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.

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”.

Search marketing specialists will tell you that the social network has become an incredibly useful and important tool for making and maintaining contacts, or keeping up-to-date with the latest information in your field. Whether you’re looking to boost your profits with social network advertising, get the latest news on world events or simply annoy your friends with random messages, the social network provides the ideal platform for online interaction.

The rise of the social network is set to reach a milestone when social networking platform Facebook announces the joining of their 500 millionth user. With 8 percent of the world’s population now active on Facebook, it’s hardly surprising that a Hollywood producer would want to tell the story of the social network giant. That’s right – David Fincher’s movie The Social Network is in post-production and will be opening the annual New York film Festival in September.

Facebook – there’s no better way to catch up with your friends online and squeeze a few minutes’ Internet gaming into your lunch break. MySpace is so 2006 and who’s even on Friendster these days? Facebook is certainly the most popular social networking platform of our time – but Google search could be changing all that in the near future. The gargantuan Google search engine company may be developing their own social network to compete with sites like Facebook.

There’s no denying that Google web search is huge. The multi-coloured text logo is instantly recognisable around the globe, Google marketing can send a company’s popularity and profits skyrocketing and the Google search engine is so dominant that the verb “Google” has even been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. If you want the low-down on anything, anyone or anywhere… just Google it! Google search tools like Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Product Search are all you need to find comprehensive information online. American company Google Inc. owns 160 domain names internationally, and the search engine remains the go-to search option for Internet users worldwide. And of course… can any of us honestly say we haven’t performed Google searches on ourselves?