Context Optional: Social network application development and social media strategy: Facebook Applications, Facebook Pages, Facebook Connect, and the iPhone

Facebook’s user base now totals over 300 million people. The social media network thus has the potential to reach more people in a single month than likely any other traditional media outlet, including network television, print news and radio.

With this in mind, Facebook has teamed up with JP Morgan Chase to distribute more than $5 million across its network of nonprofit organizations. Based on the votes of Facebook users, the partnership will donate $1 million to the winning nonprofit, $100,000 each to the five runners up, and $25,000 each to the next 100 finalists. That may seem like everyone gets a piece of the pie, but all of Facebook’s registered charities, totaling more than 500,000, are eligible to win.

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Chase announced Monday a partnership with Facebook to power the finance company’s inaugural “Community Giving” campaign, which will allocate a total of $5 million to small, local nonprofits voted on by Facebook members.

The campaign takes the form of–you guessed it–a Facebook Platform application, in which members can choose their favorite of more than 500,000 nonprofits. Naturally, then, they’re encouraged to use the hallowed “social graph” to encourage their friends to do so as well.

The winner gets $1 million in a grand-prize announcement slated for February 1; five runners-up get $100,000 apiece, and then the entire top 100 receives $25,000 apiece. There’s an advisory board consisting of celebrities and Chase execs, as well as Facebook vice president of communications Elliot Schrage.

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FOUR years ago, the visitors at SecondLife.com staged a virtual walkathon and raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society by sending avatars walking in loops with mouse clicks and key strokes.

This year, the same event at SecondLife.com raised $270,000 from pledges and spending at a virtual bazaar where visitors could support cancer research by buying pants, shirts and even hair for their avatars.

Charities are tracking their users in social networks, virtual realms and other corners of the online universe to raise money by mixing the efficiency of life online with opportunities to promote brands and have a bit of fun. No one is certain how online giving will evolve, but some campaigns are reporting sizable fund-raising and a deeper and continuing connection with donors.

Fund-raisers employ games, efficient collection and brand promotion in their efforts.

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The Big Diesel is once again lending his fame to a Facebook campaign, teaming up with Toys “R” Us to help raise money for the Toys for Tots program. Toys “R” Us is donating $1 to the cause for every fan the Toys R Us Facebook page collects between now and Dec. 6, and Shaq-A Clause is onboard to help draw in fans.

The campaign is run through a “Shaq” tab on the Toys R Us Facebook page, and users can add to the contribution total by simply becoming fans of the page. Once becoming a fan, there is the usual option to post campaign information to news feeds, as well as a video message from O’Neal and a few links to the Toys “R” Us Web page with details about the Toys for Tots program.

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Toys R Us has introduced up its annual Big Book catalog of toys — on Facebook, in a new application developed by Context Optional. The application has its own tab, requires users become a fan of the Toys R Us page and allows fans to browse through the 80-page book filled with deals and discounts on toys, games and more.

The Big Book includes deals on hundreds of popular items found at Toys R Us, Babies R Us and through the companies’ affiliated online retail sites. The application also gives users the ability to shop for the items they find, with a link to the Toys R Us site to complete the actual transactions. The Big Book can also be found on the Toys R Us site, where anyone can shop the early deals without needing to become a fan of the Facebook page.

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Digital media have altered the traditional relationships among marketers, agencies and media companies–and even with consumers themselves. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the roster of winners of the fifth annual MIXX Awards, announced tonight by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

The only advertising awards that honor innovation and impact, this year’s MIXX Awards–selected by a prestigious panel of senior executives from brands, agencies and media companies–highlighted the breadth of opportunities as well as the creative revolution that is transforming the way professionals craft and consumers experience advertising. The winners were announced during a multimedia extravaganza hosted by Saturday Night Live veteran Jim Breuer.

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Nearly a quarter billion Facebook users have been “Kidnapped” by the Travel Channel. Seats in the premium-priced Yankee Stadium have been filled. Southern Chicken sandwiches made their social debut during the Olympics, as did less storied athletes from around the world using Lenovo’s social channels. And, more than 200,000 people have committed to end hunger as part of “Kelloggs Cares.”

In short, the social marketers and publishers who submitted their best work for this year’s SAMMY Awards raised the bar in social media for years to come. Director Demi Moore was so proud of her SAMMY (she directed the Kelloggs Cares final Facebook video on ending hunger) — that she posted it on her TwitPic page.

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There’s no question about it, brands are on Facebook. From small businesses to the biggest corporate names, chances are that if there’s a consumer-facing product, there’s a Facebook Page to go with it.

The tools that Facebook provides brand managers and Page admins is rather limited. When you combine that oversight with the abundance of brands on Facebook, a new need emerges: Facebook Page moderation that scales.

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They say transparency is important in the world of social media, however participation in social media also brings with it certain risks. On Facebook one of the greatest risks is that people will post offensive content on your Facebook Page. That’s why Context Optional is announcing the launch of a moderation tool which lets page administrators manage content being posted to their page at scale.

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Toyota is once again trying to make the world a slightly better place via the electric-car Prius (and make itself a profit). The car manufacturer is now using a Facebook page to inspire fans of the Hybrid to share the positive things they’re doing on a day-to-day basis. The app, called Random Acts of Prius, asks users to earn points for completing activities, then share those activities on the page and with friends.

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