Tweet Burson-Marsteller has conducted a survey examining the social media activity of the world’s 100 biggest companies – the Fortune Global 100 companies. The Global Social Media Check-Up 2012 specifically looks into how these companies use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. As of 2012, 87% of the companies are using at least one of the major social platforms to engage with online stakeholders. See all the survey findings here: Burson-Marsteller Global Social Media Check-Up 2012 from Burson-Marsteller. MORE >>

I’ve written the eight social media trends you  need to pay attention to for next year. 2012 Social Media Trends. Social TV Convergence. Today we talk about mobile, social, marketing, public relations, advertising, direct, email, customer service, and sales as if they’re working in silos. But 2012 is the year it need to integrate. If you aren’t measuring your results to true dollars and cents, you may work yourself out of a job in 2012. Not everyone uses social networks (yet). Social Commerce. MORE >>

Tweet Beginning of 2012 has brought in a lot of predictions and opportunities. Another chance to look at the social media universe, analyse the trends and make the strategies. But before starting this, it is always good to look back at how 2011 has been for our different sites and then go on to predict how it would be in future. 25-34 year olds are now the largest age group on Facebook as we enter 2012, with users under 17 years making up just 5% of the user base. 2012 Social Marketing & New Media Predictions [White Paper]. LinkedIn. MORE >>

So, as usual, I got to thinking about the shifts I think companies need to make in their social media activities in the next year. Here are six shifts I hope to see in social media use by business in 2012. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a slow maturation in the way companies develop their objectives for social media. My hope is that this will continue in 2012. As companies get better at setting objectives for social media, they’re going to need to get better at measuring against those new objectives. MORE >>

This is the 2nd year that I’ve published my social media resolutions. That said, I am glad I wrote my resolutions for 2011 as it gave me focus. Here’s my 2011 scorecard: ? Fine Fine Tune Karma for Business: I kept at this social media mantra this year and it worked for me and it worked for my clients. Beyond The Numbers: I definitely worked with people to think beyond follower counts, but I’m not completely satisfied with my own goal to build more scaleable social media programs. I’ll keep doing it. ? Beyond failed. MORE >>