Google has announced the launch of a revamped version of Google+. The new version will provide users with the ability to customize the way the social network looks and display the content that is relevant to them with a new interface. In an official blog post, Google said that the social network now has 170 million members, and that the company wants to accelerate its efforts “to create a simpler, more beautiful Google”.

According to participants in the 'Social Media Networks and How it is Affecting UAE Society' seminar organized by the Dubai Judicial Institute, social networking websites have become "sources of rumours and false information and efforts must be made to combat the misuse of these sites." As a result, the UAE could criminalize the 'misuse' of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

According to Pew’s Internet &American Life Project, people are growing concerned about their social networking profiles and are restricting access to them because of heightened privacy concerns. According to a new Pew study, nearly two-thirds of users have deleted people from friend lists, up from 56% in 2009. A majority also limit access to their profiles so only friends can see them. Furthermore, 44% deleted comments from their profiles, while 37% have removed their names from photos in which they were tagged. 

Lady Gaga is preparing to launch LittleMonsters.com, a social networking site for her fans. The site will be launched in collaboration with Backplane, a social media start-up. "Backplane is about bringing together communities, and Gaga's community just so happens to be the community we're using to learn about proper functionality," said CEO Matt Michelsen. "We think we can really change the world." Lady Gaga is already an influential figure online, with her Twitter account boasting 18 million followers.

Online social networking site Twitter said on Thursday that it will begin deleting users' tweets in countries that require it -- but it will still keep those deleted tweets visible to the rest of the world. Until now, the only way Twitter could comply with countries' limits was to remove the content globally.

Facebook will be introducing a new type of advertising during this week’s Advertising Week in New York, that expands when a friend 'likes' a brand. The new advertising unit, unlike the Sponsored Stories rolled out last January, will allow users to like and comment, based on the belief that ads with recommendations of friends are more effective than standard display ads, according to Mashable.

A report from Experian Hitwise finds both traffic and users’ average time on the social network Google+, fell last week in the U.S. The report comes after Google+’s traffic enjoyed a steady climb since its June 28, 2011 debut.

Dubai's share in mentions in online forums and social networks has grown dramatically over the past few months. In May, the mentions outnumbered Hong Kong, according to the results of a survey released today by Mediastow, the award winning media intelligence agency in the Middle East.

Google said it has been testing Google+ internally and is now ready to gradually open up what it calls a “project” to the general public.Google Inc. (GOOG), the world’s biggest search engine, shut down the invite mechanism for its new Google+ social network after “insane demand,” said Vic Gundotra, head of social efforts, on the company’s website.