Are America’s fastest-growing companies shifting away from blogging as a primary social media platform?  ”Maybe” could be a conclusion based on new research examining the INC 500 from The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts. For the first time in the five years that this research has been conducted, the use of blogging declined. Blogging had been steadily climbing as a corporate communications tool — 19% of the INC 500 blogged in 2007, 39% in 2008, 45% in 2009, 50% in 2010 and just 37% last year. MORE >>

have invited our Panel of B2B Marketing Experts to reflect on 2009 and answer the following question: What was your aha moment in 2009 ? Blogs. Forrester Blog for Interactive Marketing Professionals. Ardath Albee's blog Marketing Interactions. Rebel Brown's blog Phoenix Rising. Brian Carroll's blog B2B Lead Generation Blog. Patsi Krakoff's blog Writing on the Web. Mac McIntosh's Sales Lead Insights: A B2B marketing Blog. Howard Sewell’s blog, Direct Connections. Tom Pick's blog Webbiquity. via Beth Harte). MORE >>

Social media marketing activity exploded in 2009, and so did coverage of these practices. So in case you missed any of these, here are almost 100 of the best blog posts and articles covering social media strategy and tactics, measurement, monitoring, research, pitfalls to avoid, policies, tools and more from 2009. Whether you’re looking for guidance on measuring social media results, justifying investments, utilizing best practices, finding the best tools, or just want to broaden your social media knowledge, you’ll find it here. Social Media Tools. MORE >>

Awareness of Twitter has exploded; 87% of Americans said they were “familiar with” Twitter in a poll taken earlier this year, versus just 5% in 2008 and 26% in 2009. 71% of business users now say Twitter is a useful tool, up from 59% a year ago. Which tools are most helpful? You’ll find the answers to these questions and many more here in 50 of the best Twitter tools, posts, how-to guides and rants of 2010 so far. In Social Media, Twitter is Just the Start by Social Steve’s Blog. Twitter Tools and Reviews. Share this on LinkedIn. MORE >>

Whether you need data to back up a proposal for investing in social media marketing for CFO, want to understand which online tactics work best for engaging with customers and prospects, or are just an analytics data junky, you’ll find a treasure trove of key insights and happy hour trivia in this collection of the best articles and blog posts on social media and other marketing research of the past year. Which social media tool do businesses find most effective at reaching their target audiences? Searchers Using Longer Queries in 2009 by Small Business Search Marketing. MORE >>