Traditional broadcasting in the US has some serious competition from online video, as per a recent data released by the Global Web Index. With more than 70% of US online users watching video clips on the Web, it is now the fastest growing media platform in history, ahead of other popular social media activities like blogging and social networking. The data, which is compiled by Lightspeed Research for social media research consultancy Trendstream, has been released from the Global Web Index ahead of the full report, which includes 16 countries in total.
The findings of the research are very interesting and provide useful insights as to how social media, and especially online video, is transforming the lives of US Web users. Read the rest of this entry »
Hoping to build its brand in the Indian social networking market, MySpace is geared up to take the offline route by launching ‘Secret Shows’ in India – a platform for upcoming talented musicians. It will also roll out a music portal called ‘Music Central’ that will stream music content from regional and independent artists together with Bollywood music.
Looking at the growth of mobile social networking, it was expected that something major is around the corner. And here is the news that is certainly going to be talked about in the mobile market for some time. Fast growing social networking site Bebo has found a new partner in Samsung Mobile UK that will help the latter compete with Nokia and Sony Ericsson. As per the agreement, Samsung will sponsor and provide music content for Bebo’s music homepage and also sponsor the site’s series of live music events. 
According to you, what are social networking sites famous for? I believe majority of you would say connecting with friends, sharing photos and videos, chatting, passing time, promoting yourself and/or your service, and sharing information with your connections. And when I ask you what is Google famous for, your answer would undoubtedly be “search”. But what if you come to know that the search engine giant is concerned about its search business due to social networking sites? You would be amazed, isn’t it?
The value of an Internet firm depends hugely on how popular it is with the online audience. Considering this fact, it is no doubt that several companies all over the world must be thinking of gaining at least some share of Facebook, which has a record 200-million-plus-users and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Digital Sky Technologies is one such company that has lately shown interest in investing $200 million in the social networking giant.
Celebrities joining social networking sites has become a common sight, but Clergymen doing the same is something that has surprised most of the people around the world. Just recently, Pope Benedict – who calls himself as a servant of the church – entered the world of technology and social networking by launching the Pope2You website that comprises of Facebook and iPhone applications.
At a time when majority of the upcoming social networking sites are focusing on a niche segment or industry, 
One of the major reasons why MySpace is losing competition to Facebook is its inability to win the hearts of the overseas audience. No doubt it is still the leading social networking site in the US today, but when it comes to the global market share, it is Facebook that enjoys a dominant position. Moreover, the latter is also getting closer and closer to MySpace and can overtake it anytime now to achieve the first position in the US market.
While most of the social networking firms are worried about gaining advertisements at the moment, there is one social network that is keeping its cool and focusing on building a strong foundation. Twitter, a barely 2 to 3 years old company, is still finding ways to earn money, but not considering too much about advertising at this point of time, according to a news story at Reuters.