As regular readers know, I have always advocated that social games require a social mindset. The best way to get ahead in levels is always to get a bunch of neighbors, and help them.
There's both free money and free XP points to be gained from this so you should get involved in these games by helping neighbors.
If you haven't already played FarmVille 2, I'll have to say it is a major improvement over the previous FarmVille, and Zynga have definitely made an effort in creating nice sounds that go with feeding cattle...
Have a nice X-mas everyone, and a Happy New Year. See you on the other side of the fireworks. :-)