Twitter Embedded Tweet

Anyone testing embedded Tweets? Here's an example of a new Twitter feature. Interesting that the time zone is GMT (or at least was at the time when this article went to print).

Google's search ads are green--anyone seeing this? @google # #adwords willhambly.com/2013/01/google…
— Will Hambly (@WillHambly) February 1, 2013

Google's Green Search Ads

Google is now testing a green background color for Adwords on Google Search. This is a departure from the yellow background that has been used for years. Back in 2010 Google used a purple background for search ads. Are advertisers seeing any change in CTR or conversion rates?

Facebook.com Login Page

Facebook is testing a new login screen featuring a man and woman in friendly embrace on what looks to be a fall day. Facebook login testing has recently ramped up in the last few months and this variant is commonly known as the "dating site" creative.

Key differences to note are the use of people as the background image and justifying the sign up form to the left instead of the traditional right hand justification of the call to action. I find it strange that the image evokes a sense of the fall, with autumn colors in the background, since it's currently late-January.

Update: Thanks to Jesse, (digital product designer) for pointing out that this is the work of Mike Matas, a valley design god who was aquirehired by Facebook when they bought his company, PushPopPress (still one the best digital tablet books out there).

Facebook Login Page Redesign

Facebook already has one billion users, or roughly 1/7 of the world's population, but that doesn't mean they're not optimizing their new user acquisition sign up flow. Facebook recently rolled out a new login page with an enhanced sign up form.

Note the following enhancements to the Facebook login page:

1. The entire page features the Freight font. It's light, fun, but also clear and authoritative.
2. The "Sign Up" headline is emphasized and the fact that Facebook is free is reiterated
3. The form fields are taller and wider, making the process seem lighter and less of a commitment 
4. They're beginning to showcase feature content on the left hand side to build awareness for new features--in this case it's Graph Search

Looks like the design team is also testing human elements and layout on another version of the Facebook login page.

Sponsored Suggested Links on Facebook

It looks like Facebook recently rolled out their Sponsored Suggested Link units in the News Feed. Below is an example from a direct response advertiser in the education space. You'll see the ad unit is basically a dark post, meaning that the artifact isn't tied to any entity and there is no Page or Profile associated with it.

The advertiser's destination URL is tagged with PPC variables and nothing indicates that this Suggested Link has unique tracking added by the advertiser, so this may be only a test (I am not seeing any today). Why is this significant? Sure looks like this type of ad unit is turning "social advertising" on its head, meaning that there is nothing social about it and is basically a text link unit in the stream.