Twitter is now the fastest growing social platform increasing 40% between Q2 and Q4 2012. This means there are now 485m account holders and 288m active users.
Saudi Arabia has the largest number of active users in the EMEA region.
PC still has the largest number of active users, something we were surprised at having expected mobile to be on top.
Biggest uptake is with those aged 25 to 34 and with those who are self-employed.
Twitter still proves popular however Google+ is not far behind with over 400 million members and over 100 million active users. Could 2013 see Google+ overtake Twitter? Or will Pinterest surge forward?
So we’ve made it past all the super bowl social media hype and we’re through to the other side and what’s been a fairly quiet week for social media. Here’s some of the main stories we’ve seen this week.
04/02/2026 - 08/02/2026
‘Vine’ gets an adult rating after ‘that’ posting
Vine - Twitter’s new video clip sharing app - has had its age rating increased to 17+ on Apple’s store, the highest option following complaints that some of its six-second segments were pornographic. Read more on BBC News.
People take a break from Facebook, some permanently
Well colour us shocked. People don’t acutally spend 24/7 on Facebook. Well, actually 39% of people do…somehow. Reports this week show that many people are taking long breaks from Facebook, some up to three months and some permanently. Read more on Mashable.
Social network ‘Menshn’ to close I know what you’re thinking - what on earth was Menshn?! Menshn was a Twitter like social networks that enrouraged discussion around topical news stories and events. We tried to use it but got stuck in several sign up loop holes that meant we could never access the site. The site actually closed due to infighting. Read more on The Telegraph.
Pinterest seeks new financing which could value scrapbook site at $2.5bn Free photo-sharing website has about 48 million users – 39 million up in a year – and is looking at an advertising model. Read more on the Guardian.
And now for something completely different…
One of the top viral’s for this week - 24 years of news in 2 minutes. Ground breaking events and ones that changed the world. Meaningful video from Sky News.
And finally something fun and romantic for this week - what do kids think about Valentiene’s Day.
See you next week for more of ‘That Was the Week That Was’ from the Honey Digital bloggers.
Many companies are still sceptical when it comes to adopting social media as part of their digital marketing mix. However social media is impacting on business, and the way we do business, more than ever. Thinking has also progressed beyond segmenting between B2B and B2C - it’s about ”P2P: people-to-people”, a way of thinking that not only applies to clients and customers but also to employees.
The video following this post shows that a ”connected business is a social business”, one that inspires people. As well as connecting with customers through social media companies now need to connect with their employees. It’s about connecting with as many people as possible both internally and externally.
Virgin, especially Richard Branson, are big social media adopters and place a high value on allowing staff to take control - ”At Virgin, everyone own’s social media”. This is a big step for many companies and given the recent HMV Tweetgate story, one that may scare companies. However given the right strategies, social media policy and training, handing staff the social media reigns can pay dividends; staff can be key players when it comes to “finding those stories - those one off moments” and engaging your brand online.
But the largest element of social media in business is in creating content and thought leadership. Creating online content also “augment(s) and accelerate(s) offline content” so shouldn’t operate in a silo - it should act in part as a catalyst and driver for offline, as well as online, enagagement.
Social media in business should not be pushed aside and seen as a fad for the consumer market. We’re social beings and social media and online engagement are a natural evolution for marketing and messaging, one that businesses need to utilise in order to engage with the conversation.
When presenting we’re often asked why companies should be using social media at all. Although a very valid question it’s one that requires statistics and graphs rather than fluff and marketing gobbledygook. So we decided to use our experience, knowledge and the social media library (aka. the internet) to put together some top-line facts and ‘how to’s’ for clients.
It proved very popular and so we decided to share these slides with the world. These slides are aimed at those who are new to social media or are considering adopting social media in the their business but want to begin justifying their investment.
The slides cover:
Social media channel statistics
B2B and B2C comparison
Measuring ROI and engagement
These slides are part of a larger presentation but provide a taster for our social media for B2B offering.
If you’d like to talk through these, or have us come and present to your company, then email us at [email protected]
We all love a good viral video. Something that makes us laugh. Or recoil in horror/disgust. Virals are the new ‘water cooler moment’.
And once and a while something comes along that really blows you away. In the case of the new Disney short animation ‘Paperman’, quite literally.
After watching this fantastic animation I realised that without social media I would never have seen this, and I happen to think that would have been a sad thing. Having ranked at the top of many ‘Top Viral’ lists of last week, this short film is fantastic and the fact I got to watch it is a testament to how powerful social media can be when it comes to spreading a message.
Goes to show, the internet is more than just videos of cats….
On our old digital blog - The Digital Times - we used to put together a weekly blog post highlighting the digital and social media news from the week and we’d also post some funnies we found along the way. These posts proved really popular so we decided to kick start them again here on the Honey Digital blog - the ‘new’ home for the Digital Times.
So without further ado, let’s crack a bottle of champagne over the bow and set off on our maiden voyage.
28/01/2026 - 01/02/2026
RIM releases Blackberry 10 and changes name to, um, Blackberry.
Zuckerberg denies a Facebook phone is in the works as shares tumble
In an effort to dispel long-running rumours, Mr Zuckerberg said releasing a Facebook phone was “not the right strategy”. His comments came as his company announced a sharp drop in profits - but an increase in revenue. Read more about this on BBC News.
And now for some fun…
Valentines day approaches and I think this card says it all for the geek in your life.
And in the aftermath of the Lance Armstrong scandal comes this piece of genius.
See you next week for more of ‘That Was the Week That Was’ from the Honey Digital bloggers.
