Facebook Places, unlike Foursquare and Gowalla, is a feature not an app.

Since the public unveiling of Facebook “Places”, the proverbial ”jump-to-conclusions mat” has been unfurled gratuitously by social media types across America. The implications of “Places” is not quite as revolutionary as many, including myself, had previously anticipated. While many seem focused on the consequences of “Places” for geo-location apps such as Foursquare and Gowalla, I have become more fascinated with what “Places” tells us about Facebook.

Before I get into the deeper implications, let’s start with what “Places” is, or better, what it isn’t. “Places” is not an app, it’s a feature that merely adds ability (read: opportunity) to Facebook. “Places” has carved a place for geo-locating apps in the Facebook universe. This means that geo-location apps like Foursquare will be  integrated with, and build their applications upon, the Facebook system. So Facebook “Places” is not the killer app. To the contrary, it will likely supercharge the geo-location app market by removing the complex back-end development costs necessary to implement such an app.

For all who were hoping to witness Facebook and Foursquare engaging in an epic battle over the digital map of Middle Earth: Foursquare, my friends, is merely a game and Facebook is now the operating system.

We are off to a lovely holiday luncheon at Sole. Many  thanks to the Masconomet Soccer Boosters. The food is awesome!

The holiday season is in full force and we are ready for a bit of a break to recharge, take in a bit of skiing, paint, relax and rejuvenate. We will be on an “email/phone only” schedule for the next two weeks. Feel free to contact us with questions that arise. We’ll keep all of our current projects moving forward and we’ll be back in the office on January 4th to kick off a brand new year.

2010

For the past several weeks, we have been working with clients to develop marketing and branding plans for 2010. Our 30 clients inspire us daily with their passion, perseverence, and vision for the future.

Whether entrepreneurs, small businesses, or growing corporations, our clients’ view of successful growth goes beyond traditional headcount. Nurenu clients share a desire to grow cost-effectively through innovative and engaging communications. This approach opens up new paths and business opportunities.

With 25 websites in our portfolio, we understand how web-centric communications can be a game-changer. To help our clients realize their visions and dreams, Nurenu is committed to staying at the forefront of the industry, serving as an active, innovative sounding board and marketing partner.

In 2010, we’ll be changing and growing as well. How? By….

• Expanding our content management offerings to include Drupal development and Joomla CMS. These two technology platforms provide clients with new kinds of self-serve flexibility in website content management.
• Streamlining our office processes to better serve our clients. This means taking advantage of the latest time-tracker and project management software to make sure we are working not only creatively, but cost-effectively.
• Helping more clients establish and maintain mindshare through e-blast campaigns that integrate with CRM software such as Salesforce.com.
• Exploring Google Wave (now in beta) to see how we can use this new collaboration tool for maximum benefit to clients and Nurenu.
• Pursuing the latest SEO techniques in order to make our websites work even harder for our clients and using even better Analytics to help us track and continuously improve client website activity.
• Incorporating social media techniques wherever it makes sense for our clients’ marketing goals. In 2010, we will see a maturing of this marketing model. More will join, many will consolidate, and a few will be highly successful at benefiting from this marketing component. We will be an active participant!

As I wind up this blog and this year, I want to thank everyone who made this year so memorable. To our wonderful clients, vendors, friends, and families, I offer our sincere appreciation for your business and support.  Come January, lets do it all again! Here’s to a 2010 filled with brand new opportunities for all. Cheers!

I went with the latter and for the next hour we talked about her business, my business and the amazing landscape of social media. She confessed that she used no social media whatsoever – no blogging, no twittering, no witty fan page on Facebook. She didn’t even have her “face up on LinkedIn.” So, slowly I explained how it can all come together and how, with very little time and money, she can integrate social media into her marketing plan. I would be lying if I said by the tiramisu she was all on board, but I did see a glimmer of hope! We were about to leave and she came up to say goodbye, “Good luck, BJ, with that social media thing!” Made me smile.

Tomorrow, I get to present with Rich Gee, owner of the Rich Gee Group. He is a consummate speaker and his use of social media is just the best. We will speak briefly about how we use social media but mostly we’ll ask the question: “What do you do?” and tailor our talk to their specific businesses. This will be more of a conversation, just like social media! The most important take away will be: “Just do it. Just jump in and begin communicating.” It will be a great talk!