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Some ‘Twitter definitions’ are sponsoredJuly 2

A Twitter Sponsored Definition

There has been so much conjecture as to how Twitter will start monetizing.  Well, it looks like there have been a few baby steps in the form of “sponsored definitions” that cycle through right above the Home link on the navigation bar. It is very subtle and I didn’t notice it myself until today (Seth Simonds has been talking about this since June 23rd).

You won’t see these sponsored definitions every time as they’re interspersed with Twitter definitions that are not sponsored but simply informational or helpful, I guess.  An example of a sponsored definition is Exec Tweets and Cinema Tweets — essentially text ads in the guise of being factoids and links to useful apps and services.

According to a blog pos

People with passion fuel social mediaJuly 2

When I wrote Twitter Is What Second Life Wasn’t: Light, Cheap and Open I was addressing something simple, “the hype surrounding Twitter may well be hype but isn’t the same sort of hype that Second Life enjoyed 2-3 years ago, and here’s why.” Well, I forgot how passionate Second Lifers are and so it goes.  So it was delicious to discover the 20-or-so comments in response to my recent AdAge DigitalNext article.

Here’s the comments through to today:

By jason_miletsky | totowa, NJ June 26, 2009 05:32:15 pm:

I’m not a fan of Second life by any means – I’ve written plenty of scathing blog posts on its demise myself (http://bit.ly/Qat0k), and I am

YouTube’s new Reporters’ CenterJuly 1

Innovate ceaselessly, shamelessly, like FacebookJune 26

I heart Facebook. This morning I awoke to Yet Another Facebook Innovation (YAFI). Facebook amazes me because they are driven to make things easier for me — or at least give it a go. Facebook is willing to suffer constant backlash in order to improve usability and efficiency.

Case in point below:

In this particular case, the innovation is what I call a “Twitterish” innovation — stealing something directly from Twitter. A couple weeks ago, I stayed up until 12:01AM to secure another hype-drenched Twitterish innovation: vanity URLS: facebook.com/chrisabraham — I am such a sucker!

However, Facebook is an equal-opportunity thief and also quite creative as well. Next innovation inspired by Utterli, FriendFeed, or LinkedIn?  Who knows!

I hate to admit it but I am us

Intel Insiders program marks one yearJune 26

The Intel Insiders program just marked its first anniversary, so it’s worth mentioning a few highlights over the past year. We advise Intel on social media matters. (I wrote about the program at its launch a year ago and posted this disclosure statement.)

I’m glad to see Intel taking out an even greater public presence this year, with its co-sponsorship of PBS’s NewsHour and its deepening commitment to educational and charitable efforts around the globe. Some highlights for me:

• Trading ideas and comparing notes with some of the other Insiders, including Tom Foremski and Sarah Austin (both of whom will be part of the Traveling Ge