Industry Roundup

1. A New Page Has Turned: Google CEO Larry Page has stated that every employee’s bonus depends on the success of the company’s social media strategy. Google has failed thus far on the social media front and are concerned with the success of Facebook and Twitter. Products such as OpenSocial, Dodgeball, Buzz, Wave, Jaiku and others have all been misses and were unable to compete in the social space. Page says, “This is a joint effort so it’s important that we all get behind it.” +1 is Google’s most recent effort, which is a similar feature to Facebook’s “Like” button and is described as a “social search service.” Read this article for more info.

2. Facebook Friends: Facebook is hoping to improve its relationship with several news media companies. They hope to spread their reach and through the “Like” button allow users to more easily share content and read important world news on Facebook. Many of the news sites could use a boost in traffic, and their partnership with Facebook would do just that. Chief Opertaing Officer Sheryl Sandberg said, “In a world where people are spending so much time on Facebook…we want news to be a big part of that.” Check out more on the story here on Yahoo News.

3. 365 Days, 377 Percent Increase: Social Media’s new favorite number is 377, as their combined value increased by an amazing 377% this past year. Companies such as Groupon, Zynga, Facebook and Twitter have enjoyed tremendous jumps from 2010 to 2011. Zynga has raised 80% to 8 billion, Facebook grew 57% to $65 billion, Twitter is up 7.7% to $4 billion and Linkedin went up 43.4% to $2.2 billion. Check it out.

4. YouTube gets a British Accent: YouTube is preparing for the internet’s takeover of the television (or as the Brits would say, “The Tube”). YouTube is reorganizing its content around “Channels” and Google apparently willing to spend up to $100 million to produce high quality content for TV’s that will allow people to watch the internet in their living rooms. Some believe YouTube would like to compete with broadcast and cable television. Read more about YouTube’s new direction and the meeting of TV and the internet it here.

5. Rodeo or Google Drive?: Google is expanding its SoCal reach by opening up a 13, 465 square foot office in Beverly Hills. It will host Google’s entertainment division. Google will move in by the end of 2011, and have signed an 11-year contract with the city. Google wants to get more involved with the entertainment industry, and along with GoogleTV and their attempt to create original content for YouTube, this is a further sign of their desire to strengthen their entertainment reach. Also, Google recently signed a lease for more than 100,000 square feet of offices in several Venice locations. Google is SoCal.

6. iFight: Time Warner Cable and Viacom are in a legal battle over the iPad. Viacom hopes to block Time Warner from streaming its cable channels on the iPad. Time Warner has asked a federal court to rule that they are legally able to stream Viacom’s content, and the fight is heating up between these two giant media empires. Time Warner’s new iPad app allows users to watch live TV on the tablet. iSue.

7. Xoomsday: Motorola’s Xoom is having a very slow lift-off. The tablet is running Android’s Honeycomb software and has sold a mere 100,000 in its first six weeks. Apple’s iPad has sold between 2 and 3 million in its first four weeks on the market. Rhoda Alexander of IHS said, “At this point, it’s still a one-horse race.” No Xoom Boom yet.

8. Hack Attack: The Hacking Group called “Anonymous,” and an off-shoot of the group, has targeted Sony websites and executives in what it calls, “Operation Payback.” Sony had sued Hacker GeoHot for sharing “jailbreaking” tools that allow users to run unauthorized software on the Play Station 3. Anonymous believes Sony violated the “privacy of thousands” by attempting to find out who downloaded the jailbreaking tools, and have warned Sony to “Expect us.” Read more about it here.

9. A Rod, Kobe, Brady, and Jobs: Apple’s iPad and iPhone will now offer live ESPN content. Those who subscribe are able to watch live ESPN TV on their pad or phone. “WatchESPN” is now available in the app store, and this is yet another step forward in the move to mobile. This is a very exicting development for sports fans and techies everywhere. Check it out!

10. What’s Your Vice?: Tom Freston is a media giant who is largely responsible for MTV’s success and the start of the The Daily Show. Freston is a former Viacom CEO and has now invested in Vice, a small media company that he’s been interested in for many years. Freston believes Vice has huge international potential, and it’s main demographic are men who are 20-something hipsters. With Freston behind Vice, it is a real possibility that the company could take off. Hipsters 2.0

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