Weekly Wrap-up: Facebook Audience Network

Facebook ads are going beyond the social network. Yes, Facebook announced that it is undertaking an expanded test of its Audience Network — “a new way for advertisers to extend their campaigns beyond Facebook and into other mobile apps.” The Audience Network will start with advertisers who need to drive app installs or app engagement. Facebook looks to include additional marketing objectives in the future. The Audience Network will roll out to more advertisers in the coming months.

Facebook announced Anonymous Login at f8 (a conference for developers and such who build products around Facebook). This feature will enable you to log into apps without sharing any personal Facebook information. A new version of Facebook Login will also be available with better privacy controls. You can select the data an app gets by unchecking categories of information.

Until this change, interaction with Vine videos has been on phones. Vine has now introduced a new version of Vine which includes features that help you find and discover Vine videos on the web. The Explore page which is the first thing you see has Channels, Popular Now, Trending Tags and Playlists similar to the mobile app. You do not have to log in to explore.

Foursquare New App, Swarm

Foursquare announced Swarm, a new app that is built around the fact that Foursquare users have talked about how often they still have to find out where their friends are and what they are up to later through text. “With Swarm, you can easily see which of your friends are out nearby, figure out who is up for grabbing a drink later, and share what you’re up to (faster and more easily than you can in Foursquare today),” reads the announcement. If you want the app, you can sign up on the website and it will be made available to you once it is ready. A redesigned Foursquare app will be released soon, focussing on discovery.

Twitter Releases Q1 Earnings

Twitter revenue surged 119 percent to $250 million in the first quarter of this year but still witnessed a net loss of $132 million. Facebook posted profits to the tune of $642 million in the same period. Monthly active tweeps (Twitter users) per month stand at 255 million. There’s however a decline in user growth and this has adversely affected the share trading. The stock has dropped to its lowest since the company floated. This is obviously a major cause for worry. The good news is Dick Costolo and the team are not taking this lying down. The integration of MopUp into their advertising platform has brought in 1 billion Android and iOS device users. This is likely to drive more mobile ads revenue as they reach beyond just Twitter users. The Twitter new look has also been responsible for the 15 percent increase in timeline views to 157 billion in the same period.