Hi all, back from a well deserved break. Hope things haven’t been to crazy. These look like the key social media stories while I’ve been away…

1. Information World Review – A third of bloggers face the boot

2. The Guardian – Why Facebook is the new Apple

3. Techcrunch – Facebook Launches Facebook Platform; They are the Anti-MySpace

4. Netimperative – UK digital divide ‘narrowing’

5. Drew B – Facebook and Twitter create new PR word of mouth opportunities

6. Forrester – Show Me Your Viral Video And I’ll Show You Mine

7. Forrester – Personal Democracy Forum Report: Pew’s Lee Rainie

8. Hitwise – Facebook Visits up 106% Since Opening Up in September

9. Hitwise – 54% Increase put Silver Surfers at cusp of being largest group online

10. Mashable – Social Networking Grows Significantly in the U.K.

11. Go 2 Web 2 – Does Google Really Worry About Our Privacy?

12. Vecosys – Googlophobia

13. BBC – The New Influencers

14. Lifehacker – Read hundreds of feeds with Google Reader

15. Modern Life is Rubbish – Forget ‘The Long Tail’ – Go For The Sweet Spike

16. EMarketer – UK Internet Led by Women

17. Brand Republic – Research shows podcasts drive sales