Is China to blame for the latest Google drama? Twitter’s homepage gets a facelift, what some of you are saying about the new look? And why a few third graders are causing some of the biggest controversy of the year so far in today’s viral video… (more…)

Signs that Google is dead in China are on the rise.  Reports out this morning from all over the country say that users are only getting error messages when they conduct searches.  Typically only controversial searches like “Tienanmen Square massacre” are blocked, but simple searches like “the” and “happy” are blocked as well. 

The Wall Street Journal said, ”Internet users reported new disruptions to Google Inc. Internet search services in China on Tuesday afternoon, with many saying they are unable to search for any term on the Google site.”  (more…)

By know, I’m almost certain you’ve heard of FourSquare or Gowalla.  You may recall I introduced what I like to call the “new social media” or “location based networking”, back in Januaryand just at the beginning of the month I told you about a business who used FourSquare to increase their profits by 110%.

Now it seems that Facebook wants to get on board by allowing people to add their location onto their Facebook profiles.  Although there are no official plans to add the feature to join the number one site in the US, the company said in a blog post on Friday afternoon they have ideas which are very exciting.   (more…)

YouTube goes down, is it China’s fault?  Then, Light out! One major campaign taking place this weekend has been spread almost entirely through social media, we’ll tell you about it.  And why a video of President Bush & President Clinton has gone viral and the controversy surrounding it.  Check out iePlexus’ Social Media News Brief for all the stories making headlines. (more…)

Ah, the power of Twitter.  We use it to share and learn about breaking news, to express our feelings, to offer and find exclusive deals, and to keep up to date with our friends.  Twitter can be so much more than that though, like making new friends and/or making a difference.

I, myself have met some of my best friends here in Seattle through Twitter.  And I always am using the site to promote things that can make an impact, like Earth Hour happening this weekend.  But wait! Wouldn’t it be a neat concept if myself and all of my Twitter friends and followers could do something to make an impact on the world.  Luckily, there is such an event. (more…)

Google thinks it figures out how to get though Chineses laws, but then the government stuck back. We’ll give you the latest details in the battle between China & Google.  Then we’re talking spam. One social media site has almost no spam, while another is being flooded with it.  And the latest internet craze becomes today’s viral video.  Get caught up with iePlexus Social Media News Brief for today, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. (more…)

It’s nearly impossible to avoid spam on the Internet, but Twitter is trying to do something about it, at least on the microblogging website.  In a blog post Tuesday, the company announced the amount of tweets sent out a day is 1%, which is an incredible task.

During the same time last year, spam on Twitter took up roughly 7% of the microblogging website.  And in August of this past year, spam on Twitter hit an all time high, with close to 11% of tweets.  So, to only have 1% of spam taking up your site is an accomplishment.  But Twitter says they are going to continue their efforts to getting rid of spam all together.  (more…)

Just as we thought things were getting better between China and Google, we learn they aren’t.  Yesterday, Google surprisingly announced they were not going to leave China, but would redirect Google.cn, China’s main Google network, to Google.com.hk, Hong Kong’s Google.

According to the New York Times this morning, the Chinese government has started blocking some search results and a number of features within Google Search.  “Beijing officials were clearly angered by Google’s decision, which focused global attention on the government’s censorship policies, and there were signs of possible escalation in the dispute,” said the article. (more…)

After speculation last week of Google leaving China sometime next month, the search engine company says they have found a legal way to keep Google in China without having to leave the country.  In a blog post on the company’s website, Google said that internet users visiting Google.cn will now be redirected to Google’s Hong Kong site, google.com.hk. (more…)

Google no longer in first place. What social media site has taken the gold from the giant search engine?  Then, can the battle between Google & China soon be over? Why a letter from several companies may have given the world a big clue that the end is near.  And one of the most anticipated music videos of the year, gets beat out by a cover version in this week’s viral video. Find out what happened this week in iePlexus’ Social Media News Brief. (more…)