Twitter has announced another set of advertising partners who will feature branded profile pages, including NPR; NBC News; The Huffington Post; Al Jazeera; aNobii; and others.

Facebook filed a nearly 200-page S-1 statement to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In it, the company claims 845 million users, more than half of which (483 million) are daily active users, a 48% increase over Dec. 2010.

Facebook added Open Graph to its Platform to bring action-specific ad targeting to advertisers. The goal of Open Graph is to deliver ads that, based on user activity on Facebook apps, are more relevant to users and thus more likely to generate sales.

Google adjusted its age restrictions on its social network, Google+, to allow teenagers to create an account. Google had previously limited users to being 18 and over; the new cut-off at 13 is the same threshold as Facebook.

Twitter is adding right-to-left languages to the Twitter Translation Center, beginning with Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, and Urdu. These four will become fully available later this spring; however, speakers of a language other than English are already able to tweet in their language of choice.

Pew research from the University of Missouri shows that internet users often come across their news serendipitously while they are searching for other information or doing nonnews-related activities online, such as shopping or visiting social networking sites. This information is hardly surprising, but there are wider implications, for media outlets.

In an effort to help brands better understand the intent and motivations of their target audiences, San Francisco-based Twelvefold Media--which calls itself "an emotive-based media company that helps brands target, reach and persuade engaged audiences"--introduced the Mindset Index on Jan. 24.

We all know Twitter is a powerful tool, but many publishers aren't sure how to build goodwill while still promoting their own content. Here are a few quick tips for publishers looking to implement a simple social media strategy that doesn't give community short shrift while building traffic and brand awareness.

Hot gossip, recipes, cute baby photos and juicy tidbits about office Christmas party shenanigans aren't the only things being shared on Facebook these days. Many folks actually use the social network king to pass on interesting news articles, too. In fact, a look at what made the list of the top 40 most shared articles on Facebook in 2011 can offer some interesting clues to publishers and media outlets as to what makes a story "shareable."

Money is the root of all evil. It is also the foundation upon which economies are built. Certainly, it's high on the list of objectives for most organizations. Hey, even not-for-profits have to cover costs. So how do we reconcile this yearning for earning with such laudable corporate mottos as "do no evil"? Companies with good reputations generally earn them by delivering genuine value to customers. These, and others, often offset craven capitalistic endeavors by doing good works. Value and giving back are certainly admirable tactics, and I would not discourage any company from following this righteous path.

Sharing your thoughts and activities on Facebook in and of of itself is not necessarily a problem. The problem comes when users forget that everyone in their social network is reading their posts. When you post something in frustration over your boss, co-worker, spouse, or friend, remember that the boss, co-worker, spouse, or friend-and all their networked friends (and all of their networked friends)-may also be reading your posts. It is possible to take part in Facebook and still maintain a modicum of privacy. To accomplish this, keep these 10 lessons in mind.

Social media, tablets, and eReaders have not only changed the publishing model, they have given authors and publishers a whole new avenue to engage readers beyond books. Now, with the launch of interactive websites that accompany these books, such as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter experience, Pottermore, and the continued growth and acceptance of mobile apps, the list of digital possibilities is getting longer.

People love saving money. Sales and coupons are time-honored advertising traditions for a broad field of retail businesses, from supermarkets to office suppliers. The latest manifestation of human beings' long-running obsession with coupons is the daily deal-websites and mobile apps that deliver a selection of daily coupons and deals to savings-hungry consumers.Companies such as Groupon, Inc. and LivingSocial have made a name for themselves by combining daily coupons, group buying, and local marketing. And the success of these two companies is spawning a thriving ecosystem of businesses, publishers, and deal networks all looking to get a piece of the pie.

For almost as long as there have been books, there have been authors trying to get their manuscripts in front of an acquisitions editor. Today, there are many roads that can lead writers to professional publication. While the destination is often the same, new routes are emerging all the time.

As recently as the last decade, content marketing - that is, content not as the product itself but as the basis for engaging a target audience and helping compel that audience to purchase a company's product - was reduced to a fairly short list of flavors. Today, however, companies have an opportunity to engage customers directly with endlessly unfolding content communication opportunities.

I don't have to tell you how the word "expert" is just a tad over used. You are probably cynical about social media experts without any help from me, but putting the snarky comments and jabs aside, let's talk about this seriously as I have some important points of considerations for you.An expert is someone that has mastered a topic and/or specialty. So while the world of social media continues to evolve, how can one accomplish mastery of something that isn't done evolving?

The problem with our increasingly connected society is that there are more channels and opportunities than ever to share our story, but the pitfalls have also become more dangerous. Jumping into the modern social scene with your company's message can feel like swimming with sharks while wearing a SPAM scuba suit. So let's look at a real world example and see what we can learn about where and how to best share our content.

The most commonly held belief about influence is that it is equivalent to the number of a user's friends. Klout, for example, measures influence using three different sets of metrics but the underlying assumption of all of them is a direct correlation between influence and number of fans. The problem with this model is that it may not be correct.

My family has a long history with the border town of Laredo, Texas. As a child my mother moved around a lot along with her six older siblings, as part of an Air Force family. Laredo just happened to be one of the towns that stuck. Two of my aunts and one of my uncles still call it home, along with their families. As a born and bred New Englander, it's pretty much another planet to me.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to address a number of CEOs and senior executives at a weekend retreat (The Executive Forum) at IBM's Armonk, NY campus. I shared with them "The State of Social Media," but the presentation could have easily been titled, "What Senior Executives Should Know About Social Media." Clearly, the latter was my intent.