Week in Review

Every week, we post the most interesting marketing and tech stories here.

This week:

South by Southwest is basically Woodstock for nerds. YouTube aims to be a bigger presence in the Middle East. Why we regret buying that iPod instead of investing in Apple. And we share our agency average for Facebook fan acquisition costs.

It’s SXSW, so you can expect a lot of announcements from tech companies in the next week or so. A few we like so far:

• Foursquare partner with Amex and updates app.
• SCVNGR launches Level Up, (we already bought the Boloco coupons).
• Instapaper goes social.
• Uber Cab. The SF Based cab company that lets you order a cab from your iPhone is heading to NYC. Umm Boston next please?
• And for when you’ve over-dosed on SXSW and tech news: Abolish it.

Facebook as the largest news organization ever. Via Harvard Business Review.

The revolution will be televised. YouTube ramps up presence in the Middle East by launching seven local versions (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen). Via All Things D.

If you had invested in Apple, instead of buying that iPod, well, you would be rich. Via NYT.

Apologies in advance for boasting, but we’re doing pretty well when it comes to getting clients fans through Facebook ads.

Common Sense’s Cody Damon over at Social Media Today on how Facebook friends influence advertising.