ADWEEK — The run-of-the-mill holiday sweepstakes is getting a social twist with the addition of sharing features brands hope will extend their reach. Brands like Microsoft, Sephora, Nascar and Comcast have kicked off Twitter sweepstakes promotions this month, in the hopes of luring customers into chatting up their brands on the hot social network...

AllGirlArcade.com, the portal for entertainment and games that launched last summer, has moved into the virtual worlds space with Spark City. It's still in testing--and I'm waiting up to 24 hours for my username to be approved--but it sounds like a full launch for the site will be coming next month. All Girl Arcade already has a virtual goods system in place with Gems that can be earned by playing games, but it sounds like a premium currency and more is on the way...