook has launched a new mobile ad format promoting apps, as the social network makes further attempts to bolster its smartphone and tablet revenues. Full story...

Zuckerberg dampens Facebook smartphone rumours

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company does not plan to create a Facebook-branded smartphone during a conference call with financial analysts and reporters this week. Full story...

Mobile ad revenue: Facebook 'more effective than Twitter'

Facebook's mobile "Sponsored Stories" ads are much more effective than mobile ads displayed on Twitter, according to a study by TBG Digital, a large buyer and manager of Facebook campaign media. Full story...

Facebook planning new mobile ad technology?

Facebook is planning to release a new type of mobile advertising system that will be targeted to the types of apps that customers use on their handheld devices, according to a news report. Full story...

Facebook adds 'Find Friends Nearby' location tool

Facebook has integrated a new feature into its mobile apps and website, which allows users to spot nearby friends. Full story...

Facebook smartphone set for launch next year?

The long-rumoured 'Facebook Smartphone' could finally become a reality next year, as the social network looks to boost revenue from the mobile sector, according to news reports. Full story...

Facebook updates Fan Page manager for mobiles

Facebook has launched a Page Manager app, letting page owners keep their fans up to date while on the go. Full story...

Facebook puts ads on mobiles for first time with 'Premium' service

Facebook is letting companies place ads on its mobile version for the first time, and to advertise on the log out screen, flowing the launch of its new 'Premium' service. Full story...

Mobile marketing strategies - Facebook vs Google+

Is battle about to intensify as two of the social giants go head to head? The mobile marketing strategies of Facebook and Google are under the spotlight again after Facebook raised concerns that Google could be putting hurdles in the way for Facebook on Android. Full story...

Facebook: Half of users connecting via mobile

Facebook's initial public offering acknowledges that though nearly half of its 845 million monthly users are logging in to the social network via mobile devices, that segment "does not currently directly generate any meaningful revenue." Full story...

Facebook takes on Apple with online app store

Facebook has launched its own app store, offering apps personalised to users' entertainment habits, as the social network looks to prove its mobile credentials ahead of its much-anticipated stock market flotation. Full story...

Facebook denies spying on text messages

Facebook has denied reports that it is spying on users is spying text messages and other personal data sent from users' smartphones. Full story...

Social media strategies: Brands 'failing to reach key influencers online'

Just 11% of US corporate social media ad budgets are targeting blogs and influencers online, where 86% of their key influencers are found, according to new research. Full story...

Super Bowl blackout hands victory to Twitter

A 35 minute power outage on the pitch at this Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII led to a surge in traffic on social media, while Twitter thrashed Facebook in terms of advertising buzz, according to new figures. Full story...

Facebook's new ad format 'outperforms standard ads'

With 1 billion users and expectant shareholders, Facebook is under great pressure to improve its monetisation of users to turn its customer base into advertising revenues. Full story...

Facebook debuts conversion tracking tool

Facebook has launched a new conversion measurement tool that measures the return on investment (ROI) of advertisements on the social network. Full story...

Facebook marketing: Photos generate brands' most engaging posts

Posting photos on Facebook greatly increases engagement for your posts, according to a new study looking into Facebook marketing for brands. Full story...

Digital advertising trends in 2012: The 10 biggest headlines of the year

Despite the global economic gloom, online advertising spend and revenues continued to soar during 2012, outpacing all other media. Full story...

Facebook brand pages: Level of engagement by sector

This chart shows the levels of engagement each brand category achieved in March and October 2012.

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Facebook brand pages: Most popular types of post by sector

This chart shows the breakdown of topics brand pages cover. Visual posts such as photo and video are the most popular form of promotion. Facebook claims that visual posts garner the most engagement, and are more likely to be seen on the Facebook Timeline layout.

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Facebook brand pages: Average monthly posts by sector

This chart shows the average monthly posts brand pages make. Community-based brand pageshave the highest average monthly posts with 87. Pages dedicated to an individual such as actors, directors and public figures also have high post counts.

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Facebook pushes ahead with external ad network - report

Facebook's rumoured 'AdSense' style external ad network could be taking shape, according to the latest news reports. GigaOM reports that Facebook is planning on using data it gathered about a user's likes and dislikes to show ads from outside the social network. Full story...

How often should you make Facebook posts? New survey shows most Facebook brand pages 'are inactive'

Over two-thirds (70%) of brand pages on Facebook post less than one update per month, with company pages among the least social, according to new research. Full story...

Social media marketing: Facebook lets brands track sales via ads

Facebook has launched a 'conversion measurement' tool, letting firms track purchases made by social networkers who have viewed their ads, as the firm looks to woo advertisers looking for more accountable ways to run social media marketing campaigns. Full story...

Social media ad effectiveness: Up to 87% of Facebook conversions 'come from views, not clicks'

As advertisers seek more value from their social media campaigns, a new report indicates that views, not clicks, are the most valuable factor in getting conversions. Full story...

Facebook marketing trends - Paid media 'gets 5 times more reach than free fan pages'

Among a selection of the 100 leading brand pages on Facebook, those using paid media reached 5.4 times more people on average than those using no paid media, according to a new study. Full story...

Facebook marketing effectiveness research - brand measurement affinity tools coming

To address concerns from brands about the lack of marketing effectiveness research for Facebook, new brand affinity measurement tools are being developed. Full story...

Is Facebook driving down fan reach in favour of sponsored stories?

Facebook has been accused of making changes to the formula that determines if brands appear in the news feed of its fans pages, effectively driving them to paid advertising to improve their reach. Full story...

Facebook planning CRM tools for brands?

Facebook could be branching out from its core advertising revenues with plans to offer firms that have pages on the site with a range of 'premium services', such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools and search functions, according to a news report. Full story...

Facebook tackles fake 'likes' after bot controversy

Facebook is cracking down on potentially fake 'likes' on its site, amid critisicm that bots are ramping up prices for advertisers on the social network. Full story...

How much is a like worth? Play.com Facebook fans 'spend 24% more'

Online retailer Play.com has claimed that its Facebook fans are worth 24% more in direct sales than non-fans. Full story...

Facebook tests controversial newsfeed ads for non-fans

Facebook is testing a new ad format that lets brands aim their advertising toward the newsfeeds of users who are not already a fan of the brand page. Previously, a company could only advertise in the newsfeed of its fans. Full story...

Facebook offers email and phone number ad targeting

Facebook is launching a new ad targeting tool that uses email addresses, phone numbers and game and app developers' user IDs to larger advertisers. Full story...

Never mind the bots? Entrepreneur claims Facebook ads made him $10K in one day

Facebook has had a turbulent few months following its IPO fiasco, tumbling shares and accusations that fake profiles (or bots) are driving up ad prices. Full story...

Facebook denies click fraud after '80% bot' claims

Facebook has denied allegations from a music company that branded the social network as 'scumbags' and claimed that 80% of its ad clicks were generated by bots rather than people. Full story...

Advertisers 'shifting spend from Facebook to rest of web'

More agencies and brands are shifting their attention from Facebook towards "the rest of the Web", with the numbers planning on decreasing their Facebook spend are five times higher today than they were pre-IPO, according to the results of a new survey. Full story...

How to measure Facebook and Twitter ROI (Infographic)

As more brands flock to social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to reach consumers, how can marketers measure the impact of their campaigns?

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General Motors to return to Facebook paid marketing?

General Motors is discussing the prospect of restarting paid Facebook advertising, following its controversial pull out from the social network's ad schemes two months ago, according to a news report. Full story...

GM marketing chief that quit Facebook resigns

General Motors is ousting its Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick, according to a news report. Full story...

Facebook marketing in 2012 (Infographic)

In the US, Facebook is the largest single publisher in the terms of US ad impressions, and over a quarter of all online 'engagement' on the web comes from content posted on the Facebook newsfeed.

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Facebook marketing - 7 ways earned and paid media can drive sales

Facebook now accounts for accounts for 1 in every 7 minutes spent online, but how can brands harness both earned and paid media on the social network to drive sales? Full story...

Facebook opens to third party ad platforms for first time

Facebook will soon let advertisers participate in real-time bidding to show ads on its website, as the social network looks to boost its ad revenue amid mounting pressure from its new shareholders, according to a news report. Full story...

Facebook Vs Google - Which has the best display ad system? (Infographic)

This new infographic from Wordstream looks at Facebook Advertising compared to Google's Display Network.

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Facebook advertising formats - overview of changes

Facebook advertising formats are changing again, and so is the way you buy them. Full story...

Facebook's $5 promoted status updates go live

Facebook has launched a new 'micro-advertising' feature on its social network, allowing fan-page owners to create more prominent status updates for one off costs starting at $5.

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The cost of a Facebook Sponsored Story: 125m social media impressions 'worth 2 American Idol TV commercials'

As Facebook ads grow in popularity amongst big brands, are advertisers getting better exposure for their money than they would on other mediums? This infographic from the Wall Street Journal takes a look at what money invested in a Facebook Sponsored Story could buy you instead...

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Is Facebook Timeline getting more engagement for brands?

Brands are getting an average 46% more engagement with Facebook's new Timeline profile, according to new research. Full story...

Infographic: 4 in 5 Facebook Pages 'make less than 5 posts a month'

Independent research of 1.7 million Facebook Pages reveals that 82% of Facebook company and brand Pages issue less than 5 update posts per month - hugely underutilising the platform and falling short of fully engaging fans.

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Facebook Timeline: 8m brands switch to new profile in first 10 days

Eight million brands have switched to Facebook's new Timeline profile just 10 days after its launch, according to the social network.

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Facebook marketing: Social ads 'get 55% higher recall'

Social media ads are generating a 55% greater lift in ad recall than non-social ads on average, according to a new study from Nielsen. Full story...

Facebook Timeline profiles for brands: Manchester United and Burberry chart history on social network

Facebook has rolled out its new look 'Timeline' profiles to brands, with Manchester United, Red Bull, Dove and Burberry signing up as the initial partners. Full story...

'Like' button gets company: Facebook tests 'want' and 'own' buttons on Sponsored Stories

Facebook is testing new actions alongside its iconic 'like' button in its Sponsored Stories ad format, in a bid to boost ad clicks through friend recommendations. Full story...

Super Bowl's Greatest Hits: Top 10 most liked ads on Facebook

Budweiser, Snickers and Volkswagen are brands featured amongst the top 10 most 'liked' Super Bowl ads on Facebook from the past 10 years, according to new research. Full story...

Facebook advertising budgets 'growing faster than paid search'

Marketers are increasing advertising spend with Facebook at a much faster pace than paid search advertising, according to new research. Full story...

Facebook 'accounts for over a quarter of US display ads'

Facebook has increased its lead in the US display ad market, accounting for 28% of impressions in 2011, according to new data. Full story...

Facebook advertising in feeds - new tools for marketers

Facebook is to allow advertisers to buy space in the social network's main news feed, rather than just on the right hand column of the main page. Full story...

General Motors pulls 'ineffective' Facebook ads

In a shock move ahead of Facebook's IPO this week, General Motors is reportedly pulling all of its $10m - worth of ads from the social network saying that paid ads are 'ineffective' on the platform. Full story...

Was General Motors getting Facebook marketing wrong? Ford thinks so

Last week, General Motors pulled all of its $10 ad budget from Facebook citing the 'ineffectiveness of paid ads.' But some analysts, and rival car-maker Ford, have been quick to jump to the social network's defence, implying that GM wasn't getting the most it could from the platform. Full story...

Facebook tests 'Want' button with retailers

Facebook is testing its long-rumoured 'Want' button, a retail-friendly accompaniment to the 'Like' button that could help the social network boost revenue through sales commissions and ads. Full story...

Facebook debuts real gifting service

Facebook has launched a new service that lets its users send friends real gifts via the social network. Full story...

Facebook commerce 'worth £3.1bn' in next 3 years

Selling through Facebook (f-commerce) is set to be worth £3.1 billion for UK businesses over the next 3 years, according to new research. Full story...

Facebook tests 'Want' buttons - boost for social shopping?

Facebook is testing a new "Want" button in a move that could make the social network much more attractive to ecommerce sites, according to a new report. Full story...

Facebook's first post-IPO moves: Social gifting firm Karma snapped up as Zuckerberg gets hitched

Facebook has acquired gifting application Karma, marking the social network's first move as a publicly traded company.

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Is social shopping putting people off? Facebook and Twitter icons 'influence online buying'

Online purchase decisions can be positively and negatively influenced by displaying the Facebook and Twitter icons next to products, according to new research. Full story...

Social media marketing: Promoting coupons on Facebook

2011 marked the year that many FMCG brands went social. For some it was small-scale exploratory activity. For others the creation of a Facebook Fan Page or Twitter profile was a social land grab to directly counter the plethora of unofficial pages/profiles that have emerged. Full story...

Rise of 'F-commerce': Reckitt Benckiser sells new Cillit Bang product solely via Facebook

Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has embarked on a new Facebook campaign, using the social network as the exclusive platform to sell its latest Cillit Bang cleaning product. Full story...

Facebook rewards users with 'in-app currency' for engaging with advertisers

Facebook developers can now reward consumers who complete advertisers' offers with app-specific virtual currency as an alternative to Facebook Credits. Full story...

Facebook and Yahoo in search talks?

Yahoo has been in talks with Facebook over a possible search deal that could see an end to its partnership with Microsoft's Bing, according to a news report. Full story...

Facebook tracks consumer purchase journey with Datalogix pact

Facebook is working with US data provider Datalogix to measure how many people who view ads on the social networking site then go on to buy that product in a store. Full story...

Facebook buys social media measurement firm Threadsy

Facebook has bought Threadsy, the start-up company behind the Swaylo social influence measurement service. Full story...

Facebook closes down Face.com... less than a month after buying it

Facebook has closed down Face.com, the facial recognition app it bought last month for $60m, removing it from the iPhone app store in the process. Full story...

Facebook buys facial recognition firm

Facebook has bought Israel-based Face.com for an undisclosed sum, bolstering its facial recognition software. Full story...

Facebook links with WordPress to boost content sharing

Facebook has expanded its integration with WordPress, as the firm looks to tap into the publishing platform's audience of 600 million monthly viewers to boost sharing on its own social network. Full story...

Apple 'likes' Facebook, drops Google Maps

Apple has ditched Google's mapping software and made closer ties with Facebook, as the battle between the rival digital media giants intensifies. Full story...

Salesforce to boost social media with $800m Buddy Media buy

Salesforce.com has made a $800m bid for Buddy Media, in a move that could create the first enterprise level platform to have a fully integrated social customer relationship management (sCRM) module. Full story...

Facebook pays Microsoft $550m for AOL patents

Facebook has paid Microsoft $550m to buy about 70% of the patent portfolio the tech giant itself acquired from AOL for more than $1bn just a fortnight ago. Full story...

Facebook could face year-long antitrust probe into Instagram deal

Facebook's Instagram deal could be delayed by as long as a year after a federal agency launched an investigation into the $1bn purchase. Full story...

Facebook buys Instagram for $1bn

Facebook has bought Instagram for a massive $1bn (£629m). The popular photo-sharing smartphone app crossed its tipping point last year. Full story...

Foursquare rival Gowalla shuts down after Facebook acquisition

Gowalla has shut down, three months after being bought by Facebook, which will integrate the firm's staff and technology into its own location-based tools. Full story...

Big Brother Facebook fiasco: C5 to refund credits after social media vote failure

Channel 5 has agreed to refund Big Brother viewers that lost out on the broadcaster's Facebook voting scheme last year. Full story...

'Why I left Google': Ex-employee blasts firm's 'obsession with beating Facebook'

Recently departed Google employee James Whittaker has criticised his former company, claiming the firm has sacrificed its focus on innovation to morph into an "advertising company with a single corporate-mandated focus", and that focus is Google+. Full story...

Top 25 Facebook games of 2012: Songpop wins, Draw Something comes 10th

Facebook has announced its 25 most popular social games for 2012, with music trivia game SongPop taking the title as best rated game. Full story...

Social gaming: Facebook and Zynga end advertising pact

Facebook and Zynga are to end their close advertising partnership, in a move that will mean players on Farmville will no longer be able to share their social gaming progress with friends on the social network. Full story...

Zynga displays Facebook sponsored stories

Zynga has opened its social gaming website to Facebook ads, as the social network looks to boost its ad reach amid mounting pressure from its new shareholders. Full story...

Top 10 game providers for Facebook by daily active users

The top 10 Facebook content providers reach more than half of the total gaming audience on Facebook. Social network games are currently experiencing exponential growth that is expected to continue through 2014.

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Social media trends: Zynga branches out from Facebook

Zynga has launched a new website, giving players access to their games outside of Facebook and app stores, as the firm aims to become a standalone gaming platform. Full story...

Revealed: Zynga accounts for 12% of Facebook's revenue

The full extent of Facebook's reliance on Zynga was revealed this week, with the social network receiving 12% of its revenue from the games maker last year. Full story...

Angry Birds makes Facebook debut on Valentine's Day

Rovio has announced that Angry Birds will launch on Facebook next month, as the Finnish game developer company looks to take on the likes of Zynga's Farmville on the market leading social network. Full story...

Facebook takes on Google with 'Graph Search'

Facebook has overhauled its search engine in a bid to take on Google, letting users search for people, photos, places and other content that has already been shared on the social network.

Watch Zuckerberg talk about the new service here:


Full story...

Facebook tests sponsored search results to rival Google

Facebook is testing new "Sponsored Results" ads that will let advertisers promote their businesses in the social network's drop-down search results, according to a new report. Full story...

Facebook opens engineering centre in London

Facebook has launched its first engineering centre outside the US this week, setting up an office in London to develop the firm's mobile experience. Full story...

Facebook shares rise after 32% revenue boost

Things are finally looking up at Facebook after its disastrous IPO in May, as the world's largest social network recorded its largest share rises as a public company on the back of better than expected results. Full story...

Sheryl Sandberg joins Facebook board of directors

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook has been named as a member of its Board of Directors, making her the first woman director in the eight-year-old social network company. Full story...

Top 10 global brands: Facebook fastest riser after record IPO

Apple remains the most valuable brand in terms of dollar value, while Facebook is the fastest growing brand, making it to No. 19. Full story...

Facebook: 955m active users but shares still fall

Facebook has announced Q2 revenues of $1.18bn (£750m), a 32% year-on-year increase from $895m (£570m) a year ago. Full story...

Facebook deletes EU facial recognition data (as it re-launches in US)

Irish and German regulators have confirmed that Facebook has deleted all trace of European facial recognition data, following a privacy outcry last year. Full story...

Facebook facial recognition returns as default

Facebook has reintroduced its controversial tag suggest feature for photos, following its temporary suspension over privacy fears last year. Full story...

Facebook hit by "like" button patent claim

Facebook is facing legal action over the use of its "like" button and other social networking features, after the widow of a Dutch programmer claims Facebook is using patented technology. Full story...

Facebook to tell users which ads are behaviourally targeted

Facebook will start revealing which ads have been behaviourally targeted to users on the social network, in a bid to ease privacy fears. Full story...

Facebook forced to email users over 'faces in ads' court case

Facebook has been forced to send emails to users that were used in some of its ads without permission, informing them they may be entitled up to $10 (£6.40) each in compensation. Full story...

Social media regulation: Facebook 'Faces in ads' settlement gets preliminary approval

A US court has given its preliminary approval to a revised class settlement in a lawsuit brought against Facebook by users who claimed that their names and likeness were used without their prior consent in "Sponsored Stories" advertisements shown to their online friends on the social networking website. Full story...

Facebook's automatic photo sync sparks privacy outcry

Facebook has launched a new mobile service that automatically uploads a user's mobile photos to their social network account to review before publishing, sparking privacy concerns that the firm is looking to grab more personal data from their users. Full story...

Social media advertising: Instagram to sell users' photos to advertisers

Facebook owned photo app Instagram has asserted its right to sell its users' photos to advertisers, sparking a wave of criticism from users and privacy campaigners alike. Full story...

Facebook 'could advertise to children after new US laws' TLE

Internet giants such as Facebook, Google and Apple could soon be allowed to advertise to children, as new US laws look set to come into force. Full story...

Internet regulation: Facebook tax office raid in Italy

Police in Milan last week raided Facebook's offices in the Italian city as part of a crackdown on tax avoidance and internet regulation. Full story...

Facebook axes users right to vote on policy changes

Facebook users can no longer vote on proposed policy changes at the company, sparking concern from privacy groups. Full story...

Facebook privacy policy - u turn on consumer-led digital marketing regulation

Lofty ideals have been beaten by commercial realities as consumer voting ends for Facebook privacy policy changes, questioning how much digital marketing regulation can be left to users. Full story...

Facebook - Instagram deal approved... for £150m less than original price?

Facebook has finally been given the go ahead to buy Instagram, but the deal is now three quarters of its original value to the mobile photo application firm. Full story...

Fan comments are now ads? Landmark Diageo ruling makes brands liable for Facebook fan posts

Companies with Facebook profiles will be accountable for comments made by the public on their pages, following a ruling by an advertising watchdog in Australia. Full story...

Advertiser backlash over 'unrealistic' Facebook fan comments ruling

Australian advertisers are staging a fight back over a new ruling that classes Facebook fan comments as advertisements - making brands liable for an offensive comments made on their pages. Full story...

IAB clashes with regulator over Facebook fan comments ruling

Online trade body the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia has criticised a regulator's decision to hold advertisers responsible for content on social networks. Full story...

Judge rejects Facebook's settlement offer for putting users' faces in ads

A US judge has rejected Facebook's proposed legal settlement to resolve allegations that the social networking company violated its members' rights through the its 'Sponsored Stories' ad feature. Full story...

Facebook ignores own user poll on privacy due to 'low turnout'

Proposed Facebook privacy policy changes have been rejected by Facebook users taking part in an official poll on the social networking site. Full story...

Facebook ordered to give up troll data for first time

Facebook will be forced to reveal the identities of a group of four users who wrote abusive messages on the site about a 45-year-old Brighton woman. Full story...

Facebook email switch sparks anger from users

Facebook has been criticized after it replaced users' email addresses listed on the site with its own @facebook system. Full story...

Parents 'ignoring Facebook's age limit for children'

Many UK parents are ignoring Facebook's age limit and letting under 13-year-olds access the social network, according to a UK government minister. Full story...

Facebook draft sparks privacy fears over apps tracking user's friends

Facebook has sparked concerns from privacy groups after a draft proposal changed its privacy policies in an attempt to supposedly make its methods more transparent. Full story...

Leaked docs show Facebook censorship guidelines 'rule sex more offensive than blood and gore'

Facebook staff moderating user posts are ordered to delete all forms of sexual activity, but violent and gory images are allowed, according to a leaked document issued buy a disgruntled former employee. Full story...

Facebook privacy policy concerns - Social media data protection

An audit of Facebook's privacy policies by the Irish data protection commissioner has concluded the social network must go further in warning users how it and third-party apps handle personal information, following concerns that it was illegally creating "shadow profiles" of non-members. Full story...

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