Social networks online are fundamentally different to our offline social networks – our friends, acquaintances, colleagues and others. Offline we have distinct groups of people that we interact with in different ways, whereas online in social networks we tend to merge all of our friends into one main pool. This great presentation from Paul Adams , head of user experience at Google, looks at how we interact offline and online and takes a sociological approach to understanding how people interact in social networks and the consequences of this. MORE >>

If you thought the world’s largest professional network was little more than a place to post your resume, you owe yourself another visit. LinkedIn is set to eclipse the 100 million member mark sometime this spring, and it is quickly becoming the social network of choice for B2B professionals. For business pros in industries like communications, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and even construction, LinkedIn groups are becoming vertical social networks in their own right. InMaps lets you visualize your connection network. And they’re busy. MORE >>

Earlier this year we reported on how Russia is the fourth largest social networking market in Europe. Data from TNS showed that use of social media and social networking in Russia is widespread, making it the fourth largest market in Europe for social networking behind the UK, Germany and France. In part this position is driven by strong local social networking sites, principally Odnoklassniki ( ????????????? ), which reports some 30 million registered users, and VKontakte ( ? ???????? hours ever month on these social media sites. MORE >>

Social media is an interesting animal. We talk often – myself included – about using it to build relationships , about getting to know one’s community, about deepening human interaction. And that made me think some more: what is the hidden remarkability in the lives of those we encounter every day – or, at least, every few days – in social media? So I asked the question: “What remarkable thing have you done that your social networks do NOT know about you?&#. Yet how much do we really know about the people behind the avatars? MORE >>

The #RLTM Scoreboard:  Social Networking Stats for the Week. via  SmartBlog on Social Media. Please email marissa@modernmediapartners.com if you have additional updates, or a social network that you feel should be on the list. With over 80 million blogs and tens of millions of users ( GigaOM ), the platform has grown popular for sharing pictures, stories and memes without losing its “intimate, community feel.” Social Media Statistics #RLTM scoreboard social networking statistics TumblrFacebook: 1 billion active users. MORE >>