"For the third month in a row, Facebook has experienced an increase in both the number of U.S. users visiting its site, and the amount of time those users are spending on the social network, according to data from Nielsen. By contrast, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, and even Google sites all witnessed month-on-month reductions in unique users, and the amount of time those users spent with their properties during the month of November."

"So, if social media communications is presented to corporations as something that is directly measurable, corporations can see social media as a means to their end, not as a means of creating better customer relations and direct conversation — two forms of communication that are not easily measured — but just as another broadcast medium for their marketing message. So much for the notion of helping companies to communicate with customers. "

"That means that one of the biggest, most sophisticated media organizations in the world has identified social media as one of the four most important parts of its operations and put a 27-year-old in charge. Think about that the next time you hear someone dismiss social media as frivolous and a waste of time (as I continue to hear, from some veteran journos to younger ones as well)."

"Barcode scanning and its applications will grow during 2010, meaning more and more real world data will be connected to the Internet and accessed on your mobile phone."

"Not all apps get even the basics right. But a few are pushing the boundaries of what mobile news can be, with innovative new features such as info-graphic displays of hot stories, or integrated playlists for multimedia."

"News about News is a news website about journalism. A new edition of News about News is produced every hour by an authoritative social filter called The Hourly Press created by Steve Farrell and Lyn Headley. "

"Discover relevant information filtered by the people you follow. "

"This is an exciting new development from the BBC and freesat, enhancing the content available and ensuring there is always something to watch. The BBC and freesat are working together on this test service ahead of a full launch, and we value your feedback."

"What does transparency look like? Mostly, it resides with the intent of the publisher, and it might be expressed as a newsroom oversight board or other firewall structure that keeps newsrooms insulated from financial pressures. But to the outside world, it means disclosure of anything that might even hint of a conflict."

"While broadcasting, chat with your viewers via Twitter right from your broadcast page."

"Every story of merit is first sent out as a mobile alert, then it goes to the web. After that our publications, editors and journalists use social media to push audience to the web. This process is repeated and enhanced all day with the addition of video and audio. The last step is the printed product."

"China was once again the leading Internet censor in 2009. Countries such as Iran, Tunisia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan also blocked websites and blogs, and engaged in surveillance of online expression. In Turkmenistan, for example, the Internet remains under total state control."

"AOL UK would not give a total employee count or the number it expects to cut."

Conservative Lord Lucas is proposing a specific new clause so that…
"Every provider of a publicly accessible website shall be presumed to give a standing and non-exclusive license to providers of search engine services to make a copy of some or all of the content of that website, for the purpose only of providing said search engine services …
"A provider of search engine services who acts in accordance with this section shall not be liable for any breach of copyright…"

"Coca-Cola just released a new social media policy — and it’s full of common sense wisdom that every company can learn from. "

"The researcher estimated marketers spent $800 million in 2009 on social network, word-of-mouth and conversational marketing, up more than 23% over the previous year. Further growth of 35% is expected for 2010 to more than $1 billion."

"…there also are several services that will filter your stream and the collective content on Twitter so you can get the most important (or at least the most popular) news and information shared by users."

"There was a clear divide, however, between Mail journos whose main interest was in which celebrities were having the most sex and those (a majority) who disturbed by the thought that anyone was having sex at all, a fact they put down to the prevalence of alcohol, drugs and images of scantily-clad women in British society."

A map of hyperlocal websites from independent publishers across the UK.