1. New Nielsen Report Finds Social Networking Sites Tripled in Popularity this Year:
Everybody and their mother is on Facebook ...literally... and now there's proof. The Nielsen Company released data yesterday that supports what we already know: the popularity of social networking sites is growing exponentially. According
to a summary of the report posted on NielsenWire, "Americans have nearly tripled the amount of time they spend at social networking and blog sites such as Facebook and MySpace from a year ago." Not only does this mean some of us may need to change our privacy settings to prevent embarrassing wall posts from Mom, but the findings are also significant for online advertising trends. NielsenWire reports, "Estimated online advertising spending on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 percent, from approximately $49 million in August 2008 to approximately $108 million in August 2009 - all despite a recession." One more reason to pay attention to social media.
2. Google's SideWiki Gives Us More Ways to Stay Connected:
This week Google introduced it's newest effort to make the internet a more social place. Google SideWiki is a downloadable toolbar that can be used to pool users' (and your own) comments and insights about a particular web page. Sidewiki will store all 
contributors' comments and tips in a sidebar available to anyone visiting a webpage, and even filter comments by helpfulness - making the most relevant entries appear at the top, as opposed to the most recent ones. This will make scanning the internet a much more social endeavor, and a place where you can contribute to how others view a webpage. Google Sidewiki makes for an interesting new tool to add to your social media toolbox, especially if you're one of those people who enjoy making a decision based on tips from others. Although social media blog, Mashable, makes the point that Google Sidewiki is not the first of it's kind, the internet add-on is definitely worth a watch of the demo.
3. Conference Coming Up: Feast 09
In keeping with the kumbaya-come-together theme of this week's digital recap, The Feast Conference (Oct. 1), which takes place in NYC, is an attempt to gather "the world's greatest innovators from across industries and society to empower, inspire and engage each other in creating world-shaking change." Strong claim, but the event boasts a diverse group of impressive speakers, all setting out to take a "creative look at the world's toughest problems." Feast 2009 is all about community learning, inspiration, and action. Check out their website to see the full schedule and information about how to register.
Tags: Conference, Google, Social media, Social Networking Sites
