If You Can’t Buy Twitter, Be Like Twitter

Facebook unsuccessfully tried to acquire Twitter last year, but the former has been quite successful at imitating the latter, as Silicon Alley Insider pointed out.

The 10 ways Facebook is turning itself into Twitter, from Silicon Alley Insider: Status updates can now be made visible to everyone instead of just friends; users can now become “fans” of other users without asking for permission; Facebook allowed users to incorporate vanity names into their URLs; Facebook now displays every new update from friends; Facebook added more SMS functionality; shared items and messages from users now turn up in Facebook search; Facebook ratcheted up its promotion of celebrities; Facebook began covering live events; there is far less distinction between company pages and individual pages; and there is no longer a friend limit on Facebook.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.