It has been widely reported that Twitter will soon be unveiling a monetization solution.

Speculation has been rampant with several blogs making predictions on what they think the solution will consist of.

Twitter certainly has many ways to go about revenue generation. At the end of 2009 – Twitter inked deals with Google and Bing to syndicate their Tweets to those respective engines. It was reported that Twitter was paid a bounty for this data. And, more recently, Yahoo inked a deal to publish Tweets on their network of websites. While these deals can bake in a revenue stream for Twitter – it most certainly isn’t the end goal.

According to Alexa, Twitter is the 12th most visited site on the internet. This traffic comes primarily from three different functions. The first, would be users that go to Twitter to post status updates. The second, would be from users that go to Twitter to read updates from the people that they are following. The third, is people that go to Twitter to use the search engine – as a way to see what people are saying right now about a certain subject.

Twitter won’t be looking to generate revenue off of the first group, because those are people whom are trying to communicate on Twitter. The second group, could easily be monetized, as an ad unit could show up within a users friends timeline. This would be a challenging solution because it is difficult to target an ad to a user whom is simply reading updates from all of the people they are following. Plus, a continued problem on Twitter is that there is a lot of noise posted by followers, so if ads were also added into the friends timeline, less people would go there to read what their followers are saying. So, the Twitter search traffic is the most likely place Twitter will go for monetization.

The renaissance of the web happened around 2002 due to the success of search advertising. Companies such as Overture, which was later acquired by Yahoo, had proven to web advertisers that search traffic converts. This was the business model that Google would deploy to monetize their ever popular search engine. So, with distribution in place on sites such as Google and Yahoo – and advertisers moving more and more online marketing dollars into the search marketplace – a successful web business economy was produced.

I think Twitter will go down a similar path. People who perform a search at Twitter can easily be targeted, and this is traffic that advertisers will want. Plus, by displaying ads in its search results, Twitter won’t disrupt its core functionality of Tweeting and reading Tweets from followers. Getting advertisers won’t be difficult, but it could take time, so Twitter could potentially publish another search engines advertisers (such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing) at the get go as a way to start generating income from day one. Then, over time, Twitter could sign up its own advertisers directly to publish into their search results. Another option would be for Twitter to go the Facebook route and only display ads from advertisers that signed up directly on Twitter from day one. Either way, down the line, Twitter could figure out a way to distribute their advertisers into users friends timelines potentially in an adsense like unit down the side of the page. But, at the get go, Twitter has the traffic on its search engine, which they can easily target ads too, and that’s where I think the ads will show up.

For added revenue, it has also been speculated that Twitter will offer up its advertisers to applications using its API, and it would then share the revenue with the application. So, applications that interact with Twitter, such as Sency or Seesmic; would have the option to promote Twitter advertisers for a cut of the profits.

Twitter hasn’t focused on making money as of yet. They have been concerned with their platform, site traffic, and third party developers. However, when you are the 12th most visited site on the web, and when a large portion of your traffic is search traffic – you are going to easily be able to generate revenue. It is also important to note, that real time web traffic won’t be as value able to advertisers as traditional search traffic – because it is less commercial in nature. So, while revenue will easily be generated by Twitter, I don’t foresee the revenue made per visit being on par with what the traditional search engines have been able to produce.

href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/11/facebook-might-sue-daily-mail/&service=bit.ly"> width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/11/facebook-might-sue-daily-mail/" align="right"/> class='feedflare' href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/11/facebook-might-sue-daily-mail/&title=Facebook%20Threatens%20to%20Sue%20Daily%20Mail%20Over%20Sex%20Predator%20Claims&srcTitle=Mashable&srcUrl=http://mashable.com"> src="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-digg-this/i/gbuzz-feed.png" align="right" />

src="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/facebook.jpg" align="right" style="margin:10px;">According to the href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/11/facebook-daily-mail" >Guardian and href="http://www.globaldashboard.org/2010/03/10/daily-mail-facebook/" >Global Dashboard, Facebook has threatened to sue Daily Mail over an article that wrongfully claimed Facebook makes it easy for older sex predators to approach and seduce minors.

Daily Mail’s article, which can (in edited form) href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1256793/I-posed-girl-14-online-What-followed-sicken-you.html" >be found here, was written by a former police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, and had originally been titled “I posed as a girl of 14 on Facebook. What followed will sicken you.” It contained the account of the author posing as a minor on href="http://mashable.com/social-media/facebook">Facebook, which, according to him, attracted sexual predators right away.

The problem? He wasn’t really using Facebook to conduct the experiment, he used a “different social networking site,” as explained in today’s update to the article, added at the bottom by Daily Mail staff. The full text of the update is as follows:

“In an earlier version of this article, we wrongly stated that the criminologist had conducted an experiment into social networking sites by posing as a 14-year-old girl on Facebook with the result that he quickly attracted sexually motivated messages. In fact he had used a different social networking site for this exercise. We are happy to set the record straight.”

Needless to say, this caused a strong response from Facebook, which is still referenced throughout the article. According to the Guardian, a UK spokeswoman for Facebook said that the company was considering legal action due to the “brand damage that has been done.” “If you were a Middle England reader and your child was on Facebook, this sort of thing would have a very serious effect on what you thought of us,” she said.

Facebook has a point here; besides the obvious erroneous reporting, the article details how someone posing as a 14-year-old girl would get messages from older men (more accurately, users whose Facebook profile indicates they’re over 18 years old), which cannot be done on Facebook. Therefore, Facebook can argue it has measures in place to prevent exactly the kind of behavior the article describes, unlike the unnamed social network the experiment was conducted on.

We’ve contacted Facebook’s UK PR representative on this matter but have yet to hear back.

/>Reviews: href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" >Facebook

Tags: href="http://mashable.com/tag/daily-mail/">Daily Mail, href="http://mashable.com/tag/facebook/">facebook

In December of 09’, Google implemented real time results into their website. This can benefit the user because if you happen to be searching for a hot topic – you will usually see real time results streaming on the results pages at Google.com.

However, Google is just mixing in real time results sometimes, and there are a slew of real time search engines , such as Sency, which are completely focused on real time results. So where will users go for real time searches?

One take-away from the headaches that came with Google Buzz is that while Google is trying to get users to interact insider Gmail – people have gotten use to using Gmail for email. People like interacting on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace because that is where they have always interacted socially. Gmail, has been used for private communication – so thus far – people haven’t been as excited about interacting in a different way through Gmail.

Often, internet users get comfortable and use to a website for a given task – and those habits and built in branding are hard to change. Imagine if CNN.com started focusing on just social media news – I’ll bet a lot of people would be confused and and many people would still go to Soshable for their social media news. So, it is important to focus on what you are good at.

The real time web I believe will have a similar path. Google is far and away the #1 traditional search engine. That is where users will always migrate to for traditional searches. However, the real time web offers a different type of search – with different types of results. And, if you mix in real time results with traditional web results, it may end up confusing the user and it also may end up making it more difficult for the user to get the info they are actually looking for.

If you want to find out what people are saying right now about any given subject– a real time search is the way to go. If you want to find out what the hottest links are right now about a given keyword – a real time search is also the way to go. There are several engines focusing on bringing this real time information to you. And, you don’t have to be a member of any social network to perform a search on the real time web. Traditional engines, that try to mix in real time results – won’t be able to “know” for sure whether a searcher wants real time info or traditional info. It’s the user that knows what they want – and real time search is so unique, that for now at least, the real time searches are best performed on a site entirely focused on the real time.

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Read more about Real Time Search on this blog.

Water coolers.  Pre-Internet, we met around our respective office water coolers for commraderie and to dish the latest office gossip.  Those water coolers were mini-communities where like-minded professionals met daily.

Fast forward to 2010. Internet water coolers are just a mouse click away, according to a recent online New York Times article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/media/24cooler.html?hp . These “water coolers”, “birdbaths”, whatever you want to call them, come in the form of Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

In fact, the combination of Social Media usage with other media (i.e. television and the music Industry, to name two) is the latest buzz among industry leaders. As the article points out, “The Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys, mounted a digital campaign to promote the awards show this year, signing up Facebook fans and monitoring Grammy-related Twitter messages.”

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allow people to get involved in communities that are larger than simply their local physical presence as well as communities that might not exist in a certain locale. They also allow for people to take place in real-time “conversation” and join ongoing conversation for a real group interaction. Just ask any “social media junkie”… they feel “disconnected” when they haven’t been active in their communities for whatever reason.

Another great example of this was this past Super Bowl. Millions of people met and took part in conversations that would never would have taken place had it not been for social media. People discussed the game, the commercials, the halftime show and the hoopla in general. Fans and rivals alike shared in the fun. It simply didn’t matter if that you might not be in New Orleans or New England (or Miami for that matter)… the cities became larger than themselves. This age of connectivity is amazing and invigorating to say the least!

Play like the big boys in the Recording Academy and wage your own super-effective and state-of-the-art digital campaign. Contact Chris Isaac (me) at birdbathBUZZ cisaac@birdbathBUZZ.com.

Those who have embraced social media have, for the most part, truly embraced it.

Those who haven’t, haven’t.

This great video by timetogetsocial gives an “in your face” version of reasons to care about social media as a business. Watch the video and then see the transcript of the reasons after the jump.

Here is a breakdown of the reasons listed in the video:

1. Social media is now the number one online activity, beating porn and personal email to the top spot.

2. Because 2/3 of the global Internet population visit social networks.

3. Because time spent on social networks is growing at 3X the overall Internet rate, accounting for 10% of all Internet time.

4. Because online, including social media, has become the most influential source in helping consumers make purchasing decisions.

5. Because millions of people are creating content for the social web.

6. Because the next 3 billion consumers will access the Internet from a mobile device.

7. Because Facebook is now the operating system of the social web.

8. Because Twitter believes it will have 1 billion users by 2012.

9. Because one way marketing has had its day.

10. Because in almost all cases social media is free.

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Read more about being social on this social media blog.

Facebook and Twitter are the two power houses of the Social Media Industry. Social Media has become a new medium within the Media family, its siblings being Radio, Television and Newspapers.

What Makes Up Social Media?

So, what makes up Social Media? Metaphorically, Social Media is the body that holds the various limbs that enables the Industry to grow, and allows you to reach outside of the box and communicate with the world. The “limbs” I am referring to are what we call Social Networks.

Social Networks are made up of sites that you are probably already familiar with, such as; YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Reddit, and many others that are not listed here, two of those being, Twitter and Facebook. Each social network enables a person to share content, whether it is photos, videos, music, news or conversation. A social network permits you to engage with other people via the Internet. So what is the heart of social media? You are. You are the very reason social media is alive, it is you who pumps the information out into the social networks and in return, it is you that keeps social media breathing.

What Is the Difference Between Twitter and Facebook?

Twitter was originally created for texting purposes via a cell phone which is where the 140 characters come into play, for texting on a cell phone; you are only allotted 160 characters. Twitter included your username and therefore left you with 140 characters to express whatever happens to be on your mind. Twitter is in real-time, meaning that you will receive information as soon as someone you’re following tweets.

Facebook is more complex. It was originally created for internal use at a University, but as its popularity ignited, Facebook as we know it today, was born. Facebook is not only a place you can socially engage through status updates that are longer than 140 characters, but it also offers socially inclined games, profiles and pages that initiate sharing in whatever form of media you choose.

Both social networks offer a different format to express oneself, although Twitter is more commonly known for sharing news links and is becoming a predominant resource for breaking news, people still make connections and utilize it to talk about the events of their day or to promote their business in a fast and for many, more convenient way. Which is why I compare it to a drive-thru, it is quick, easy and you always leave full.

Facebook is more like a sit down restaurant, a place where you get lost in its menu of choices, from applications, status updates, photos, games, videos, pages and many other tempting interactions. Therefore you need to sit down and dig in.

Whether you crave Twitter more or salivate over Facebook, we seem to be starved for these two social networks and for those who use them, you may tend to agree that you can’t help but eat them up everyday.

If you are new to Social Media and unsure which social networks to begin with, I would suggest sampling both Twitter and Facebook, for in their own ways, they will satisfy your social appetite.

Erin Ryan has a passion for Social Media and is currently working within the industry as a Social Media Specialist. Contact Erin on Twitter @4u2wear2

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Read more on this social media blog.

This Social Media Infographic from Flowtown really tells the story, visually and through words. It is one of the best representations of social media that I’ve ever seen.

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See more amazing Social Media Infographics on Soshable.

If you haven’t heard, Twitter hit 50 million tweets per day.

If you haven’t heard about it, you’re not paying attention to the social media blogosphere, because EVERYONE is talking about it, at least the big players. Below, you’ll see that there was definitely a headline of choice in declaring the news.

JUST IN CASE you didn’t hear, Twitter is averaging over 50 million tweets per day, something that is relatively unexpected considering recent negativity regarding the lack of growth of the network.

If this is any indication, Twitter is still the golden child and reports of its demise are greatly overstated.

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Read more about social media on this social media blog.

Updated 2//25 @ 11:30pm

Cyberspace crimes against Social Media networks becoming more and more popular as users flock to sites like Twitter and Facebook to gather, share and communicate.

Twitter notified its users that cyberspace thieves launched a phishing attack to steal user names and passwords. The lines of text to be wary of and the strange looking links that follow are now quite varied as the attack has spread. Here is a list of the ones that I have personally received so far, again as of 2/25 @ roughly 11:20 pm:

• “Lol, this is you?”
• “Lol , this is funny”
• “Lol, this is me?”
• Haha, is this you?
• hi, i’m 24/female/horny… i have to get off here but message me on my windows live messenger name Paris545love@hotmail.com (with some variation of the Hotmail email address)
• hhey, i’ve been having better sex and longer with this here (followed by bit.ly link)
• There could be more… if you see them, please send them to me so I can keep this post updated.

Click the links in any of these suspicious messages and you’ll be brought to a fake Twitter login page (you’ll often get a “fail whale” page before that saying that Twitter is unavailable). Here, hackers will attempt to grab your login info by conveniently having YOU give it to them.

Unfortunately, this new kind of “virus” spreads through private direct messages and via third-party software API’s such as “GroupTweet” that allow tweak the built-in direct message feature of Twitter and auto direct messages from other third-party apps to be sent to multiple users at one time.

As always, common sense applies and here are some good rules of thumb to follow:

• Don’t open any links sent to you that contain bzpharma.net (other variations of the link now exist so be on the lookout for links attached to messages with the specific wording listed above)
• Don’t enter your username and password into third-party applications YOU AREN’T SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR that ask for it. Along this line, most good third-party apps have built-in “OAuth” for this type of thing so as long as you’re logged into Twitter already, the app has all the info it needs. It’s usually a dead giveaway that you’re getting scammed when a third-party app asks for your username and password, so don’t give it.
• Follow similar rules you do with regard to email to protect your computer from viruses – basically, don’t open strange links from strange people. (I know Mac users… you haven’t had to deal with this kind of stuff for a while… time to bone-up!)

If you’re not sure if you’ve fallen victim to one of these scams and to find out if your account has been compromised, go to twitter.com, login to your account, click on Direct Messages and click the Sent tab. You will immediately know if your account has been sending out messages without you knowing. If you have been victimized, the only real thing you can do to re-establish control over your account is to change your password immediately. If you find you are unable to do that as a result of the third party app taking over your account, try contacting Twitter immediately at http://twitter.com/help/start.

As the popularity of social networking continues to rise, so will the attempts to exploit the users of social networking sites. The same happened with email and websites and it will happen with web 2.0 tools. The important thing is to beware and be protective of your various accounts out there. There’s a lot at stake with your social media reputation. You don’t want be sending these potentially harmful and definitely embarrassing messages out to your followers, clients and prospects. I guarantee they’ll see it as “Not so Lol”.

6 months ago, Twitter changed its homepage so that there was a greater focus on their search engine.

At any time, anyone can go to Twitter and search through all of the updates from Twitter users. So, while initially your Tweets were scene by your Twitter followers, now people that don’t follow you and even people not using Twitter can view your Tweets when they utilize the Twitter search engine.

Twitter’s search results are also being syndicated to several web properties. In December of 09, Google implemented Twitter results onto the first page of their results pages. For select keywords, you’ll notice the Latest Results box scrolling which is powered by Twitter results along with other real time results. In addition to Google, Bing has announced a plan to bake in Twitter results into their search listings.

While Bing and Twitter are the most widely used websites to implement Twitter updates – a slew of real time search engines have launched in an effort to bring the real time web to internet users. Many of these real time search engines, such as Sency, use Twitter updates as the primary source of their results. Furthermore, many content sites have utilized tools and widgets to implement real time results onto their web properties. For instance, if you are on your favorite Yankees blog – you may see what people are saying right now about the Yankees scrolling down the left or right hand side of the webpage.

With Twitter offering its API of Tweets for free to small web publishers and entrepreneurs – we can expect to continue to see Twitter results syndicated across the web. One great thing about real time results is that they are fresh – a search today will reveal different results than a search next week. So, web publishers will benefit from implementing real time content as it will keep their sites current and make their sites stickier.

As more and more marketers realize the depth of this syndication, spam on Twitter is expected to increase. Twitter will block an account from its syndication, and when this happen, while your posts will go to your followers – they won’t go to Twitter.com and sites using the Twitter API. Furthermore, filtering technologies which Google seems to have implemented will try to prevent non-relevant Tweets from non-quality Twitter users from showing up. However, it seems the case that a majority of Tweets done today are syndicated to additional sources. If you do a search at Twitter for your user name, and you see your results showing up – that is a good indication that your updates are being syndicated across the web.

In closing, when you send out that Tweet today about what you are up too – don’t assume only your Twitter followers will see it. Because major search engines such as Google and Bing may display your results – and also – your favorite blog may end up displaying them as well.

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Read more about Twitter on this, one of many Social Media Blogs.