To Sonico it was very important to be part of this event since we have the chance to get closer to the major companies, agencies and brands of the world. During these three days, we attended panels and key notes of top experts in online marketing and advertising, and this broadened our minds with creative and useful ideas to carry out in our business.

Personally, I felt dazzled with Martin Sorrell’s speech (he is the Chief Executive Officer at WPP). I could mention two points: the change of focus that advertising agencies will implement in the future (emphasizing how to understand who the user is and what their needs are), and the growth that emergent markets will have, especially Latin America. The event was highly positive to learn about new trends and to identify how to take advantage of them.

Angel holds a Bachelor of Arts both in History and Political Science as well as a Juris Doctorate, and she started her career as a lawyer in the United States. She has a strong experience in media, technology and entertainment. She held the position of Global VP, Music & Content at Bebo, and before that she was VP, Commercial, Strategy & Digital Media for MTV Networks and also worked on business development for the BBC.

Angel has vast experience at a global level due to the key roles she held in different major companies. Her incorporation will help us to keep on offering high quality products, adding the necessary value so that Sonico continues to be the best place for you to connect with your friends, family and colleagues.

Welcome on board, Angel!

The campaign consists in integrating the brand with its users in a safe and content-moderated environment. To accomplish that a public page has been created, in which you may leave comments, give your opinion on different products and interact with other users of Genius from different countries, as well as sharing your experience with them. Moreover, thanks to the customization level, you will be able to listen to music and watch a presentation video of the brand. For those who are real fans, Genius invites you to customize your profile with its image for free, and if that weren´t enough, you can also participate in an exclusive contest for Sonico users and win great prizes.

Besides, Genius has presence in Sonico through advertising banners, notifications, sponsorships and many surprises you will be discovering during 2009. In a short period of time, and thanks to all our users, the viral tools of Sonico and the creative assessment of high level professionals, we have exceeded Genius expectations, gaining more than 26,000 fans in just three weeks of campaign.

If you are not a fan of this page yet, we invite you to become one to enjoy this great experience we have created for you. We are looking forward to hearing your comments!

Create your own mafia, earn reputation inside your family, buy guns and vehicles, get special jobs done, own properties and fight against other players to become the new Capo. And if you are really good, expand your mafia into other countrys.

Have fun with your friends inside the best mafia wars simulator created by Zynga, one of the most important games development companies in the world that is working with Sonico to bring you the best OpenSocial applications.

Click here to add Mafia Wars or visit our applications directory.

Alex is a great professional with a huge experience in the industry. He worked for important companies such as HowStuffWorks Brazil, UOL, ABN Amro Bank and Credicard SA. He graduated in Systems Technology at the Mackenzie University and did a specialization in Marketing at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.

We are very pleased with this announcement and we want to share it with you. Alex will have a key role in reasserting our position and developing to the utmost Sonico’s market in Brazil. Our Brazilian friends will be surprised with interesting news and a social network tailored to their style and needs.

Welcome, Alex!

First you will notice that we have modified the upper area to show your personal information and profile photo in a better way. Below you will find the latest activity divided in four sections: Photos, Videos, Music and Information. This way, you will be able to access the most relevant content within the blink of an eye. Remember to add your networks (school and university) so we can help you to find your ex classmates who are already registered on Sonico.

In the central area you will see all the options to share content, and also the news. If you are in your own profile, then you will be able to upload photos, videos, change your status and post links. If you are in a friend’s profile, you will be able to write a message, share photos, videos, links or send gifts, without leaving his/her profile.

On the right bar, you will see that we have gathered all the options to make it easier for you to access your profile tools. Below you will find your friends, RSS feeds, gifts, games and applications you have added. Thanks to the Order Modules option, you will be able to arrange all those options the way you like, to customize your profile even more.

Hope you like all those changes and start using them right now!

Can you imagine yourself having all your friends in your pocket? 

You will be able to interact just like you do on the web: communicate through private messages, comment your friends’ status, change yours, access information on the events you are interested in, see your contacts´ information, leave messages on their walls, surf photo albums and even take a picture with your cell phone to post it on Sonico immediately.

We are always focused on improving our products and with this application we are approaching the mobile world even more to incorporate it in our social network.

You may download the application from the iTunes store clicking here. We will be glad to hear your comments on the Sonico iPhone public page.

AddThis is translated into more than 50 languages, making it an open and plural sharing platform due to its cultural and geographical expansion.

How to share on Sonico?

If you want to share content through AddThis, locate the button “Compartir” or “Share” and place your mouse on it. This action will open a menu displaying a list of services. Once there, look for and click on us. The next time you perform this action, Sonico will be displayed at the top of the list for your convenience.

Use Guide:

If you want to add the Sonico button to your page, blog or company, please click here

The announcement was made on Shakira’s public page and on her official site. The contest consisted in publishing the most She Wolf photo, a snapshot that could capture the essence of the song and the popular video that accompanied the release of the new single. The winner of the contest was Miguel Ángel Félix Lopez, who was awarded the complete discography of Shakira.

Congratulations, Miguel!

During this workshop, Andrés explained all the benefits related to the use of public profiles and the Music section of Sonico for both independent and acclaimed musicians.

Sonico is an “open-to-everybody” social network, a place where you can share your music or band information with 40 million users, and even find the music you like. Profile customization, the possibility to upload and keep up-to-date information that has been published in other social media, and visitor statistics, among others, constitute a group of very interesting features for recording companies and artists who choose to promote their music throughout the region. Also, the possibility to upload and share your mp3 files, videos and photos is available for fans and followers to find your info in one place.

Sonico is a way to show your art and music, and to turn your friends and other users into fans. This is possible because Sonico is an excellent launch platform for communication, distribution and promotion for artists in Latin America.

How to start?
Creating your Band’s Profile is very simple. Just click on the Bands section in the Home Page menu and then select “Create my band’s page”.

Show your talent. Promote your band. Discover new fans and interact with them.
Sonico keeps your online life organized.

Kris Sonico is a Systems Analyst who was born in California and currently resides in Las Vegas. One day, motivated by his coworkers who found his last name really cool, he decided to google his name. This is how Kris came across the Sonico website and was dazzled to discover its stunning worldwide expansion, development and activity. His name was not only a cool name for his friends, but it was now also considered cool by more than 40 million people.

Kris, flattered to share his last name with a recognized social network in Latin America, immediately contacted the Sonico’s HQ in Argentina and introduced himself. Sonico t-shirts were immediately sent to him, the same ones which Kris and his sister are wearing below (see photo).

From now onwards, Kris can say that his last name is much more than cool and interact in a social network that connects more than 40 million users. He will now be proud to say that his name is Sonico, Kris Sonico.

What do these 2 years of Sonico mean to me?

My first thought was…”wow, only 2 years…it seems much too long”

Jogging my memory, during the last 12 months we have achieved international recognition thanks to the effort, dedication, and ability we have shown. We were included in the top 50 Argentine companies in the “Great Place To Work” ranking. We have been invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos and in Rio de Janeiro, to the MIT to speak about our case, and to many other debate and analysis events on communication, technology and social networks. We have got the 5° place in the BusinessWeek magazine ranking on technology startups with the biggest growth potential in the world. We closed the round of capitalization with first line investors. We have launched a great number of improvements and new functionalities in the site, and now we are chosen by 40 million people as their social network. This position lets us reach other goals and opportunities. We have widened our horizon…

I have no doubts that if we managed to get here with you, we will be able to go higher, offering a first level product while we develop a technology company from Latin America that competes with the best companies in the world, in a pleasant and professionally motivating environment.

Why not? If Juan Carlos believes so…he is a Sonico user who visited our offices in just 1 hour and perceived what makes this all happen.

I feel very proud of sharing this adventure with you.

Rodrigo

PS: Acknowledgements!!!

I want to thank everyone who left a photo, a video, a greeting, a comment on our public page in Spanish and in Portuguese, to those who have sent virtual gifts of Sonico’s anniversary, and for joining our celebration in different ways. We have uploaded a video to our public page, where I speak about Sonico’s mission, evolution and future as a social network, and also answer some of the questions our users made.

I would also like to thank the winners of our contest in Argentina, who came here to raise a toast with us. These are the photos. It was great to know you all in person, because it is through YOU that we can get closer to all our Sonico users, who build our social network, day by day.

Thanks!

Users will now be able to find new games and entertainment options in the “Applications” section, and improve their online experience.

All the applications were developed using the OpenSocial platform. For this first launch we have worked together with first level companies such as Buddypoke, GameDesire, and Zynga, all very well versed in the development of social applications.

We hope our users start enjoying these new applications, so that they can live a unique entertaining experience that will keep on growing.

The ranking was published as part of the articled called “The Next Google?” and brings together technology companies from all over the world that were started no more than 5 years ago, and are among the best prepared companies to expand their businesses beyond their markets of origin. Sonico was founded in Argentina in 2007, and has more than 39 million registered users so far. 89% of them are from Latin America.

We are very proud to have obtained this good result, and we share this achievement with all our users, who make Sonico’s ongoing growth possible.

So…what is a Public Page?

It is the ideal section for brands, celebrities, artists and politicians to interact with the Sonico community. It is the perfect place from where they can build their online social presence.

Public Pages offer a lot of advantages. Below you may find some of them…

• They can be under the name of a person, and also under the name of brands, products, companies, stores, artists, celebrities, politicians, NGOs, sports teams, bands, and much more

• They are an open profile for every Internet user. Unlike private personal profiles, they may be seen by any person who is surfing the web, even by those who are not registered to Sonico (however, Sonico registered users may have the possibility to access some specific sections that will not be visible for those who have not signed up)

• They are 100% customizable: the colors and background of a Public Page can be changed to create a personal look-and-feel

• They enable to obtain stats on the Page’s fans

• You can upload your own RSS feeds (such as blogs, YouTube, Picasa, Flickr, Twitter), photos and videos, and create your own events, all of which make it easier to keep the page updated with relevant information for your audience, in a fast and easy way

• Unlike Groups, messages can be sent to all fans, to reach everyone at the same time and with the same message

• Public Pages URLs are easy to remember, so anyone can find your organization, brand or celebrity in the Internet

Now you can create your own Public Page in Sonico. We encourage you to be part of this experience, and discover the exposure you may get!

Sonico organizes people’s online life based on the idea that there are 3 interaction spheres: the personal, the professional, and the public one. Thanks to Sonico, users can keep these spaces separated and choose what to share in each of them. We invite you to be part of this contest, showing us through an innovative video, a simple, creative and fun story that reflects the importance of managing these three spheres in a social network. Show us what could happen if these worlds got mixed up!

The contest is open globally, and the terms and conditions may be found at Eyeka’s website, either in Spanish http://es.eyeka.com/partner/sonico, or in English http://en.eyeka.com/partner/sonico.

You may upload your videos until July 31! Do not miss this opportunity! You may win up to USD 2,500 in rewards and show your talent to more than 37 million users.

You will find this application once you are logged in to Sonico, in a special bar placed at the bottom of the screen, which will remain visible, even if you scroll up or down. There is also the option to see it as a pop-up.

Just like with the former application, once you are logged in, you will be able to access the chat directly, with no need to enter your user name and password again. You will instantly be able to see which of your contacts are online, chat with any of them, and have the possibility to leave them a message if they are offline. Another advantage is that if you click on the photo of any of your contacts, you will be redirected to their profiles. And there is more…you will be receiving notifications on your friends activity in real time!

We hope you really enjoy it! We would like to know your opinions!

In contrast to WEF Davos, which took place in February and reflected a rather pessimistic environment, in WEF Rio the perception was much more positive. On the one hand, there is some kind of realism regarding the economic and financial difficulties that the markets are facing, but at the same time there is a strong conviction that, after going through these hard times, there will be some light at the end of the tunnel. In this context, we –the underdeveloped countries- are the ones to be in charge of the situation and be the engines to support the leading countries to recover themselves. Latin America is part of the solution, and this was the interpretation made by all the attendees to the forum. According to the experts’ explanation, the crisis has not impacted so badly in Latin-American countries due to the lack of a developed credit system, and that is what gives us a good position towards other markets. Personally, beyond this generalized optimism, I think it will be really hard to overcome this crisis, which will make history and bring big consequences in the international market dynamics.

On the other hand, Latin America has a huge social debt. In fact, one of the outstanding conclusions reached in the forum was to help and boost the low income sectors to foster consumption in that sector and inject the economy in that way as well.

Another key point was that the antagonism that divided the region in the past years was the concept Left versus Right. Today, the opposites Democracy versus Despotism are clearly dividing the region into two big groups. Obviously, this could result in a high risk of suffering political tyranny.

Facing this scenario, social networks play a key part, not only in the redefinition of the traditional media business model, but also in the transparency they bring to the election processes and the consolidation of democracy, giving the citizens and their opinions a main role. Through a social network like Sonico, the community can interact directly with politicians and have an open dialogue with them, as well as express itself freely through a social communication platform of global reach, and reinforce the bases of the democratic system.

Finally, another topic that was treated in the forum was the support that all the countries in the region must give to the integration policies, and the need to avoid falling into extreme protectionist measures to overcome the difficulties.

In my personal view, the participation in WEF Rio was quite interesting and positive. The Forum was characterized by an atmosphere of cordiality and respect, the panels were very well planned, and the organization of the whole event was perfect, at the proper time and in the proper form. The attendees were willing to dialogue and this created a relaxed environment and the possibility to share good experiences.

In every global crisis there is always a chance to get stronger, and this is what we could take from the forum. Definitely, this meeting was very useful to generate synergy and create a common vision of how all the regions –integrated- can learn and grow from this challenge.

In order to introduce the lectures delivered by Alberto Arébalos (Communications Director at Google), Alec Oxenford (Founder of DeRemate.com and Director of OLX) and Bruno Mattarolo (CTO of Pollenizer.com and former IT Manager of Greenpeace International), Idealistas showed a compilation of videos with several executives’ points of view on three questions that led to an exchange of ideas and a debate. Here are my contributions for each one of them:

1) How can new technologies boost the impact of social organizations?

YouTube Direktvideo link

2) How can the web be used to involve citizens in the social change?

YouTube Direktvideo link

3) Which do you imagine will be the new technologies next revolution?

YouTube Direktvideo link

It was really a great experience to be part of this conference and to support, with our presence, the management and development of projects undertaken by civil society organizations (CSO) through free web utilities such as Sonico.

Click on the gift icon on the left and access our “store”. Choose among the 100 options available (more will be added soon!) the gift you consider appropriate. Then, select the contact who will receive the gift, write a message, and decide whether you want it to be public, private, or anonymous.

Each gift is worth 5 credits. How? You still don’t know how to charge your account? It’s very simple! Pay via credit card or SMS and obtain credits instantly. These credits will also allow you to send premium cards.

What are you waiting for to send a cake (or why not a beer) to that friend turning a year older?