TechCrunch's Gonzalez Joins SocialMedia Advertising Networks to Help Developers, Advertisers Maximize the SocialMedia Ad Platform

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SocialMedia Advertising Network, the largest network delivering advertising within social media applications, today announced it has appointed former TechCrunch writer and analyst Nick Gonzalez as developer relations manager. In his new role, Nick will be reaching out to seasoned and first time developers and advertisers to show them how SocialMedia's ad platform works. He will also be a regular contributor to the company blog, sharing his thoughts on how developers can best shape and monetize their application across platforms.

"I looked at a lot of the social advertising networks out there before choosing SocialMedia and I found that Seth Goldstein and his team are the real thought leaders in the social advertising space," said Gonzalez. "To me, SocialMedia is the convergence of two large themes in the Web, a massive rethinking of online advertising and the socialization of the Net." He continued, "I believe that part of the future of advertising will be socially relevant advertising; ads that are relevant not by keyword search, but by social relationships. The market for these advertisements will grow as more web properties switch on social features and find these ads more attractive for their users."

Nick started at TechCrunch in June 2006. During his time with TechCrunch founder Mike Arrington, Nick penned over 450 stories and cataloged 1,700 startup companies. A graduate of UC Berkeley with degrees in business administration, economics, and a minor in computer science, Nick has also held positions with Alameda County's economic development agency, Economic Development Alliance for Business (EDAB), and the executive compensation data provider Equilar.

"We are thrilled to have Nick on our team," said Seth Goldstein, CEO and co-founder of SocialMedia Networks. "Nick is plugged into the developer community, and is committed to connecting and educating developers and advertisers. With his dedication to the expanding opportunities for online advertising, SocialMedia is excited about the ideas and contributions Nick will bring to the table."

Apart from SocialMedia, Nick maintains his personal blog at RunningWithFoxes.com about his thoughts on the Web industry. He will also continue to help early stage (pre-launch or pre-series A) companies navigate the minefield of financing and launch coverage, and will remain a guest contributor on TechCrunch.

SocialMedia Advertising Network provides a comprehensive suite of tools and services for developers building applications that run on open social platforms, including Facebook and MySpace. By fusing social analytics, traffic monetization and promotion into one platform, SocialMedia Advertising Network is ushering in a new era of social media advertising. More than 2,000 social applications now take advantage of SocialMedia Advertising Network's services, and advertisers use the proprietary self-serve advertising service to create and manage their global campaigns around the clock.

About SocialMedia Advertising Network:

SocialMedia Advertising Network provides advertisers and developers of social media applications with the ability to manage, market and monetize traffic on open social platforms and leading social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. SocialMedia Advertising Network has learned what developers and advertisers need first-hand, having internally produced hit Facebook applications such as FoodFight (throw a virtual lobster at your buddy) and Happy Hour (send that buddy a cocktail), which have been installed by over 10 million consumers. SocialMedia Advertising Network is based in Palo Alto and Mill Valley, CA. For more information, please visit: http://www.socialmedia.com/