PAIDCONTENT.ORG — The Q&A market, which is seemingly getting more crowded by the day, may soon have a new competitor in Facebook. The social network is "testing a new feature that allows users to ask questions to the Facebook community," the company tells us. A spokeswoman says it’s only available to a "very small percentage of users." AllFacebook, which first spotted it in the open, has some screenshots, which make it appear as though users would be invited to add answers to seemingly random questions (perhaps posed by their friends?) which would show up above the ads on their home page...

PAIDCONTENT.ORG — Hearst has about 70 apps under its LMK banner in the iTunes App Store right now and it just plans to keep adding more and more. Most of the LMK apps sell for about $1.99, while a handful cost $0.99 per download. The LMK initials stand for “Let Me Know” and are devoted to news and photos about a single Hollywood stars and sports teams and figures, as well as hobbies and general topics like cupcakes and Barbie dolls. The apps run the gamut from Lady Gaga to Metallica to Tiger Woods to the NY Yankees and feature photos and news updates. Back in the fall, Hearst Entertainment EVP George Kliavkoff and LMK head Michael Gutkowski unveiled their plans for the LMK.com aggregation site, which were predicated upon the idea that SEO tactics will get searchers to visit the special topic sites, while the constant flow of updates would drive return visits...

PAIDCONTENT.ORG — Zynga, the current social gaming behemoth, is using some of its money to do acquisitions: it has bought Serious Business, creators of social games on Facebook.  SB, based in San Francisco, and backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners ($4 million in funding), was founded in early 2008 by two former Powerset engineers. It launched one of the first ever games on Facebook, Friends For Sale...

PAIDCONTENT.ORG — You can’t go an entire day without encountering Facebook and Twitter -- even if you don’t have an account. Whether you ride the subway or take the bus, you’ll see people young and old updating their status or talking about the latest social-networking drama. If you watch the television or listen to the radio, you’ll be driven to the Twitter or Facebook accounts of celebrities, brands and non-profits. If you do come across the rare people who are not on Facebook, they sound like cavemen -- and they know it; they are talking about signing up soon. In such an environment, it is easy to conclude that this dominance will last forever. But it won’t...

PAIDCONTENT.ORG — Shoutlet, a company that connects brands with social media, has raised a $2 million first round. The round was co-led by Origin Ventures and Leo Capital Holdings. This funding follows a $1.2 million seed round raised in 2007. The funding will help Shoutlet broaden its distribution abilities for itself and its parent, Middleton, Wisconsin-based Sway Inc...