While only 14.6% of internet users are Twitter users, they are by far the most active content generators and primarily want product updates from the brands they follow, a new survey has found.

According to ExactTarget, daily Twitter users are about three times as likely as internet users on average to upload photos, four times as likely to blog, three times as likely to post ratings and reviews, and nearly six times as likely to upload articles.

“Consumers active on Twitter are clearly the most influential online,” explained ExactTarget’s Morgan Stewart “What happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter. While the number of active Twitter users is less than Facebook or email, the concentration of highly engaged and influential content creators is unrivaled—it’s become the gathering place for content creators whose influence spills over into every other corner of the internet.”

The study also established that brand information is top of Twitterer’s wish list, closely followed by discounts and sales. more »

Twitter introduced a feature this week that recommends three more people when you follow one, you may have seen it.

This raises the intriguing question  - who does Twitter think is your profile match?

If it’s true you can judge someone by the company they keep, the people Twitter are selecting to align with your profile will have a bearing on your online reputation.

Who does Twitter think are my peer group? Stephen Fry, Seth Godin? or is it wee Jock Poo-Pong McPlop, custodian of the Aberdeen public lavatories? – who I’ve just discovered has a LinkedIn profile!

To find out I conducted a simple experiment from another account and found my Twitter profile buddies to be  NMA’s, Andy Oakes, Amy Mae-Lee from Mashable and Local Social Summit AKA Dylan Fuller. Not bad associations for an agent of online pr. more »

Agency i360 has conducted research measuring the type of content brands are putting on Twitter, establishing this is 75% broadcast information and 16% conversation with consumers.

Consumers’ motivation for tweeting about brands is 43% to do with sharing news and information, 35% comment on using the brand and 21% opinion about the brand. Only 1% actually want to converse with the brand on Twitter.

Other useful findings include that 90% of tweets come from consumers rather than brands and 12% of consumers’ tweets mention a brand.

When a brand is mentioned it is likely to be a social network, an entertainment or technology brand.The top brands mentioned on Twitter are Twitter itself, Apple and Google.

i360 say that as brands talk mainly at consumers rather than engage in conversation, there is still a massive opportunity for marketers to become part of the conversation.

Their whitepaper can be downloaded here.

Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking sites and blogs, up from 15.8 percent just a year ago (43 percent increase) according to new research from The Nielsen Company. The research revealed that Americans spend a third their online time (36 percent) communicating and networking across social networks, blogs, personal email and instant messaging.

Ahead of all the pop videos in the last 7 days, this goal celebration is the number one viral video worldwide, 10+ million views and 125K Facebook shares.

source: Viral Video Chart

A Frenchman may now be the fastest man in Europe over 100m but it seems French winemakers are slower off the blocks when it comes to social media.

Reuter’s Leslie Gervitz created a bit of a storm this week suggesting that French winemakers were a bit antisocial when it comes to social media, compared to their New World counterparts. ‘When it comes to social media, most [French] winemakers prefer to drink alone’ she wrote.

The comment was based on research by My Social Winery who discovered that although 95% of French wineries export their wine, 91% have no Twitter account, 87% no blog, 85% no LinkedIn account and 57% no Facebook page.

Furthermore, only 37% offer an English translation of their website. Respondents said they are both too busy and know not enough about social networks to be on them, though only 15% dispute their value.

For this reason perhaps, 44% of the 500 wineries surveyed said they were considering integrating social media into their overall marketing activity. It seems, like good wine, social media will take time to mature in this most traditional of industries.

Facebook had a ‘do’ on the roof of their Palo Alto offices last week, specifically for PR people, imparting useful  information such as how to “like” any article online, use a Firefox plug-in and tips on live-streaming.

They’ve set up a PR page too (of course) which now has 3000+ fans and perhaps have started to take PRs seriously as future partners. There’s no doubt the interest is reciprocated, though most big brands are proceeding with caution.

Ford has just made a bold move however in eschewing the traditional auto show and advertising biltz, to launch their new Explorer model on Facebook.

They’ve used it a a kind of hyprid press room/consumer information hub, containing several video interviews, pre and post ‘reveal’ photos, a competition to win a new Explorer and a schedule of live city events.

more »

The latest survey of lead generation channels by CSO Insights, via eMarketer shows design & content to be the place most marketer’s will be increasing their investment in contrast to Direct Mail which will see further decline.

Email marketing runs a close second, with 54%, followed by New Media (blogs, podcasts, mobile marketing). It’s not clear whether social media is included within content or New Media however but we’re assuming the former.

The number one aim of this realignment in spend was new customer acquisition, with 91% of companies seeing this as the priority, up from second in 2007 when the survey was last taken.

Based on the quantity and quality of leads generated, companies said email was their best lead generation program, followed by live events, website registrations and webinars.

Fascinating interview via SMI with Alexandra Wheeler – Starbucks’ Digital Director of Strategy on how the company has executed its market leading social media strategy. Ideas are surfaced internally, buy in is from top to bottom and the result looks more like core brand philosophy than mere marketing tactics.

Toyota has hit viral gold in the US with ‘Swagger Wagon’  its latest video in a comedy series for the Sienna Minivan. A top five shared video in the US charts for over a month, it’s closing in on 5 million views – for a minivan!