Bing Social Search was announced on Wednesday, with the aim of personalising search and hopefully giving industry giant Google some significant competition. The third quarter of 2010 saw positive growth in the search marketing services industry, and unsurprisingly a study revealed that Google dominated search with 66.1% share. The study showed a decline in Yahoo’s share and slight growth for Microsoft search engine Bing. Currently Bing trails behind Google and Yahoo with only 11.2% search share, but the Social Search initiative could boost their growth in the coming months.

“Information about people is indeed the most important information in the world,” says Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and the partnership with Microsoft Bing aims to harness the relevance of this information for individual users with Social Search – using the slogan “Now it’s personal”.

Facebook Places, the new location sharing feature of social networking giant Facebook, has officially launched in the UK. This development will certainly make things interesting for search marketing services and social networking enthusiasts. Facebook users are now able to update their status complete with their current location. The smartphone-based Facebook Places service also allows users to see which friends have visited that location recently, or which friends are currently nearby. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg says he wants “to make the world an open space”. Facebook fans can track their hero’s movements virtually by using the Facebook Places service.

Of course, the launch of Facebook Places has raised privacy concerns. Not all users are comfortable with the implications of sharing their locations. However, the creators have put stringent privacy control in place to ensure that Facebook Places users can be selective about what information they wish to share.

It is kind of difficult not to follow what Google is doing these days. As I have said before, they pretty much have their finger in every pie but the one pie that they just cannot seem to get a slice of is social media. There is no doubt that Google’s social media involvement is present as we have seen various Google innovations that have integrated the act of social media into their strategy in order to engage even further and jump on that social media band wagon that all of us are clambering onto. But what are Google trying to achieve? Are they trying to be something that they are not or are we just giving them a hard time and predicting any social media innovations that they create as dead in the water, therefore indirectly creating the failure?

After months of rumours and speculation leading up to Apple’s fall media event, CEO Steve Jobs finally revealed all on Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The new iTunes 10 social media feature sparked the interest of search marketing agencies and gadget-lovers alike.

iTunes 10 was launched at yesterday’s media event alongside updated iPods and a revision of Apple TV. While an iTunes update was expected, the iTunes 10 social media capability came as a pleasant surprise. This feature is called Ping, and has been described by Steve Jobs as “Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes”.

Ping is a tool that will allow iTunes 10 users to compile and share playlists with others in their Ping network. Users will be able to create their own iTunes 10 Ping profile, track friends’ downloads, post comments and follow their favourite artists using this iTunes 10 feature.

Social news platform Digg launched their new look this week; the updated edition has been eagerly anticipated by many a search marketing company and social media marketing firm. Digg v4 includes “drastic changes” according to founder Kevin Rose. The front end and back end of Digg v4 have both been revamped to be faster and more personalised, says Rose. The latest version of Digg is also intended to make the sharing of information easier than ever before.

Below are some of Digg v4 features:

•Users can now sign into Digg v4 via their Twitter or Facebook accounts

•The submission process has been simplified

•The site offers ability to directly import RSS feeds

•Users can follow friends on Digg v4

•Users can follow preferred publishers and news sources, meaning the news they find on Digg v4 will be more relevant to their interests.

Twitter Tales is the latest “stories” site to be launched by a social networking platform with the aim of sharing its users’ personal experiences. All users are encouraged to share their stories on Twitter Tales, whether they use the network to connect with others, inspire their communities or simply to find solace in 140-character self-expression.

This year, the Google marketing department surprised us by airing a TV commercial during the Super Bowl championship. However, this was by no means a sign that Google would be breaking from their traditional advertising methods. The Parisian Love video had been available on Youtube for some time, and heralded the launch of a series of gorgeous Google “Search Stories”. Twitter Tales aims to promote user interaction in the same way, by demonstrating the creative uses of the platform and how the technology integrates with users’ everyday lives. The Twitter Blog describes Twitter Tales as “a growing set of articles that highlights creative individuals and businesses from all corners of the world that help make Twitter awesome”.

If any of you have seen an image online or in a magazine or newspaper that looks like something that is a mix between those optical illusion posters that you used to have stuck to your wall when you were little and an alternative version of Pacman then this rather strange image you are witnessing is no secret code but rather a QR code. The QR (Quick Response) code is making its mark (literally) as a way for brands to entice the public to access their information and ultimately visit their site.

Any search marketing agency will emphasise the crucial role social media networking can play in helping their clients establish an online presence and gain recognition. Nowadays it is commonplace to meet industry contacts, business partners and even friends through social media. And of course, Internet dating has drastically altered the way we make romantic connections as well.

Whereas in the past, you might have found your soulmate when your eyes met across a crowded room, these days it’s far more likely that a pretty profile picture will catch your eye in a crowded chat-room or forum. Naturally, Internet dating websites allow you more control over the way you present yourself than a face-to-face social situation, and a growing number of singles looking for love are choosing the safety and anonymity of Internet dating sites over an evening crammed into a noisy, smoky bar or club.