T&A: Knowledge at Wharton has released a feature predicting a possible shake-out in the social media network space.

Basically, with Facebook’s recent purchase of FriendFeed, Friendster’s refocus on the APAC region and MySpace.com owner NewsCorp reshuffling some execs, there’s buzz that this could be the first signs of a shake-out.

According to Wharton, while there is still growth in this sector, expect a round of consolidation, restructuring and reinvention soon.

One of the biggest reasons for this prediction is that there are too many social networking sites — one of the signs for this is when there are aggregation sites which compile social profiles from multiple networks.

Wharton also shared some insights into Friendster, which announced plans to expand into Singapore, Philippines and other APAC countries in January.

HWM Indonesia

HWM Indonesia: We’ve been bombarded with tons of social media network sites for the past decade.

The potential of getting a vast amount of traffic in a short time is so alluring that all kinds of social media network sites are set up, from a very niche social network (e.g. www.temankuliah.com for the Indonesian audience) to a global social network (e.g. Friendster or Facebook).

The sites that offers the “portability” (e.g. accessible on mobile phones) and “quality of relationship” (e.g. interaction with your friends through games or comments) will differentiate themselves in the long run, thus maintaining or even growing their members through recommendations/ invitations from existing members.

Without deep pockets, the bigger sites, of course, will be expensive to maintain.

Despite the heavy traffic, monetization is still difficult although the idea is catching up with advertisers. However, shake-ups will continue with the current small pool of advertisers.

CORP TALK: Facebook users…rejoice. The social networking service has decided to end its Beacon marketing program.

According to this Associated Press report, picked up by news publishers worldwide, the Beacon marketing program was launched two years ago to track user activities at partner Web sites.  The intention of the program was to help users keep their friends informed on their interests when they visit participating sites, thus becoming “trusted referrals” and drive sales.

While users were able to decline this tracking on a site-by-site basis, the warning prompt was too brief (a 20-second pop-up at the corner of Web browsers), causing many to complain. (more…)

CORP TALK: Singapore-based telecom provider StarHub has now become the first mobile service provider in Asia to offer free access to MSN Live Messenger and Facebook to post-paid customers at no charge for data usage.

This service is currently available only on selected handsets, such as the Samsung OMNIA II, HTC Touch Diamond 2, Nokia E63 and the new LG GM730 multimedia touch-screen smartphone.

The LG GM730 is exclusively pre-installed with the Facebook client which allows mobile users a one-click easy access from the home screen. LG GM730 will start to retail tomorrow at all StarHub Shops and Exclusive Partners’ outlets.

To use Windows Live Messenger or Facebook from a supported mobile device, customers simply launch the application from the phone menu. No prior registration with StarHub is required.

CORP TALK: Various news media sources, including Sacramento Business Journal here and Reuters here, have reported that Russian-based Digital Sky Technologies is increasing its stake in Facebook Inc. with an offer to buy up to US$100 million in employee stock.

With an offer of US$14.77 a share, the Palo Alto-based social networking service’s value now stands at US$6.5 billion. DST currently owns 1.96% in Facebook as of May 2009 with its US$200 million investment.

According to the site, the offer on employee stock is based on a valuation that’s lower than the US$15 billion put on Facebook when Microsoft Corp. first invested US$240 million in the firm in 2007.

According to Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg, the DST pricetag brings the value for the service higher than the price originally considered in May 2009.

Warner's Watchmen Blu-ray Disc will allow viewers to create live commentary with their Facebook friends using BD-Live.

BD-Live basically links your Blu-ray movie to the World Wide Web via the Net-connected Blu-ray Disc player and allows peer-to-peer interactions and new content downloads.

CORP TALK: The Hollywood Reporter has news that Warner Home Video will be putting forth a plan to sync up friend networks on Facebook with a unique BD-Live feature starting with the Watchmen Blu-ray Disc. What will happen is that when buyers of the Watchmen Blu-ray Disc views the film on their HDTVs and Blu-ray players, they’ll be able to share comments (ie. live commentary) with their Facebook friends at the same time (without ever leaving the couch).

What makes this different from the Buddy List function on BD-Live is that these lists are now synchronizable with the viewer’s Facebook’s friend networks, creating a larger network beyond just the existing BD-Live community. This isn’t the first time that Warner has embarked on a community first for the Blu-ray Disc initiative. Last year, the studio staged a live community screening of The Dark Knight, except that it was limited to just the BD-Live community and had director Christopher Nolan interact with 50,000 fans on a dedicated Web site. (more…)