As part of its year in review, the popular tech and gadgets website TechCrunch announced its Google Analytics figures for 2010 and the findings were not all that surprising, with social media out-ranking RSS feeds as the favoured way for TechCrunch readers to receive their information.<br /> The top 10 referrers included:<br /> 10. News.Google.com<br /> 09. Crunchgear<br /> 08. Stumbleupon<br /> 07. Reddit<br /> 06. Google.com<br /> 05. News.Ycombinator.com<br /> 04. Techmeme<br /> 03. Digg<br /> 02. Facebook<br /> 01. Twitter</p> <p>As you can see, Google Reader appears nowhere on the list ? having only made it to the number 11 spot and seeing a fall of almost 50% from 2009.</p> <p>Drilling further down into the information, the service StumbleUpon was responsible for sending the most new visitors percentage-wise to the TechCrunch site; however, they were also the visitors who stayed for the least amount of time. Other short term visits came from the similar sites Reddit and Digg. When looking for longer visitor times, the leader in this arena was Techmeme, followed by Facebook and Twitter, indicating the important role social media plays in reader sustainability.</p> <p>Over this past year, we have often discussed how the shift to social media as a source of business opportunity has been a slow and reluctant one for many UK businesses. Yet, as with other stories we have published within the last 12 months, the TechCrunch story clearly shows the important role social media plays in the success of online businesses. RSS feeds are dying out, as are the companies that provide them. Tomorrow?s successful business must embrace social media and embrace it soon lest they find themselves on undiscovered soil

A recent study by Pew Research has found that almost two thirds of internet users in the USA are willing to pay for internet content; this includes downloading or accessing things such as music, movies, and even news articles. This information provides a strong argument against the perceived notion that people are not willing to pay for content when online.<br /> ?The Internet has become a viable distribution channel for a variety of online content, especially in the era of broadband,? the study says. ?The issue of people's willingness to pay for online material has enormous implications for media companies, artistic creators, and others who are hoping to sustain themselves ? or grow new businesses ? by raising revenues through online purchases.?<br /> Specifically, the study shows that of the 1,003 US adults surveyed:<br /> ?</p>

The issue of Twitter?s TOS and how photo rights are handled came to light a few months ago when photographer Daniel Morel uploaded photos of the Haiti earthquake to Twitpic and then tweeted that he had ?exclusive photos? of the event. Lisandro Suero then took those same photos and posted them to his own Twitter and Twitpic accounts, also claiming exclusive rights. When a handful of major news agencies used the photos, they credited Suero rather than Morel and Morel did not get paid. The issue was then taken to court.</p> <p>In the case for the defence, AFP solicitors cited the part of the Twitter TOS which allows Twitter non-exclusive, royalty-free license to submitted content as justification for using the photos without paying for right to do so, saying ?this broad re-use is evidenced every day when Twitter/TwitPic posts are copied, reprinted, quoted, and republished by third parties.? However, US District Court Judge William Pauley disagreed, stating, ?The provision that Twitter 'encourage[s] and permit[s] broad re-use of Content' does not clearly confer a right on other users to re-use copyrighted postings.?</p> <p>The issue of Twitter?s TOS and its right to take our photos and use them as they will has been of major discussion since it first came to light. The findings in this court case are good news. Mr Morel can not only rightfully continue with his copyright claim, anyone using Twitter can feel a little bit better about what they agreed to when they decided to tweet.

If there were ever an indication that we need to take social media seriously, this is it. While almost all privately-held social media companies are experiencing a rise in value, Facebook takes the cake ? with its value rising by 56% in the past six months. The figures, which are according to the securities firm Nyppex, also show increased value from services like Groupon and Twitter.</p> <p>At $41.2 billion USD, Facebook is now worth more than some of the more established players ? with eBay worth approximately $32.8 billion while Yahoo! is estimated to be worth $18.4 billion. Other companies looked at included Google ($149 billion), Amazon ($73.5 billion), LinkedIn, and Zynga.</p> <p>Of the rise in social media value Laurence Allen of Nyppex said, ?We try to be students of venture history, and we think this is a milestone event that's taken place in the last six months.?</p> <p>All of the companies assessed are privately owned with no plans to file IPOs (initial public offerings) in the near future.</p> <p>The study was spurred by a wide-spread and growing interest in acquiring pieces of initial start-ups by procuring stock from existing shareholders (like employees) through secondary transactions. ?This trend will create even more pressure on portfolio managers to evaluate how to participate in growing private companies," Allen told Bloomberg. "We get new buy orders weekly from institutions trying to buy secondary shares in private social-media companies for the first time.?</p> <p>Earlier this year, Facebook stopped allowing its employees to sell stock, although ex-employees are still free to do so.

In an article by CNN?s Doug Gross, he discussed some of the top tech trends of this past year; all of them indicative of the changing way we consume content. This included:</p> <p> Tablet PCs ? starting with the iPad and moving on to Samsung?s Galaxy Tab, the iPad?s biggest rival so far. While tablets do not have the computing capacity of a laptop or the pocket-sized portability of a smartphone, consumers love the idea of tablet ? ensuring that they are here to stay.<br /> Facebook ? one of the most controversial years for Mark Zuckerberg?s creation and one of its most lucrative. Through privacy controversies to Zuckerberg as Time?s Man of the Year, Facebook has been the major Web force for 2010.<br /> Mobile Check-In ? Foursquare is the leader in this particular field, surpassing five million users this month.<br /> Watching Web on the Telly ? while Apple TV has been around since 2007, 2010 is the year that Web sites for television are getting their boost. Look for some interesting content next year as Google is making deals with HBO, Netflix, and others.<br /> The Smartphone Wars ? No longer is it Apple vs. BlackBerry, but rather the contenders like Android are making a serious mark on the smartphone industry. And, with the rise of the smartphone comes a change in the way we deliver and consume content.<br /> Net Neutrality ? earlier this month the FCC released its rules to guide the way we use the Web. While the succeeded in making no one happy, the story isn?t finished. 2011 will be a big year for the internet and how, why, and what will be controlled.<br />

Recently tweeted by The Next Web and other news services, the popular social micro-blogging site Twitter has acquired Fluther, a question and answer service which links those who want to know with those that do know.<br /> Based upon the wording of the announcement, the acquisition is a more of a talent grab than anything else and does not include changes to Fluther.com.<br /> In Twitter?s own words,<br /> ?During our conversations with Fluther?s team, we were continually impressed by their technical talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and much of the thinking behind the question-and-answer product they?ve spent the last couple of years building.?<br /> The acquisition of new talent grows Twitter to three times the size it was last year, with the addition of four engineers and a designer. The new employees will be focussing on assisting Twitter users to discover content that is most relevant to them.<br /> For those who are fans of Fluther.com, the good news is that the site will continue as is; working as a separate project from Twitter.<br /> Fluther.com consists of two main sections, General and Social, which operate under different guidelines. In General, questions are addressed in a way that ensures the asker gets the answer he/she is looking for; in the Social part of the site, along with information, answerers can also provide opinion or add a bit of humour to their responses. There is also a Meta section where first-time users can ask questions about Fluther itself.<br /> As for the site?s name, the word Fluther is the aquatic term for a group of jellyfish (like gaggle, herd, or run).

On the internet, content is king: net neutrality ensures that all sites are treated equally, leaving website owners with the ability to use well-thought-out content and web design to compete with larger sites. But a proposal from two US mobile communications companies stands to threaten that ability.<br /> In a joint endeavour, mobile operators Allot Communications and Opennet have proposed a system which will allow carriers to charge by online service ? creating different rates based upon the nature of the traffic. The system also allows the carriers to stifle certain website traffic ? for instance social networking like Facebook or YouTube ? in order to promote their own websites and services.<br /> If the proposal is implemented, it heralds the beginning of the end of net neutrality, with carriers taking us back to a pre-smartphone era.<br /> Unfortunately, while the US FCC is in the midst of imposing stricter rules on wired internet access, these rules do not cover instances of favouritism for wireless services.<br /> The proposals put forth by Allot and Opennet are perfect illustrations of mobile carriers? wish to end net neutrality and widen their own profit margins. For instance, France Telecom is not only calling for site-specific fees, but also wants to charge individual phone manufacturers based upon the amount of data provided to each user.<br /> As mobile phone service providers battle against net neutrality in the USA, here in the UK we wait and watch. If they get their way, there is good chance the next target will be us.

Opening publicly yesterday was KILTR, a professional online networking site specifically for Scottish people and their friends.</p> <p>According to the site, there are 40 million Scots worldwide and when you add people who either share a connection with or have affection for Scotland, you increase that number to 100 million. KILTR says they intend to bring all of those people together,</p> <p>?We want to bring you all together, to harness your energy and your skills to create more opportunities for one another.?</p> <p>The idea behind the new social media site came to being with co-founder and CEO Brian Hughes Halferty was visiting in the United States. Americans love a British accent and so it wasn?t surprising that when he began speaking in his, people around him engaged him in conversation ? with many citing connections to Scotland through heritage or just love for Scottish culture. On greet led to another and then voila, the idea was born.</p> <p>?Diaspora networks </p>

Yesterday, it was revealed that members of the Conservative Party are calling for all UK ISPs to block pornography unless specifically requested not to do so by a subscribing individual.</p> <p>According to articles by reputable sources including Mashable and Yahoo! News, members of British Parliament are planning to meet with UK internet service providers next month to discuss the notion of censoring UK internet subscriber?s connection in regards to pornographic material. To access such material, a subscriber would have to approach his/her ISP and specifically ask for access.</p> <p>Of course, the reason being cited for this country-wide censorship is children. As Conservative MP Claire Perry told the Sunday Times,</p> <p>"We are not coming at this from an anti-porn perspective. We just want to make sure our children aren?t stumbling across things we don?t want them to see."</p> <p>The questions on everyone?s lips are, ?Who is to decide what porn is what it is not?? and ?Wouldn?t it be more appropriate to allow parents to decide and control what their children can and cannot see?? Finally, ?Does the government really have a right to decide what a person can or cannot view via their computer? And, if they do, where does it stop??</p> <p>British ISPs are not keen on the idea ? according to them it would be both expensive and extremely difficult to put such blocks into place. But the British Coalition is not to be deterred; they are still pressing for some sort of action.

Google and the social networking site MySpace have come to a multi-year advertising and search agreement. Under the new agreement, Google will provide display ad services and serve as the power behind MySpace search results and associated advertising.</p> <p>The announcement of the agreement ends a long period of uncertainty for both companies, with the original 2006 deal ending last June without extensions in place.</p> <p>News Corp, the owners of MySpace, acquired the social networking site in 2005 for US $580 million, beating out major rivals like Viacom. However, since the acquisition, MySpace has become increasingly irrelevant in the big scheme of social networking ? with Facebook taking prevalence as the social networking site of choice.</p> <p>But MySpace has not taken the beating lying down; the website has undergone a rework, redefining itself as a social entertainment site versus a social networking site ? with the emphasis placed upon music and arts.</p> <p>According to News Corp COO Chase Carey, MySpace is still open to a sale or partnership,</p> <p>?"There are opportunities here to do 20 things [with MySpace] but that doesn't mean you're going to do any of the 20. If there's something there that makes sense you ought to think about it," Carey said.</p> <p>During the interlude in agreement between MySpace and Google, News Corp also reached out to Yahoo! and Microsoft Corporation as alternatives for the site?s search advertising.</p> <p>As of this writing, the terms of the new agreement with Google have not been disclosed.