1. New “Timeline” profiles
2. Verbs instead of “Likes”
3. Larger app presence
4. Menial info now in the Ticker
5. Multimedia opportunities

Facebook is certainly no stranger to change. Sometimes, those changes are initially met with hostility from the public, which then later morphs into acceptance and the status quo. I have a few thoughts on the changes, as they pertain to user experience, as an actual Facebook user with a pulse, and as a social media marketer. Click below the fold to read more.

First, I have to admit that I was very turned off by the Timeline as soon as Mark Zuckerberg unveiled it during his address. The new layout immediately resembled what I described as a “lovechild” of MySpace and Tumblr: it appeared very blocky, and allowed for user customization. I, for one, don’t miss the days when MySpace pages took forever to load because of user-added music apps and glittery GIF files. Facebook, after all, swayed me away from MySpace mainly due to its clean, uniform, streamlined user experience. I’d hate to see that diminish.

Perhaps the biggest concern I have about the new Timeline profile is that its “digital scrapbook” structure allows users to select any year in your Facebook posting history, read updates and see photos from that specific time period. Essentially, it makes your archived content available with one simple click, whereas before, one would have to likely spend hours scrolling down a user’s profile to do so. While it’s true in every instance that what one posts online is the public’s property, I feel like this sudden change in access is a slight violation of users’ trust. I have nothing to hide, but I did not expect that it would be incredibly easy to access my content originally posted in 2007. Facebook, in my opinion, made e-stalking that much easier with this change. I imagine that this could potentially be a huge concern for a lot of current Facebook users, and permanently scare away pensive prospect users. Keep in mind, of course, that I have yet to see what my profile looks like when it is in Timeline view. There is a great probability that I may actually grow to like it. Who knows?

Examining Facebook’s changes from a marketing perspective, these announcements pose challenges to brands and businesses vying for the attention of their online fans. It will now be more difficult for brands to publisher their messages in users’ newsfeeds, as the Facebook platform now seems to be moving in the direction of giving its users more content from their closest friends (thanks to its back-end algorithms). Businesses are now tasked, perhaps more than ever, to create content that is more interactive, or else suffer the consequence of getting lost in the shuffle. I see branded applications fitting into this picture, big time.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I actually think this might be a good thing for the industry, and I see some parallels with the addition of Google+ to the social media platform marketplace. These changes will inevitably require creativity and true marketing savvy, which is great. After all, I love a good challenge.

What do you think of Facebook’s new changes? Please leave a comment below.

So, where do I stand? Check out my post on ChatterBlast Media’s blog here, and see for yourself!

Essentially, I outline four chief rules:

1. Don’t: Be corporate. Do: Be personable.

2. Don’t: Annoy your followers. Do: Practice discretion.

3. Don’t: Waste your followers’ time. Do: Give them a reason to care.

4. Don’t: Expect magic to happen. Do: Set expectations.

Sure, there are tons of more rules brands need to follow, and they vary by industry and company size, but these guidelines are universal rules to successfully navigate a social media marketing campaign. What are some of your important rules? Leave a comment below!

His current situation is actually very sad. He is clearly suffering from an addiction, and his children were taken away from him. He is headed down a very self-destructive path, and we should be worried for him. But I, for one, am not as concerned. Rather, I am looking at this mess with a dose of suspicion and amazement. This entire situation might be the best thing to happen in Charlie Sheen’s career. Hear me out.

I am actually sad to think this, given the circumstances of his life and of his family. But through this media firestorm, Sheen has achieved a higher iconic status in our culture. He is no longer Charlie Sheen the actor. He is Charlie Sheen, the man who we are making fun of but celebrating at the same time. Why else would he receive nearly 1.5 million Twitter followers overnight? He is providing content; entertainment that we consume and share with others. This content is so outrageous that we can’t help but want more of it. What I find so interesting about this case is that in grand American tradition, society rewards deviant and reckless behavior with media attention. That media attention, moreover, leads to monetization, and the dollars then follow. I firmly believe Sheen and his PR people are in on this joke, and they will soon be laughing all the way to the bank.

I initially found it very convenient that Sheen joined Twitter around the time his now-infamous interviews aired, and that this Twitter account was deemed “verified” in such a short amount of time. It seemed opportunistic, and something about it was suspect. I read an article today that verified some of my suspicions, that this is all a strategic media play. Advertising Age published an interview with Ad.ly, a Twitter marketing service that helps celebrities link up with advertisers so that former can tweet about the latter’s products for a premium price. Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Snoop Dogg are all allegedly involved in this network. (For example, Kardashian receives an ungodly amount of money for mentioning an advertiser in her tweet, because that advertiser wants the attention of Kardashian’s legions of followers.) In a nutshell, the CEO of Ad.ly confirms that the company had been contacted by Sheen’s people to set the actor up on Twitter and pay off the person who had reserved the “@CharlieSheen” Twitter account name to relinquish control. Ad.ly had contacts with Twitter, and the platform quickly verified the account upon the promise that millions would want to follow the actor, who is arguably one of the most discussed individuals at the moment. A short time thereafter, the actor then launched his Twitter account and drew in nearly 900,000 followers after one single tweet. It was absolutely a calculated move.

I think we can tell where this is going. At some point, advertisers will want to benefit from Sheen’s buzz and millions of followers and will want to pay Sheen to make mentions of their products in his Twitter feed. He is no different than Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian at that point. In fact, he may be more influential than either of them. I would venture to say that he may be the first celebrity to remedy a potentially career-ending situation by corralling support and a new fan base through social media. He is giving us twisted but undeniably interesting content and the masses are rewarding him with their attention. Attention usually always leads to dollars in the entertainment and media worlds, and Sheen stands to benefit from the entire buzz he is creating around his craziness. Ad.ly certainly does as well, since they now have the services of the most talked-about man in Hollywood right now. The whole situation is genius.

I am fascinated by Ad.ly. It’s a very smart service, but I also have fears of what it can become. It could possibly ruin social media, since it has the potential to remove any shred of integrity from an influential user’s or public figure’s tweet. I sometimes worry that this market will become so saturated that tweets will be nothing but veiled promotional messages disguised as random musings. But I suppose that’s what most celebrities care about: pimping their image out to the public for the almighty dollar. Otherwise, what’s the point of broadcasting your personal business to the world?

What do you think of this entire scenario? Do you agree that Sheen and his people are actually exercising genius PR? Please leave a comment.