Twitter touts automated ad purchases with API
Twitter has unveiled an application programming interface to let marketers make automated ad purchases on its site. The move is "all about making advertising on Twitter easier for marketers," Twitter's April Underwood says. The Wall Street Journal (2/20)
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Network Update

Opinion: LinkedIn has lost its way
LinkedIn's cluttered layout, flood of largely irrelevant content and too-numerous tools and sections put it at risk of falling prey to the same bloat that sank MySpace, Dan Roche writes. "The site needs a more centralized approach to enhance its user friendliness and further improve the company's authority in the business networking industry," Roche writes. iMedia Connection/Social Media blog (2/21)
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Ideas in Action

Professor turns Twitter into a stock predictor
Indiana University researcher Johan Bollen has won a patent for a "Twitter predictor" that uses online chatter to predict the ebb and flow of stock markets. His tool uses sentiment analysis to gauge the public's mood, and tweaks its stock predictions accordingly. Bollen says two hedge funds have tested the tool, although not everyone is sold on its effectiveness. The Indianapolis Star (tiered subscription model) (2/21)
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Sony taps social media for launch of new PlayStation
Sony has turned to social media in preparing for the launch of a game console. The brand has used Twitter for early messaging, created a YouTube video that attracted about 400,000 views, and seeded game blogs. American Express, meanwhile, took the unusual step of advertising for the rival Microsoft Xbox with a promoted tweet under Sony's hashtag #PlayStation2013. The Wall Street Journal/Digits blog (2/20)
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Other News

Research and Reports

Facebook Exchange is second-best ad source, Adobe says
Facebook Exchange is delivering strong results for brands, and is now the second-best-performing ad source overall, according to an Adobe study. That's partly because it lets brands leverage their existing data assets effectively, says Justin Merickel of Adobe Advertising Solutions. "Facebook Exchange lets us tie customers' data assets into Facebook Exchange and target them at the right price based on performance," he explains. ClickZ (2/20)
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Other News

The Takeaway

Real-time brand management requires more than just a quick reaction
Oreo's speedy social media response during the Super Bowl, along with Poland Spring's slightly less nimble reaction to Sen. Marco Rubio's midspeech water break, show the importance of using social media to manage a brand in real time, Jeremy Epstein writes. That means acting quickly in the moment, but also working beforehand to acquire the necessary tools and giving practitioners the power to make decisions quickly. "Acting quickly ... is critical, but so is global social infrastructure to ensure consistency of brand voice," Epstein writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (2/21)
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How SMBs can beat Twitter hackers
Small businesses have to remember their Twitter accounts could be targeted by hackers, Deanne Katz writes. She emphasizes the need for secure passwords, malware protection and to avoid clicking on shortened links. FindLaw/Free Enterprise blog (2/20)
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Social Shareable

Starbucks' priciest drink: The "Quadriginoctuple Frap"
A Starbucks customer's effort to assemble the most expensive beverage possible led to the "Quadriginoctuple Frap" -- that's 48 espresso shots, protein powder, soy milk and "enough strawberry/vanilla bean/caramel high-fructose corn syrup to feed a small stable of ponies," Chris Gayomali writes. The off-menu drink costs $47.30. The Week (2/20)
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Editor's Note

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SmartQuote

Forcing followers into submission no longer works." -- Mara Einstein, writing in Advertising Age Share: