Now that everyone knows the basics of Facebook and Twitter, things start to get interesting. In early 2004 Technorati counted about a million blogs on the Internet and Facebook was just getting off the ground. Seven years, 200 million blogs, nearly 600 million Facebook members and a few billion YouTube videos later the information landscape has been completely transformed. This is the time of year when a lot of people make predictions. ll resist that urge, though, and instead present a plea: Let’s make 2011 the year we stop talking about “social media.”. Stunning. MORE >>

I prepared summaries for my upcoming Search & Social Double Whammy seminar on May 2 in Burlington, MA describing the “big three” social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Facebook & LinkedIn. The two most popular social networks – Facebook and LinkedIn – use similar tools and metaphors to provide strikingly different utility. The name is derived from the fact that the average Facebook member has 130 Facebook friends. Facebook fan pages focus on conversation with followers while LinkedIn stresses information about the companies. MORE >>

The language we use on Twitter doesn’t fit well in the more generous confines of a LinkedIn or Facebook post. Facebook is more playful than LinkedIn. I spend a lot of time in LinkedIn groups and have learned a bit about maximizing their potential as conversation-starters. Here are 15 of my favorite tips. Please add your own as comments. Ask Questions. The best way to provoke discussion on LinkedIn is to ask questions. Rather than sharing a link to an article, use it to kick off a discussion. Do you agree?”. link]. Make it Personal. Only people can post content. Follow Up. MORE >>

But with Facebook becoming the place you just have to be for businesses of all sizes, a little marketing know-how comes in handy. recently spoke to Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media at the small-business-focused e-mail service provider Constant Contact about how to go beyond the Facebook wall and make the social network a practical and measurable small business marketing platform. When we look at what platforms our small business customers are using for social media marketing, 94% of them are on Facebook,” Schmulen said. That’s the herd mentality at work. MORE >>

million Facebook likes  by boring people. New York Life has carefully cultivated more than 100,000 likes on Facebook. We believe 60% of our Facebook fans are prospects,” Weiss said. Today, State Farm is all over Facebook, with pages for the corporation , careers , Latino customers , the Bayou Classic football event and an innovative youth-oriented forum called State Farm Nation  (right), where people can “discuss life’s challenges and opportunities, connect with others facing life-shaping decisions [and] find helpful tips and information.&# I couldn’t drink it.” MORE >>