- A new study released by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth shows a surging adoption of social media by Fortune 500 firms. The latest report can be found at http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch/ and a press release highlighting some of the statistics (such as 73% of Fortune 500's have a Twitter account) can be found at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9792619.htm
- With the impending Hurricane Isaac bearing down on Florida and perhaps the Republican Convention, social media is being used to track, monitor, discuss and help provide warnings as the storm approaches. A good story in Naples News - http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/aug/24/isaac-may-be-nothing-compared-to-expected-social/ - highlights how social media can be used in crisis and disaster situations to provide news and updates.
- As Social TV continues to emerge, traditional television organizations are starting to take notice. TV Guide announced the release of an updated iPhone App that has a new "watchlist" feature that helps users find social TV shows, track movies and sports teams, and also provide locations to watch streaming content online. More information can be found at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/181365/tv-guide-updates-social-tv-app.html
- Twitter continues slashing developer partnerships. First was LinkedIn, then Instagram, then strict updates to its developer API, and now they have cut ties with the popular blogging service Tumblr, and its popular friend finder feature. More information from a SlashGear article http://www.slashgear.com/twitter-severs-tumblr-friend-finder-privileges-23243689/
- Social marketing is beginning to take center stage, and in a few weeks Salesforce will have its annual conference and will make the CMO front-and-center. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff had some interesting comments on recent acquisitions and how he hopes to elevate the "marketing cloud" - http://www.businesscloud9.com/content/benioff-marketing-cloud-key-social-enterprise-transformation/11515
- A good story in Wired magazine about the Facebook's new Project Prism which is aimed at helping people tackle the idea of really, really big datasets and make sense of them. The story can be found at http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/08/facebook-prism/