Economist: A Special Report on Social Networking

Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better - download full report - click here.

Social Media and Baby Boomers

A summary of Media Post's take on social media and baby boomers --

Include social media in plans to reach Boomers: it is clear that social networks are not a passing phase for Boomers. Like others, they are finding that online social networks enhance their existing relationships.

Tea Party Trying to Organize Offline

Tea Partiers held their first national convention this weekend in Nashville, TN.  The convention is part of the movement’s attempt to organize offline and become a legitimate political party.  The convention’s organizer, Judson Phillips, said ,”If 2010 is another year of rallies, we’ve lost.”  Tea Partiers have organized and communicated almost entirely through social networking sites.  Having a convention is a step in the right direction for the Tea Party but they have a long way to go if they hope to become an established political party.

What's Next for Geolocation? Apps, Apps, Apps

Geolocation social networks are set to be in 2010 what microblogging was in 2008 - the next big thing. Currently the space is being dominated by Foursquare, with others like Gowalla, MyTown and Loopt  trailing in its wake.

Google Creating Twitter Clone for Gmail

As soon as this week, Google might be rolling out a "Twitter-killer" feature for Gmail users, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Gmail users can currently broadcast status messages via the Google Talk feature. The main difference between the current offering and the new feature is that status messages aren't available in a timeline format. With the new "Twitter clone," they will be. 

Reaching Millions with Twitter: The Whole Foods Story

Have you ever wondered how a business handles more than a million Twitter fans? Want the inside scoop from the largest retailer on Twitter?

Even if you’re a small business, there’s some great insight to be gained from Marla Erwin, Interactive Art Director for Whole Foods Market. Marla was instrumental in creating Whole Foods’ acclaimed social media program and the results have been phenomenal! For example, in the first year, Twitter.com/Wholefoods gained a million Twitter followers. It has now surpassed 1.75 million people.

How to Market your Business with Twitter Lists

Twitter is a networking haven for businesses. But is there an easy way to draw the right people to you with Twitter?

The answer is yes and there’s a great Twitter feature that can help you: Twitter lists.  Twitter lists can grab the interest of people you most want to meet, help you make a great first impression and can help you with marketing segmentation.

And finally, check out this video from TechPresident, From the Bloomberg Campaign, Social Media Stats.

Top Twitter Trends of 2009

Among all the keywords, hashtags, and phrases that proliferated throughout the year, one topic surfaced repeatedly. Twitter users found the Iranian elections the most engaging topic of the year. The terms #iranelection, Iran and Tehran were all in the top-21 of Trending Topics, and #iranelection finished in a close second behind the regular weekly favorite #musicmonday.

Morgan Stanley: Mobile Internet Market Will Be Twice the Size of Desktop Internet

Morgan Stanley has released a couple of bulky documents about the mobile internet: 'The Mobile Internet Report,' a 424 page report which explores 8 major themes; and 'The Mobile Internet Report Key Themes,' a 659-slide presentation that drills down on thoughts covered in the report. We've embedded both documents below.

Perhaps the most remarkable statement in the report is that the Mobile Internet market will be "at least 2x size of Desktop Internet," which Morgan Stanley bases on math comparing Internet Users with Mobile Subscribers.

Tea Partiers Organize Online, Emulating Obama and Progressive Blogs

Here's a sign that the Tea Party movement intends to be a force in politics for years to come -- some of its leaders are trying to build the foundation of a powerful online fundraising and organizing presence. Some hints about what they're up to...

Facebook Passes AOL in the US

Just last week, Aol celebrated its re-emergence as an independently-traded company. But its one main advantage is that it still commands a large audience, and in fact was the fourth largest Website in the U.S.—until last month. ComScore data for November, 2009 shows that Facebook surpassed Aol with 102.9 million unique visitors in the U.S., versus 99.7 million for Aol.

Conservatives were hopping mad at CNN yesterday over their coverage (or lack thereof) of the hundreds of Tea Party protests that took place across the country. After a correspondent lashed out at a protester during a live interview and exclaimed the protest was “not really family viewing” Twitter was ablaze with anger at CNN and what has been perceived as frequent obvious bias against Republicans.

This all came hot on the heels of a scathing Department of Homeland Security report released by the Obama administration that blasted “Rightwing Extremism”. Conservatives came out swinging yesterday and Twitter became the weapon of choice in the war of words:

@AliAkbar: Disappointed in CNN. Their coverage was not fair, not independent, and almost non-existent. #teaparty #msmbias

@justin_hart: Most incredible evidence of CNN bias... This reporter should be fired #TCOT #TEAPARTY http://ow.ly/2ZGm

@ericjodom: Have you seen the video of the CNN reporter spreading propaganda? http://twurl.nl/tenu4w #teaparty (I met her yesterday, BTW)

@joecaruso: CNN aptly proved that journalism is dead. http://is.gd/sKe6 #tcot #newmedia #teaparty

@FreedomRing: PROTEST CNN BY UNFOLLOWING ALL CNN TWEETS! #TCOT #sgp

Only time will tell if the momentum from the Tea Party protests rolls into a serious Conservative groundswell of action against CNN. Honestly, I hope it does.