It has been designed to offer users a more complete experience while on Yahoo - enhancing services such as the company's News, Finance, Mail and Sports programs - as well as allowing them the opportunity to view a Facebook feed of their friends' activities on Yahoo.

 

Vice-president of communities for Yahoo Jim Stoneham noted that this integration between "two of the internet's largest online communities [will] make it easier for people to stay connected".

 

Indeed, surfers will also be able to share content with others on Facebook, with the topics created by Yahoo customers that are sent to Facebook friends creating a loop to entice visitors to the search engine's site.

 

With the integration expected to come in during the first half of 2010, those on Facebook will also be able to gain access to their pages via the Yahoo website, suggesting that brands intending to further their website promotions may benefit from advertising on either - or both - portals.

 

And firms already appear to be aware of the profitability of harnessing social media in their campaigns. Econsultancy's recent Social Media and Online PR Report revealed that 86 per cent of marketers intend to increase their budgets in this area in 2010. 

Original source: http://yahoo.client.shareholder.com