Google+ is integrated into Google search results in a (not so) shocking move. Kuapay pip NFC to the post with a QR code mobile payment system and Facebook Ads allow you to target people by postcode.

What a shocking night London has just experienced.  In thirty years of living here I have never witnessed such carnage.  For most people it’s an utterly mystifying experience – why are they doing it?  Why now? According to Ken Livingstone, we’re witnessing the despair and anger of a dispossessed generation – young people who face [...]

Google continues to dominate the news in the social realm by updating analytics to include more social media tracking and reaching an 18 million user milestone. Facebook and Twitter still get a look in when it comes to advertising news.

This week we explain why brands should do their best to remain nonplussed

We take a look at two new start ups, witness round two of Google and Facebook’s tussle for control of the web and round up how this half a year has impacted some of the biggest sites.

Facebook is seeing some changes to its usage and user base. Meanwhile, Google is hoping their latest social features will take off. Let the social network battle for popularity commence!

Facebook nears the 700 million user mark, Twitter launches Follow button and adds extra email notifications, new donating platform Givey is launched and a quick look at mobile usage figures among social networks.

This week Ash pledges to grow a beard to help save a million gallons of water and Ben and Jerry’s are similarly resourceful and save your left-over Twitter characters. Crowd-sourcing (and new tools!) take the pain out of content generation. We look at Storify – a tweet capturing tool, Philanthroper – a Groupon for good and new Facebook Non-Profit Resources.

This week’s focus is on social search. Bing integrate Facebook into it’s search, and Facebook play dirty when Google try to do the same.

This week’s beautiful bytes looks at how the launch of JustTextGiving, Likester and Unity could impact the sector and looks at an innovative use of Groupon for clever crowdsourcing.

Social media have been around for years now, so it might be reasonable to assume that our attitudes to them, and the way they’re used, should be reaching some kind of maturity. But they still feel very much like the new kids on the block in the media mix and they still seem to be much misunderstood, not entirely trusted and certainly not proven in the eyes of many.

This week we look at free agents and how social media enables them to inspire more people and generate more donations than ever before. We question whether Google should buy LinkedIn and reveal new tech acquisitions that will impact the sector. Finally we concede that Lady Gaga does some good to the world.

Foursquare had a record day, Google adds social gaming to its repertoire and releases Google Analytics V5. YouTube follows suit with upgraded analytics and Facebook launches a rival to Groupon and LivingSocial.

Twitter launched UK office, looks to buy Tweetdeck. Everything Everywhere waives text donation fees and Marks and Spencer rewards Foursquare check-ins with charity donations.

The old volume vs value debate is always ongoing and is as pertinent as ever with the arrival, and spread, of social media. But the way people communicate has changed, the tools we have are different, and so the debate has moved on…

Google encroaches on Facebook and Foursquare turf, pressure increases for Apple to allow in-app donations and getting buy-in for development of your online strategy

Swipegood makes donating even easier, Google updates offering to non-profits, check-in to Facebook events and Twitter may be soon to roll out brand pages

As her time at beautiful world draws to a close Lucy looks back on her eight weeks as an intern.

Facebook introduces a new version of Questions, Google takes on competition with NFC payments and Plus one Service and LinkedIn reaches 100 million members

This week, Facebook ads to star your face, Twestival kicks off and Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday