Google+ is best used for initiating conversations, and inviting specific people to them. Even those marketers with exceptional social-network-savvy can struggle to keep up with the latest developments in leading social media. Acquisitions, new features and new platforms are a daily occurrence, and it can be easy to get lost in the sea of news updates in the social world. Here are some key takeaways from the infographic, and some of our own insight: Just because it's new and shiny doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good fit for your business. The drawback? MORE >>

Google's recent algorithm updates, which fully integrate and prioritize Google + into its search results, have spurred a wave of debate and criticism, and it’s quite clear that the search engine giant is losing out in the arena of public opinion. No stranger to controversy, however, Google has made other questionable moves in the past, including Google Wave or the Buzz for example. Adding to this discontent, SearchEngineland has compiled several damaging examples of the ways in which Google's new interface promotes Plus over relevancy. MORE >>

Young, tech-savvy males seem to prefer Google+, with women leaning towards Pinterest (82% are women As social media usage continues to rise, it's always useful to check in and see exactly which social sites are being used by whom. We came across a great infographic today from Online MBA, and it captures a range of demographic info around social media users, including gender, age, educational level, income, etc. Some highlights: College and university students comprise the majority of users for sites like Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Digg. MORE >>

Although Facebook and Google couldn't risk full-scale blackouts, they found their own ways to announce their opposition. Google took action by changing its homepage in the U.S, For journalists, bloggers and techies. alike, this week has passed in a. whirlwind of headlines covering. the controversy surrounding SOPA, the. proposed anti-piracy legislation in the U.S. Some of the powerful language used to characterize the dispute? Protest, blackout, fear and censorship, to name but a few. What is SOPA? What does that mean? If the bill is passed, any website "directed" towards U.S MORE >>

This includes Google Places, review sites, Yellow Pages, or any directory or search engines. Marketers cannot ignore the rising. importance of local search. If you can work to strengthen your organic and local search rankings, you'll be in a fantastic place relative to your competitors in 2012. To drive this point home, try writing these stats down and posting them in your workspace. Local search is growing rapidly, expected to increase as much as 10% per year through to 2015. 80% of all searches on smartphones are for local services and products. Review Your SEO. Include Visuals. MORE >>