Social Networks Preferred Tool for Online News Distribution

This week, CNN, a Social Media Group client, announced the results of a study concerning how online news is shared. The preferred method for CNN’s online audience? Social media networks and tools accounted for 43% of shared news online. Email (30%), SMS (15%), and IM (12%) were also listed as preferred methods, but were not as popular as social media.

The study also indicated that a minority of users are responsible for the majority of sharing:

The study found that 27% of frequent sharers (those who share at least six stories per week) account for the online distribution of 87% of all news stories. The average consumer of online news content shares 13 stories per week and receives 26 stories via social media and/or e-mail.

(Via Mashable)

.LY Domain Shuts Down American Website

The .LY domain, administered by Libya Telecom and Technology shut down American Violet Blue’s website this week, citing an “offensive” image of the writer drinking a beer in a sleeveless shirt, among other reasons.

This may be a problem for other sites using the .LY domain, and there are many.

Libya actively encourages foreigners to register domains in the country, selling them in U.S. dollars on an English language website, and indeed the Libya Telecom representative told Blue “we pride ourselves on being the online destination for many well known websites internationally.” Indeed, one of the most popular URL shorteners on Twitter, bit.ly, uses a Libyan domain, as do a significant number of other popular websites and web applications created over the past few years.

(Via Gawker)

Google Translate Introduces Latin

Graduate students and historians had a reason to rejoice yesterday. Google Translate has added Latin to its list of supported languages. Thousands of books with Latin passages are available in Google Books and can now be translated, although the results seem to be a bit unreliable for now.

(Via Google Operating System)

The Art of Giving Up Control

Today, Maggie participated in a webinar with Charlene Li and Steve Rubel on the importance of supporting social media in organizations. Hopefully you were able to listen in!  If you missed it, check back on Monday, when the recording will be available here.