According to a report by digital marketing firm Experian, Pinterest is now the third most-visited social-networking site in the United States. Pinterest, which lets its users 'pin' photos and info from the Internet onto virtual boards, ranks behind Facebook and Twitter in terms of total visitors. According to Experian, Pinterest had 104 million total visits from people in the United States last month, which puts the site ahead of heavyweights like LinkedIn, Google+, MySpace and Tumblr.

AddThis has released its year-end study of internet sharing trends. According to its survey, Facebook accounts for 52.1% of sharing on the internet. Meanwhile, Twitter was up 577% this year and accounts for 13.5% of sharing. Usage of Google's +1 button has also increased, while MySpace use has declined. According to the study, Osama bin Laden's death, Occupy Wall Street, and Kim Kardashian were among the most shared topics on the sites.

In a Pew Internet survey, research reveals that just half of U.S. adults actually log on to social media sites like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn with email as the most popular online activity. However, this statistic has doubled in the past three years with just 29% of respondents using social media in 2008. 

Among the number of social platforms available on the web, eMarketer reveals that advertising on YouTube, LinkedIn and Foursquare is expected to increase in the coming year, according to research conducted at the May 2011 Pivot Conference.

Social networking sites are proving highly popular among Middle East hoteliers looking to get on board with region’s the online marketing craze. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube are gaining increasingly more attention from both value and luxury hotels, often playing a pivotal role in their wider marketing campaigns.

In a development that will revolutionize the region's connected home entertainment industry, Techstorm, a UAE-based new media technology company, has partnered with Silicon Valley-based Verismo Networks and their award-winning Internet TV Platform to launch the VuMax service and bring HD quality entertainment directly to TV sets through broadband Internet.

Maktoob Business has reported that The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that several popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users' personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. Facebook said it is working to fix the problem, and was quick to point out that the leaks were not intentional, but a consequence of basic Web mechanisms.