Weekly Digital Roundup (3.31.14)

An acquisition, a patent, and a change of the rules—just another week in the digital industry! Without further ado, here’s what we found to be the biggest news, so you may comfortably remain snuggled under a rock.

Oculus Rich

Out of left field, Facebook is shelling out $2 billion to acquire virtual-reality goggle firm Oculus. Proving the social network's faith in wearable devices, it’s the first hardware company purchased by Facebook. Oculus may solely be used for gaming now, but Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement that he plans “to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences.” Between Sony, Google, and now Facebook with Oculus Rift, there's much for us to look forward to in the realm augmented reality.

Monopoly House Rules Rule

There have been no major changes to the official Monopoly rules since the 1930s, but many methods of play around the world. With this in mind, Hasbro is generating discussion among its Facebook community about the pros and cons of the classic board game's 10 most popular “house rules.” Five of the modified rules will be chosen for a special edition of the game, just to shake things up a bit. It's an oldie, but a goldie!

Celebrities Unfiltered

In an effort to appeal to marketers, People magazine has joined forces with WhoSay to allow celebrities like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jim Gaffigan to essentially post tweets, images, and other social goodies directly to People.com. This way, said marketers can buy display ads next to this new “Celebrities Unfiltered," while the magazine can get a steady stream of inbound content and build relationships with, well, people.

Organize Your Google Nav

Organizers, filers, and neat nicks: this will make your Monday a smidgeon brighter. Google released an update to its navigation bar that lets you put your icons where you please. This is especially helpful for those of you who use Google as your hub for email, tools, social, and more. Three cheers for drag and drop organizing. Or just a silent rejoice.

A Patent for Panda

And on the topic of Google, this week the US Patent and Trademark office granted them a patent for the Panda algorithm, three years after being introduced to mainstream. A look through the official document lends further understanding of the search engine's algorithm, that is, if you've a firm grasp on reading patents. Anywho, about time!

The Psych of Social Sharing

This article takes a dive into the neuroscience, social theories and evolution biology behind social decision making, explaining how Twitter and Facebook are “brain candy” that savvy marketers can leverage that to create compelling content. Here, Dave Hawley helps us understand how social media affects the brain’s reward centers to shape an effective social business strategy. “Try to help people achieve personal satisfaction through your brand experiences, and the sales will come,” he writes. Brain stuff!April Fools' Day is tomorrow. Don't get duped.