In December of 09’, Google implemented real time results into their website. This can benefit the user because if you happen to be searching for a hot topic – you will usually see real time results streaming on the results pages at Google.com.

However, Google is just mixing in real time results sometimes, and there are a slew of real time search engines , such as Sency, which are completely focused on real time results. So where will users go for real time searches?

One take-away from the headaches that came with Google Buzz is that while Google is trying to get users to interact insider Gmail – people have gotten use to using Gmail for email. People like interacting on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace because that is where they have always interacted socially. Gmail, has been used for private communication – so thus far – people haven’t been as excited about interacting in a different way through Gmail.

Often, internet users get comfortable and use to a website for a given task – and those habits and built in branding are hard to change. Imagine if CNN.com started focusing on just social media news – I’ll bet a lot of people would be confused and and many people would still go to Soshable for their social media news. So, it is important to focus on what you are good at.

The real time web I believe will have a similar path. Google is far and away the #1 traditional search engine. That is where users will always migrate to for traditional searches. However, the real time web offers a different type of search – with different types of results. And, if you mix in real time results with traditional web results, it may end up confusing the user and it also may end up making it more difficult for the user to get the info they are actually looking for.

If you want to find out what people are saying right now about any given subject– a real time search is the way to go. If you want to find out what the hottest links are right now about a given keyword – a real time search is also the way to go. There are several engines focusing on bringing this real time information to you. And, you don’t have to be a member of any social network to perform a search on the real time web. Traditional engines, that try to mix in real time results – won’t be able to “know” for sure whether a searcher wants real time info or traditional info. It’s the user that knows what they want – and real time search is so unique, that for now at least, the real time searches are best performed on a site entirely focused on the real time.

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Read more about Real Time Search on this blog.

While there’s something that can be said about “size doesn’t matter” in social media, there is one case in which it definitely does. The larger companies of the world have always had an advantage in resources over their smaller competitors but are finding that social media is more about strategy and proper use of engagement and conversation than sheer budget.

Now in 2010, many of the social media woes of the past are starting to be rectified. Larger companies are realizing that throwing a ton of money at social media without a strong strategy is foolish. As a result, they’ve learned their lessons and started getting stronger at it.

The infographic below from Flowtown tells a compelling visual story of how things are getting better in corporate America.

Digg.com has been in the top 100 sites in the US for some time, but they have finally gone global.

According to Alexa, they are #99 worldwide in Traffic Rank. After a rough run through 2009 that ended strong, they have surpassed their strong 2008 levels.

While recent financial success, integration with Twitter and Facebook, and a renewed focus on social news has helped Digg increase in importance and visitors over the last year, a look at their importance in different countries points east.

In Pakistan, Digg ranks 18th in traffic rank, while in nearby India Digg ranks 32. Bangladesh is 3rd at 33rd compared to the United States, where it’s 40th.

The United Kingdom (63) is the only European nation where Digg ranks in the top 100, while South Africa (64) is the only African country there.

What does this say about Digg? While it has diversified from its tech-news roots over the past 3 years, there is still a strong tech contingent, especially with Internet-related topics. Humorous pictures and videos have  been the most popular “shared” items in social media and Digg is no exception, but the tremendous traffic-driving potential of a Digg front page compels people across the English-speaking world to use it.

As long as Digg stays true to its users, there should be no reason to expect the growth trends to end any time soon.

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Read more about Digg on this Social Media Blog.

For entrepreneurs, one of the best features of Twitter is it’s API. Twitter allows developers to tap into its stream of 1 billion monthly tweets to create new applications and websites. This Twitter API has spawned several unique applications and projects that have benefited internet users in a variety of ways. This API has also spawned several real time search engines, such as Sency, which tap into sources such as Twitter to offer real time results for internet users.

A result of this API is that Twitter’s real time data is syndicated across the web. So, even if you are a not a user of Twitter, you can get real time information from multiple places. So people whom have never signed up for a social networking site – can still see what is being said right now on the real time web. However, Facebook is very different.

When you visit Facebook.com – you can’t easily search other users status updates. And, since Facebook doesn’t give out its data via an API – other websites can’t leverage Facebook’s real time data to offer something for internet users. There are tons of Facebook apps, but those are there to benefit existing Facebook users. Since the Facebook API isn’t available to outside developers – if you aren’t a user of Facebook – you probably aren’t going to be able to learn much about what is going on at Facebook.

Facebook wants its users data to be shared with users’ friends, not the world. Web developers would jump at the opportunity to “run” with the Facebook stream of data to build exciting new websites and to improve existing websites. However, without an API – this hasn’t happened yet.

Twitter wants developers to run with external applications because if those applications grow, Twitter will be the glue that holds those applications together. This, in effect, ensures Twitter’s future. For example, there are hundreds of websites which Twitter has no ownership in, but which take advantage of Twitter’s free API. If those sites grow and receive 100 million visitors per month – that will benefit Twitter because it makes “Tweeting” even more important because now your Tweets will get distributed not only on Twitter, but also on the sites all over the web which are powered by Twitter. By empowering web developers, Twitter has an army of entrepreneurs out there baking in the Twitter feed to their properties. So, the question is – will Facebook ever play this game?

In October of 2009, Facebook announced Open Graph API which was a move in this direction. This API, which is net yet available, will allow other websites to develop a Facebook like page, powered by Facebook technology, without the page having to be on Facebook.com. This would empower websites to have the tools offered to Facebook users live on an external website controlled by an outside webmaster. While this will be something new for webmasters to tap into– it most certainly won’t offer anything close to what Twitter currently offers.

Over time, developers hope they will have more access from Facebook, and slowly, some more tools and functions may become available. At the same time, developers are being empowered by Twitter to run with great new products. Twitter is clearly leading the charge to fuel continued innovation for everyone to have access to throughout the mainstream web.

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(image: LoneWolfLibrarian)

Read more on this social media blog.

Those who have embraced social media have, for the most part, truly embraced it.

Those who haven’t, haven’t.

This great video by timetogetsocial gives an “in your face” version of reasons to care about social media as a business. Watch the video and then see the transcript of the reasons after the jump.

Here is a breakdown of the reasons listed in the video:

1. Social media is now the number one online activity, beating porn and personal email to the top spot.

2. Because 2/3 of the global Internet population visit social networks.

3. Because time spent on social networks is growing at 3X the overall Internet rate, accounting for 10% of all Internet time.

4. Because online, including social media, has become the most influential source in helping consumers make purchasing decisions.

5. Because millions of people are creating content for the social web.

6. Because the next 3 billion consumers will access the Internet from a mobile device.

7. Because Facebook is now the operating system of the social web.

8. Because Twitter believes it will have 1 billion users by 2012.

9. Because one way marketing has had its day.

10. Because in almost all cases social media is free.

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Read more about being social on this social media blog.

Facebook and Twitter are the two power houses of the Social Media Industry. Social Media has become a new medium within the Media family, its siblings being Radio, Television and Newspapers.

What Makes Up Social Media?

So, what makes up Social Media? Metaphorically, Social Media is the body that holds the various limbs that enables the Industry to grow, and allows you to reach outside of the box and communicate with the world. The “limbs” I am referring to are what we call Social Networks.

Social Networks are made up of sites that you are probably already familiar with, such as; YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Reddit, and many others that are not listed here, two of those being, Twitter and Facebook. Each social network enables a person to share content, whether it is photos, videos, music, news or conversation. A social network permits you to engage with other people via the Internet. So what is the heart of social media? You are. You are the very reason social media is alive, it is you who pumps the information out into the social networks and in return, it is you that keeps social media breathing.

What Is the Difference Between Twitter and Facebook?

Twitter was originally created for texting purposes via a cell phone which is where the 140 characters come into play, for texting on a cell phone; you are only allotted 160 characters. Twitter included your username and therefore left you with 140 characters to express whatever happens to be on your mind. Twitter is in real-time, meaning that you will receive information as soon as someone you’re following tweets.

Facebook is more complex. It was originally created for internal use at a University, but as its popularity ignited, Facebook as we know it today, was born. Facebook is not only a place you can socially engage through status updates that are longer than 140 characters, but it also offers socially inclined games, profiles and pages that initiate sharing in whatever form of media you choose.

Both social networks offer a different format to express oneself, although Twitter is more commonly known for sharing news links and is becoming a predominant resource for breaking news, people still make connections and utilize it to talk about the events of their day or to promote their business in a fast and for many, more convenient way. Which is why I compare it to a drive-thru, it is quick, easy and you always leave full.

Facebook is more like a sit down restaurant, a place where you get lost in its menu of choices, from applications, status updates, photos, games, videos, pages and many other tempting interactions. Therefore you need to sit down and dig in.

Whether you crave Twitter more or salivate over Facebook, we seem to be starved for these two social networks and for those who use them, you may tend to agree that you can’t help but eat them up everyday.

If you are new to Social Media and unsure which social networks to begin with, I would suggest sampling both Twitter and Facebook, for in their own ways, they will satisfy your social appetite.

Erin Ryan has a passion for Social Media and is currently working within the industry as a Social Media Specialist. Contact Erin on Twitter @4u2wear2

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Read more on this social media blog.

This Social Media Infographic from Flowtown really tells the story, visually and through words. It is one of the best representations of social media that I’ve ever seen.

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See more amazing Social Media Infographics on Soshable.

If you haven’t heard, Twitter hit 50 million tweets per day.

If you haven’t heard about it, you’re not paying attention to the social media blogosphere, because EVERYONE is talking about it, at least the big players. Below, you’ll see that there was definitely a headline of choice in declaring the news.

JUST IN CASE you didn’t hear, Twitter is averaging over 50 million tweets per day, something that is relatively unexpected considering recent negativity regarding the lack of growth of the network.

If this is any indication, Twitter is still the golden child and reports of its demise are greatly overstated.

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Read more about social media on this social media blog.

The debate has been raging for ages (at least in Internet time).

Facebook was once the “contender” against MySpace. That didn’t last too long, but soon Twitter emerged as a pseudo-social-network-competitor-thingy to Facebook and the competition heated up again.

Whether or not that competition is valid is arguable since:

1. Twitter incorporates the communication and sharing aspect of social networking but is in many ways easier defined as a microblogging news aggregation site, sort of.
2. Facebook has nearly 10 times more users, hundreds more features, and thousands more apps.
3. Twitter has a clear business model, but only a dozen people in the universe know exactly what that is, while Facebook has dozens of business models, but nobody in the universe knows exactly what they are.

Still, these and many other glaring differences do not take away from the human need to compare the two and argue about them since they are the biggest “buzz” in social media right now (sorry Google).

Here, you will find several pieces of content that take the argument in one direction or another. Some bring up MySpace, LinkedIn, or other social networks. Rather than rehash them, I’ll give them to you to decide what goes where. Why rehash when we have the power of “link and regurgitate”? After all, that’s the way of the Internet today.

Facebook vs Twitter Infographic

(via Flickr)

Articles that (attempt to) Answer the Question of “Twitter vs Facebook”

• Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter (Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang)
• Moving Pixels: Facebook vs Twitter (Pop Matters)
• Facebook vs. Twitter Clickthroughs: More Bang For Your Buck (htmlist)
• Twitter Versus Facebook, A Comparison Of The Top Users (AllFacebook)
• Sharing on Facebook vs. Sharing on Twitter (Digital Inspiration)
• Buzz vs. Facebook vs. Twitter and Us (The Relationship Economy)
• Fight: Facebook vs Google vs Twitter (iTWire)
• Web Faceoff: Twitter vs. Facebook (Mashable)
• Twitter vs. Facebook Analysis: What Users Want (Internet News)
• Twitter vs. Facebook – Battle of the Social Goliaths (Inventor Spot)
• Twitter versus Facebook: Should you Choose One? (Twitip)
• Facebook vs. Twitter: How will you stream your world? (CNet)
• Twitter vs. Facebook: Who Will Win in Real-time Search? (Mashable)
• Tools of choice: Twitter vs. Facebook (Social Media Today)
• The Coming Facebook-Twitter Collision (Business Week)

Twitter vs Facebook Cartoon

(via Hubspot)

Facebook vs Twitter on the iPhone

Another Facebook vs Twitter Infographic

(via TheNextWeb)

It doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, it’s all a matter of preference. Most Twitter users use Facebook. Most very active Facebook users are on Twitter now or will be sometime this year. Whatever it takes to enjoy, share, learn, and engage, that’s what is important. Who will win in the end?

Us.

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Read more about Twitter and Facebook on this Social Media Blog.

6 months ago, Twitter changed its homepage so that there was a greater focus on their search engine.

At any time, anyone can go to Twitter and search through all of the updates from Twitter users. So, while initially your Tweets were scene by your Twitter followers, now people that don’t follow you and even people not using Twitter can view your Tweets when they utilize the Twitter search engine.

Twitter’s search results are also being syndicated to several web properties. In December of 09, Google implemented Twitter results onto the first page of their results pages. For select keywords, you’ll notice the Latest Results box scrolling which is powered by Twitter results along with other real time results. In addition to Google, Bing has announced a plan to bake in Twitter results into their search listings.

While Bing and Twitter are the most widely used websites to implement Twitter updates – a slew of real time search engines have launched in an effort to bring the real time web to internet users. Many of these real time search engines, such as Sency, use Twitter updates as the primary source of their results. Furthermore, many content sites have utilized tools and widgets to implement real time results onto their web properties. For instance, if you are on your favorite Yankees blog – you may see what people are saying right now about the Yankees scrolling down the left or right hand side of the webpage.

With Twitter offering its API of Tweets for free to small web publishers and entrepreneurs – we can expect to continue to see Twitter results syndicated across the web. One great thing about real time results is that they are fresh – a search today will reveal different results than a search next week. So, web publishers will benefit from implementing real time content as it will keep their sites current and make their sites stickier.

As more and more marketers realize the depth of this syndication, spam on Twitter is expected to increase. Twitter will block an account from its syndication, and when this happen, while your posts will go to your followers – they won’t go to Twitter.com and sites using the Twitter API. Furthermore, filtering technologies which Google seems to have implemented will try to prevent non-relevant Tweets from non-quality Twitter users from showing up. However, it seems the case that a majority of Tweets done today are syndicated to additional sources. If you do a search at Twitter for your user name, and you see your results showing up – that is a good indication that your updates are being syndicated across the web.

In closing, when you send out that Tweet today about what you are up too – don’t assume only your Twitter followers will see it. Because major search engines such as Google and Bing may display your results – and also – your favorite blog may end up displaying them as well.

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Read more about Twitter on this, one of many Social Media Blogs.