New York - Following an outcry over violations of user privacy, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has decided not to use online social network Facebook's Beacon service -- which alerts friends to purchases made at partner retail sites -- at least for the time being, The New York Times' Bits blog reports. "We have adopted a bit of a 'wait and see' as far as what we are going to do with Beacon because we are not sure how consumers are going to respond," Carol Kruse, Coke's vice president of global interactive marketing, told the Bits blog. Facebook changed the Beacon service late last week, making it easier for users to opt-out.

Los Angeles - Joost, the Internet TV streaming service, announced on Thursday the release of the first "commercial widget" on the service, sponsored by Coca-Cola's (NYSE: KO) European unit. When installed in Joost, "Coke Bubbles" lets users comment on specific scenes in a show, with their comments appearing in a translucent bubble on the screen when the Coke Bubble is e-mailed to a friend. Joost and Coca-Cola have also partnered on a contest to encourage widget developers to create more applications for Joost. The company plans to hold developer events in December in London, Amsterdam and New York.

Santa Monica, Calif. - The GGL (formerly Global Gaming League), an online gaming network that hosts year-round video game tournaments and events, announced on Wednesday that it has expanded its presence in China through a deal with Coca-Cola. GGL will host regional online gaming tournaments on Coca-Cola's iCoke portal, as well as in many of the over 8,000 Coke-supported Chinese cybercafés. The winner of the iCoke tournaments will be flown to New York to compete in GGL's tournament at the Digital Life expo.

New York - Coca-Cola plans later this month to launch a mobile social networking service for its Sprite brand in the U.S., Reuters reported. The site debuted last week in China; Coke is also considering an offering in Latin America. The Sprite social network will offer profiles viewable on a mobile phone, allow users to upload photos and videos -- which will be screened by the company -- and provide free downloadable content.

Cupertino, Calif. - Coca-Cola and Apple this week announced a European promotion that will give away over 2 billion free song downloads on Apple's iTunes Store. Specially marked Coca-Cola products sold in 17 countries through August will feature codes redeemable for free songs, as well as chances to win iPods and concert tickets.