If you’ve been online or caught any news program since yesterday at around 4pm, you probably already know that Facebook officially filed paperwork for their upcoming IPO.  With this, as with any other IPO filing, the doors to a once very private company were opened to the media and public.  There are many interesting points in the massive paperwork (about 700 pages to give an idea) as well as some pretty glaring questions.  Since many of these questions will likely not be answered until public trading officially begins, which should happen in Q2, I’ll focus this post on just a few facts that jumped off the page as soon as these doors opened.

The official numbers are out, so we can stop speculating and working from estimates — as of December, Facebook had around 845 million active users.  While this is certainly impressive, it doesn’t differ from what many of us already knew.  It’s fairly common knowledge that Facebook will most likely reach 1 billion active users in 2012.  The somewhat surprising “official” stat is the number of daily active users.  During that same December measurement, Facebook recorded more than 483 million daily active users — well over half of the entire Facebook population. This is perhaps the best indication we’ve had to date that Facebook is not just a hobby, but an active lifestyle component.  It’s part of our daily routines — it has become a way of life.

Impressive user numbers aside, revenues for 2011 actually fell quite a bit short of industry analyst predictions.  It’s no secret that most of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising and they will likely be placing a lot more focus on developing those tools and services over the coming months and years.  Many are worried that due to Facebook’s gigantic size, the opportunity to grow ad revenue is somewhat limited in the grand scheme.  I joked yesterday that they may be the first public company to ever have to place “not enough people on Earth” as a longterm growth challenge.  For Facebook advertising in its current form, that may become true — unless China ever hops on board (that discussion is for another post).  The second bucket of revenue for Facebook is filled with dollars from virtual good sales through games and Facebook credits through social commerce properties, tools and applications.

We all knew about the second bucket.  The one that contains Words with Friends and Farmville… you know the one.  We just didn’t realize how big that bucket actually has become.  Zynga (the gaming platform and creator of the previously mentioned games) accounted for 12% of Facebook’s entire revenue in 2011.  That makes them an indispensable partner for Facebook.  It should also signal a glimpse of confidence for potential investors.  Facebook will always rely on advertising revenue in some way, shape or form.  The amount of reliance, however, may not be as heavy as we originally thought.

What are your thoughts on Facebook’s IPO filings?  Will you buy stock when it officially hits the street?

When I was in college, I knew what I excelled at. I could understand complex theories, I could lead group projects, and I could write a 5 page paper in an hour (While not my most marketable skill, definitely one of the most valuable). Those skills – and many more – got me to where I am today.

My first few months on the job have been successful due to the skills that I have developed since stepping foot on St. John Fisher’s campus. But now it is not about understanding theory and how I use my semicolons. Life in the work world is about soft skills. By soft skills I mean the traits that make you who you are. How you communicate, your work ethic, how you treat others, etc. Your knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem isn’t going to help you nail a promotion, right? Your drive, attitude, and reliability are going to be the deciding factors. And don’t worry – these soft skills are things you already have! They make you you.

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I’ve gotten a lot of mixed reviews… about QR codes, that is. After surveying a small group of people, I’ve seen a range of opinions and feelings about QR codes — from people who love them to people who have no idea what they are.

If you are one who doesn’t know what a QR code is, here’s a quick lesson: A QR (Quick Response) code is basically a two-dimensional barcode which, when scanned by a Smartphone, takes the user to a mobile website of some sort.

Sound boring? You’re not the only one who thinks so.

In the 10-question survey I distributed it seemed like most people weren’t interested in QR codes because all they did was take them to the company’s website or some place that didn’t impact the user in any way.

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Mike Johansson is a social media strategist and lecturer for the Department of Communication at the Rochester Institute of Technology. You can learn more at www.mikejohansson.com or follow him on any number of social networks including twitter, where he’s @mikefixs.

I’m not Santa, although I have played him once or twice for various events. But it’s that time of year and while many social media platforms and events from the past year rightly deserve gifts and thanks there are those who absolutely deserve coal.

Here are my 11 social media tools, networks and “celebrities” who each get a lump of coal for their troubles in 2011.

Facebook: For its continued assault on its 800 million users’ privacy. As it prepares for a $100-billion initial public offering next year Facebook reached a settlement last month with the Federal Trade Commission on charges that it violated its users’ privacy. Facebook agreed to get its users’ permission before making changes to privacy settings and to undergo independent privacy audits every other year for the next 20 years. But as it rolls out the Timeline feature it seems certain to surprise and upset many with just how much of their past information is now public. (For a useful, if time-consuming solution – see PC World’s Prep for Facebook’s Timeline Layout: 6 Must-Do Privacy Tweaks

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As a newbie to the media world, there is a TON that I do not know. But I’ll tell you what; I know a whole lot more than I did last month. This did not happen through osmosis. Although – that would have been nice.

When I first came on the job here at Butler/Till, I was put right to work! I started creatinginsertion orders, managing traffic, and requesting media kits/rate cards from publications. All of this was fine and good, but after reflecting on my first week, I didn’t know why it was so important that we send and receive insertion orders. Don’t the publications just invoice us, anyways? Geez. This was a lot of work.

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AARP has paired with Concord Music Group to create a free internet radio service geared toward adults fifty and older. The 18-channel music player is embedded in the AARP website and its user-friendly design makes it easy for older adults using an online music player for the first time. The Baby Boomer generation is known for their affinity toward music, and AARP is offering them a new way of listening to their old favorites, as well as introducing them to newer artists.

AARP has not promoted the music player outside of the website heavily, but a large banner on the home screen currently advertises the player. Although listeners 50+ are 44.6% less likely to listen to radio on the internet and 73% less likely to visit the digital music player site Pandora than all other age groups (MRI Spring 2011), AARP has something other digital music sites do not- 37 million members.

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Connected consumers are increasingly using smartphones to access the mobile web right from stores; and in doing so they are changing the face of in-store marketing and the consideration process itself.

I experienced this on a recent trip to the grocery store with my wife.  After unsuccessfully searching for a specialty item, I decided it was time to ask an employee.  Before I could find someone to ask, my wife pulled out her iPhone, downloaded the store’s free app and located the product…aisle 15A.

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Last month the DPAA (Digital Place-Based Advertising Association) hosted their Digital Media Summit “Context Matters” in NYC.  I happened to be in Manhattan that week so took advantage of the opportunity to attend – and was very glad I did.  It was fascinating to learn about the latest and greatest in digital place-based media (DPBM).

For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about (because let’s face it, this media type has a terrible name), DPBM is content driven networks delivered out of home, in places along the path to purchase.  Called “a little bit OOH, a lot TV” – examples include screens in taxi cabs, doctor’s offices, shopping malls, health clubs, office building elevators, and the like.  These networks provide news, information and entertainment in “TV program-like form” that is relevant to the target audience in the target environment – inserting advertising like a TV network.

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Congratulations! You graduated college and you nailed your first full-time position. Welcome to the real world! Now, be sure to purchase an iron – and don’t run out of cold cuts! …What? There’s a lot more to your first full-time position than just showing up, and I’m here for you – I’m going through it, too!

First, I’ll introduce myself: My name is Kelley and I graduated from St. John Fisher College in May – Go Cardinals! While in school, I studied communication/journalism, had a bunch of marketing internships, and wore sweatpants to class – every day.

When I look back on my college life, I am amazed at how much I flew by the seat of my pants! Things over here in the real world are a lot different, and I am going to show you by taking you through each month of my first year at Butler/Till, right here on Butler/Till’s Media Mosaic blog – If Gavin and Michael let me!

So here goes… my first big lesson…all summed up in four lovely letters: PLAN. Planning is vital to success in the workplace, so if you can master how to plan, you are setting yourself up for a good day!

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“We are truly who we are when no one else is looking” – Mike Tannenbaum, General Manager, NY Jets

Last month Tracy and I had the good fortune to attend a CEO event in Florham Park NJ as guests of Inc. Magazine and their newly formed The Build Network (www.TheBuildNetwork.com).  Titled “3 Things: Team” the focus of the event was on “Building High Performance Management Teams”.  One of the many topics covered was identifying and selecting top performers for your business – a critically important responsibility for executives in companies of all shapes and sizes.

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