Empire Avenue, the Social Media Stock Exchange Network blew up over the last few days, driven buy engagement from several social media players and the involvement of brands like Intel and Ford. I joined back in August of 2010, but hadn’t done much with my account recently. Maybe you’ve seen the #EAve hashtag on Twitter, or tweets like this and weren’t sure what’s going on:

heh heh... this is true. RT @ammonfife: @aaronstrout I own you (29 shares @ http://www.empireavenue.com/ADAWG? )

April 25, 2011 3:46 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@AaronStrout

Aaron Strout

So, yeah, another Social Network for you to spend time on. But before you roll your eyes, let me say this: They’ve done a very nice job incorporating social rewards and other game mechanics into Empire Avenue. It really is worth your time, even if you’re just checking it out for fun. So, go ahead and jump in, but first, take a look at these posts:

1. Rober Scoble talks to Empire Avenue founder Duleepa “Dups” Wijayawardhana (with video!)

2. Scott Monty breaks it all down in this terrific post.

3. The Influencier (@DougUpdates) has a primer on Empire Avenue chat etiquette.

4. Empire Avenue beta-tester Adriel Hampton has worked out the kinks and shares his findings.

5. Jeremiah Owyang looks at the opportunities and challenges for brands on Empire Avenue.

6. Another great interview with Dups, this time talking Game Layer with Esteban Contreras.

7. Here’s a breakdown from General Zod, one of the serious EA players.

Tags: empire avenue, game theory, gamification, new social networks, online gaming, social networks, social rewards, wall street