So a ton of new stuff on the Facebook front, got that. But what’s on the horizon? We definitely haven’t heard the last about these two topics, but the “no-show” items from the F8 Developers Conference Keynote were:

Facebook Credits

Virtual Credits have been touted as one of the biggest opportunities for Facebook in 2010, and with the blossoming of the micro-payment model, it’s surprising that Facebook decided to put it on the back burner. Companies like Playfish and Zynga, maker of the unbelievably popular Farmville game, are reporting huge revenue from getting users to spend small sums of money (as low as one dollar) in exchange for virtual credits or items to be used in games or given to friends.

Additionally, apps like Buxter, created by London-based ClickandBuy, allow friends to exchange small amounts of money (no more than roughly $60) to pay each other back for dinner the night before, or what have you, and, of course, charge a small fee on top of each transaction. It would only make sense (cents?) for Facebook to drive these smaller players out of the space and become the Credit standard for their more than 400 million users. But, alas, there was only brief and vague reference to what Facebook was doing with Credits, plus a small, technical “session breakout.”

Geo-Location

In real estate, location is everything; however, at during the F8 keynote, location was nowhere to be found. Due to all the hype in recent weeks and months about Facebook launching some sort of location-based check-in technology to its platform, we arrive at three possible conclusions. First, that Facebook has abandoned incorporating geo-location: highly unlikely. Second, that Facebook has been so busy building and rolling out its new platform that they haven’t had time to think about geo-location: possible, but unlikely.

More than likely, Facebook is waiting for a deal to be structured between Microsoft and Foursquare, the front-runner in location-based social networking, and is hoping to incorporate the new Open Graph directly into foursquare once it becomes a Microsoft property, much like they’ve done with Docs.com. We haven’t heard the last of geo-location and Facebook, especially if the deal with Microsoft doesn’t happen (which it probably won’t – foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley still has a bad taste in his mouth from selling his previous startup, Dodgeball, to Google, only to watch them let it wither and die), but it certainly wasn’t discussed at the F8 Conference.

Read more: [http://socialightmedia.com/#ixzz0n9hSMXN8]. Philadelphia social media consultant and search engine optimization analyst Jed Singer works for an interactive marketing agency in King of Prussia, and runs the Socialight Media blog. Contact him via email or Twitter to discuss Social and Search possibilities for your site.

At their recent F8 Conference, Facebook and their CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a lot of announcements regarding changes they’ve made, and I’ve been getting some questions about them.

Truth be told, some of what was announced was a bit complex for the casual, everyday business owner user of Facebook—so you’re not alone if you heard about it and kinda went “huh?”

Rather than write a lengthy analysis of all the ins and outs of what’s been recently changed, I thought I’d give a breakdown of the more important nuggets a small business owner should be aware of.

1. You No Longer “Fan” a Page

What were once known as “Fan Pages” are now referred to as “Official” Pages, to distinguish them from Community Pages–which I’ll address below. It will take a little getting used to, as everyone had come to throw around the “fan” terminology when discussing their business’ presence on Facebook. Now, you “Like” a Page instead.

Not a fan of this new terminology? Many people aren’t. I’ve taken to referring to fans as “supporters” now—which sadly has a little less pizazz in my mind.:) I was one of the people who believed “fan” fit because of the idea that you were building a community or fanbase around your business.

But alas, such is the evolution of social media.

If you were using Facebook’s Fan Box widget on your site, the Fan button automatically changed to Like when they rolled out the change. However, if you are using a custom badge or button you will most likely want to change it or find a new one with the new terminology.

Need some ideas for how to word inviting people to support your Page? If you don’t love saying “Like us on Facebook,” perhaps say “Join us on Facebook,” “Visit us on Facebook” or “Support our Page.”

2. The Facebook “Open Graph” and the “Like” Button

Previously, Facebook Connect was tool that allowed software, websites, mobile devices and more to integrate with Facebook and send information between them. Facebook Connect is now being phased out, because at the recent F8 Conference, Facebook announced the launch of something called “The Open Graph.” In his keynote speech, Mark Zuckerberg said that this would allow people to “have instantly social and personalized experiences everywhere they go.”

This new platform will allow websites to share information with each other easily. For example, if you connect to a site like Yelp via your profile on Facebook, Yelp will then have access to information you’ve made available publicly about your favorite bands or cuisine, and will be able to take that into consideration when giving you information about concert venues or restaurants. This is probably the most controversial (creepy?) aspect of the new changes.

Also announced at the conference was the introduction of the universal “Like” button that can be added to any website. For example, you can like (or “recommend”) a CNN.com article to share it with your friends on Facebook. The Like button will then also show you which of your Facebook friends have also already liked the same article. When you like something, this activity will show up on your Facebook Wall and in the News Feed.

If you are a WordPress user, you can now install a plugin in order to add the Like button to your own blog, and you can get that at the WordPress site.

3. Pages and Profiles More Connected

You may have also noticed that Facebook has now made the link between Pages and your profile more connected. Profile information such as your city, hometown, interests, etc. can now be linked to Pages. You’ll see that your Info tab has changed and that the sections there now link to Pages that reflect your interests.

This is probably my least favorite tweak that Facebook has made (I’m just not loving the way they’ve automatically reorganized all of my interests, education info, etc.), but it’s important to note that users have the ability to control their privacy for these connections. You can edit the information by visiting “Edit my Profile” under your picture and adjust your privacy from the Privacy Settings menu.

4. The Introduction of Community Pages

Facebook also recently introduced the concept of “Community Pages” which you can also create from the same page as Official Pages, except on the right-hand side. Community Pages are for “unofficial” Pages that are created by Facebook users in support of certain causes and topics. Of these Pages, Facebook says “Generate support for your favorite cause or topic by creating a Community Page. If it becomes very popular, it will be adopted and maintained by the Facebook community.”

As with social media in general, it seems the only constant with Facebook is change – whether we like it or not.:)

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS, founder of CommunicateValue.com, teaches small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. For FREE tips on how to build profitable relationships, leverage technology and create your own successful online business, visit http://CommunicateValue.com

With more than 750 million users and counting, Facebook continues to keep up a steady pace at adding special features and updating content to keep users interested and wondering what the next big feature will be. Luckily, for those of us who spend multiple hours a week on this addicting social media site, Facebook plans to announce a new music platform at its 2011 F8 developers’ conference in San Francisco this week.

This highly anticipated Facebook music platform will allow users to share their favorite music, shows and movies with friends through a third party media company. This may ring a bell with those familiar with Facebook’s existing third party games and applications which have been in place for years. Facebook has not directly specified which companies will be a part of its new platform, but there is high speculation for the likes of Spotify, MOG and Rdio, just to name a few. All three services offer free or low-cost subscriptions, allowing users the opportunity to both listen to unlimited amounts of music and share, download and tune into artist-only stations. With this additional social media platform added to Facebook, the digital music services will have a new playing presence on the Facebook front, while also pushing more direct traffic to their own sites and services.

While some services offered through the Facebook platform will be free, others may pass along their monthly subscription rate. Whether or not the fee will make a difference in which services are more popular with users is yet to be determined. It is doubtful that these fees will have much effect on usage as users will have already been paying for the third-party services. The Facebook service itself will be free. Potentially, it will drive an increase in memberships of these third-party entertainment services while at the same time giving Facebook users a better experience. It is also unknown whether Facebook will be getting a share of overall revenues of these services, simple referral fees, or if these entertainment services are paying Facebook a flat fee to participate. Whatever the cost, tapping into Facebook’s massive network is sure to be worth millions for the right service.

The details are still hazy on Facebook’s new offerings, but one thing we do know is that Facebook users may soon be facing a hub of entertainment with each login. If you had your choice, what entertainment services would you like included?

Lovell Communications Inc. is an award-winning national marketing and public relations agency that protects brand reputations and works with companies to build and grow their businesses. This Nashville PR firm specializes in public relations, crisis communications and healthcare marketing services.