Facebook still attracts 41% of all social networking activity on the Internet, but a handful of other services are starting to catch up, according to research conducted by ComScore. Twitter, for example, is proving to be a major competitor, as the micro-blogging service has managed to increase its number of regular users by more than 500% over the past year. But Twitter still has a long way to go before it can unseat Facebook, or even MySpace, a social networking site that has become particularly popular among independent bands, artists and their fans. MySpace took 24% of the Internet?s social networking traffic last month. Gmail?Google?s popular e-mail service?attracted 15%, while Twitter still lagged behind at 8%. But since Twitter?s growth rate was noticeably faster than that of any of its competitors, it seems certain that it will overtake some of its rivals towards the second half of next year.</p> <p>In addition to Twitter, there are signs of growth among other social networking sites as well. For example, LinkedIn nearly tripled the number of people visiting its site between March 2009 and March 2010, while Facebook managed to almost double its traffic over the last 12 months. In contrast, MySpace seems to be stagnating, as there was only a marginal increase in traffic, and Gmail registered relatively modest growth of around 15%. The social networking sites that are clearly increasing their share of the pie are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, while MySpace lost ground over the last year against its competitors.

Facebook has taken a major step in what technology experts believe is a direct challenge to rival internet giant Google?namely, adding document editing capabilities to its social networking site. Yesterday, developers at a Web 2.0 conference announced that in conjunction with Facebook, they had created a new program entitled Docs.com, and this will soon allow users of the world?s largest social networking site to share, edit and create new Microsoft Office documents by simply logging on to their Facebook account. This development may serve as a blow to traditional e-mail providers, such as Gmail, as more people may simply choose to send Facebook messages, now that they will be able to edit, create and attach documents online, all in one place.</p> <p>But Google may still have some time to respond to this challenge, as the Facebook project is in its beta phase. At the moment, Facebook is compiling a waiting list for those who would like to try the new Docs program, although it does already allow any Facebook user to view existing documents. The program is based on Microsoft Office 2010. A new Facebook application will allow users to sign on to services offered by Docs.com. After registration, users can view both Word and Power Point documents that have been created by their friends.</p> <p>The new application may dramatically alter the way we share written content over the internet and social networking sites are clearly looking for ways to revolutionize online communication. But this new development also holds promise for companies that have already created Facebook profile pages for their products and services. Thanks to the new document sharing possibilities, it will become much easier to share more detailed information with clients and to have more control over the way in which this information is conveyed.

Hollywood celebrities might have a talent for drawing enthusiastic audiences to blockbuster films and perhaps they even have a way with words on stage, but many seem to lack some of the basic good sense and etiquette necessary when using Twitter, or other social networking sites. American reality television star Kim Kardashian is just the latest in a long line of celebrities to scandalize Twitter users, by posting what many believe is inappropriate content. In a recent tweet, Kardashian casually added a photo to her Twitter account, in which she is seen holding a cat by the scruff of her neck, a position than most veterinarians and animal rights activists believe can be unpleasant or even painful for the pet. Kardashian posted the words ?good kitty cat? under the picture, which was reportedly taken earlier this week in Sydney, Australia.</p> <p>The American socialite?s Twitter followers were of mixed opinions, when it came to the way in which Kardashian handled the cat. Some noted ominously that if PETA found out, the animal rights group would have a few choice words for the celebrity. Others feared that if a popular television personality held a cat by the scruff, it might encourage others to do the same at home. But a representative of the RSPCA noted that it was not uncommon for people to hold cats by the scruff of their neck. Kardishian?s mistake?now broadcast to the entire world through Twitter?was that she did not offer the cat support under the rump while doing so.

A blogger might write the most convincing, thoughtful and impressively composed blog posts, but unless he/she manages to provide readers with regular and frequently updated content, even Shakespearean writing skills won?t be enough to make the blog truly popular. Researchers affiliated with the British Psychological Society recently presented at the organization?s annual conference, where they argued that quantity is just as important as quality, when it comes to blogging success. In fact, researcher Susan Jamison-Powell of Sheffield Hallam University went even further by noting that a blog with frequently updated content will attract more readers than a more nicely, high quality blog, where content is not added as often. Jamison-Powell followed the work of 75 committed bloggers over the past several months, and determined that blogs with the most content had far more daily visits and comments posted on the site by readers. These blogs were also much more effectively publicized, thanks to the many other sites that linked to their posts.</p> <p>In Jamison-Powell?s study, 75 bloggers were asked to rate the work of their colleagues in the blogosphere and it became clear very quickly that quantity mattered. Additionally, receiving negative comments from readers after blog posts, or if the blogger?s tone was critical, rather than positive, did not discourage visitors at all from returning to the blog in the future. Sometimes these factors actually ended up sparking discussions and even helped to attract more readers.</p> <p>But there is another important reason for ensuring that blogs are content-rich. Every time a blogger posts a new article, it is almost immediately indexed by Google, both in its main search engine, and also by a separate search tool that filters blogs. Carefully selecting popular keywords and submitting your blog to Google News can dramatically increase the number of visitors in short order.

Osama Bin Laden, the world?s most wanted terrorist, might be hiding in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but until only a couple of days ago, he had his very own Facebook profile page and managed to attract more than 1,000 ?fans? within a matter of three weeks. His Facebook page was launched on March 25th, but it is unclear whether the site?s creators were indeed supporters of this terrorist-in-hiding, his family, friends of companions, or just happened to be a completely unrelated third party. Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, thinks that the people who set this account up most likely have no connection at all to Osama Bin Laden, but the terrorist?s appearance on the world?s largest social networking site was enough to convince staff to shut the page down.</p> <p>Bin Laden?s Facebook profile included recordings of his speeches, and those of other terrorists or extremists. The site, however, gave absolutely nothing revealing about Bin Laden?s location, other than to say that he dwelled ?in the mountains of the world.? But this page is certainly not the only questionable profile to have made a debut on Facebook. This morning, Facebook still had a fan page dedicated to the Taliban, though with a much smaller number of devoted fans that Bin Laden?s profile.</p> <p>Noyes would not say whether Facebook planned to pursue this matter further, by passing relevant IP addresses, or the names of Bin Laden?s alleged ?fans? on to the police. But some experts in terrorism do fear that extremists are taking their message to the world?s largest social networking sites.

Many Twitter users will soon have their tweets preserved for future generations of researchers and academics to read, thanks to the US Library of Congress? decision to archive posts added to the micro-blogging website. The Library of Congress has a responsibility to preserve at least one copy of any book, pamphlet, piece of music or publication which appears in the States. Publishers and authors have long been required to submit one copy of their work to the library upon publication, but much less effort has been made to archive blogs, let alone Twitter or other social networking sites. As a clear sign of the growing importance of online content writing and blogging, officials at the library realized that they were missing a large portion of the publications produced by Americans or by people living in the US, as more authors and bloggers present their thoughts over the Internet.</p> <p>The Library of Congress already has a track record of archiving major American websites. In fact, most educational, cultural and many community or organizational sites appearing after 2000 have been preserved. Among blogs, the Library of Congress has started to archive the work of prominent legal bloggers. But the main reason for archiving tweets is the fact that the Library of Congress finds that many of them have been historically significant. For example, Barack Obama?s campaign used Twitter extensively during the 2008 elections and the president even announced his victory in the form of a tweet. These, along with the writings of key politicians and cultural figures, as well as ?ordinary? American bloggers and Twitter users, form a major part of the twenty-first century historical record, which is increasingly made available online.

An American mother made headlines earlier this week, when she used Facebook to force her son?s elementary school to cancel a fashion show aimed at showcasing women?s history. A prominent blogger who read the Facebook update wrote a post arguing that the school?s plan was all part of a secret ?gay agenda.? The school, located in Maple Shade, New Jersey, had planned a fashion show for its third grade students, in order to teach the kids how women?s fashion changed over the centuries. As part of the project, teacher Tonya Uibel sent a letter to all parents, informing them that the kids would be asked to pick a time period, and wear women?s clothing representative of the era. The problem, however, was what to do with the third grade boys in the class, who might not feel comfortable having to wear a skirt.</p> <p>Uibel, however, worked around this, by telling parents that she would not require boys to wear skirts or dresses, as there were plenty of time periods when women wore pants, and as such, males in the class could choose from female clothing from these eras. But this concession wasn?t enough to appease mother Janine Giandomenico, who seems to understands the power of social networking sites, and thus took her complaint straight to Facebook. She posted a status update on her Facebook wall, noting that the fashion show was inappropriate.</p> <p>While the school?s principal did not comment on whether there was, in fact, a larger agenda behind the third grade event, she decided to cancel the show following the Facebook uproar, and conceded that there may be less controversial ways of teaching children about history.

Celebrities might be successful in Hollywood and appealing on stage, but they don?t always have a way with words, nor do they fully realize just how quickly slurs, insults and inappropriate comments can spread on Twitter, the world?s largest micro-blogging site. Jim Carrey is the most recent celebrity to make a Twitter faux-pas, after he decided to comment on the scandal surrounding Tiger Woods and his infidelity. Carrey just announced that he is leaving his partner, Jenny McCarthy, and also weighed in on Woods? dysfunctional relationship. Carrey told his Twitter followers that we ?should check our collective ego and let the guy play.? As popular as Carrey might be, the fact that he seemed to condone infidelity was too much for many of his followers, who posted a series of angry comments after his tweet.</p>

The Catholic Church is an organization steeped in tradition and often criticized for taking too long to embrace change and reform. But the Vatican seems to realize the importance of blogging, and launched its own blog this week, in order to more effectively reach out to the generations that have long embraced social networking and Web 2.0 technology. The Vatican blog, however, comes at a very challenging time for a Papacy rocked by deeply damaging abuse scandals and evidence suggesting that Pope Benedict XVI did not act decisively, even after allegations surfaced. Not surprisingly, one of the first blog entries posted by the Vatican focuses on the abuse scandal, and gives instruction to local clergy on what to do if they suspect that a priest has abused children.</p> <p>The Vatican?s blog instructs all bishops and priests to report instances of abuse directly to local police, without delay. Additionally, diocesan bishops are told to launch church investigations and tribunals into suspected abuse cases and allegations. If a priest is found guilty in these investigations, the bishop may suggest that he be defrocked and permanently removed from a position of authority in the Catholic Church.</p> <p>The Vatican blog is updated on a daily basis, but also includes a separate news archives section, featuring articles in English, French, Italian and Spanish. In addition to launching its blog, the Catholic Church leadership has apparently decided make better use of other aspects of Web 2.0 technology, by setting up a Twitter account and posting videos to YouTube.

Britain?s general election is scheduled for May 6th, but rather than focusing on policies and ideas, much of the news has to do with the deeply insulting slurs that Labour Party candidate Stuart MacLennan published using his Twitter account. The 24 year old candidate saw his political dreams vanish before his eyes, after he sent out a vile tweet outlining how he really felt about elderly Britons. MacLennan referred to pensioners as ?bloody coffin dodgers,? whilst also noting that other voters in the UK were ?chavs.? To add insult to injury, the Labour Party candidate added that elderly Britons were ?ugly old boots,? while later admitting to being a heavy drinker. But the Twitter insults did not end there.</p>