Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers [INFOGRAPHIC]

The IPO Won't Change Facebook. Online Ads Will Will an IPO change Facebook? The sudden influx of $5 billion (and more) will certainly give it lots of opportunity, though it'll also mean Facebook will soon answer to shareholders. And those shareholders will demand that the company keep increasing the value of their investment. In his letter within the IPO filing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks high-mindedly about his creation being a social experience first, and a company second. There's no question Facebook's utility as an advertising tool is huge, and it's only getting bigger. The Problem With Google Comparisons We could look to Google's IPO for guidance in what will happen to Facebook. While digital advertising came of age over the past seven years, Google continued its pattern of innovation for years after its IPO. Then last year, under CEO Larry Page, Google started to get "serious." This has led to some clumsy attempts to capitalize on its products, the latest of which is "Search Plus Your World."

Pinterest Use Is On The Rise: Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Internet's New Darling NEW YORK — Oh, you pretty things. Just look at the mama giraffe nuzzling a baby giraffe, that lovely idea for an indoor planter made of mason jars and those perfectly cooked bacon strips cooling on a plate. This is what people are circulating on Pinterest, the latest website-of-the-moment for sharing things you love. Clean and simple to use, Pinterest attracts people who need to organize the chaos of Internet-age information overload. The site's popularity has exploded in recent months, making it one of the fastest-growing websites in history. What makes Pinterest's surge unusual is that it's driven not by the usual geek crowd of young men from New York and San Francisco, but by women, many of whom live in the Midwest and the central U.S. Angela Bitz, a secretary at a hospital in Davenport, Iowa, says she was drawn by the site's layout and ease of use. Much of Pinterest's appeal is about displaying your plans and hopes. Librarians are using the site to "pin" reading suggestions. Online:

Facebook's $5 Billion IPO, By The Numbers [CHARTS] Facebook has filed its IPO paperwork and the S-1 statement contains an utterly dizzying amount of statistics. The numbers provide a glimpse into Facebook’s stunning growth since its founding in 2004, with a particular emphasis on what’s been happening over the past three years. Here’s a look in graphical/chart form at some of the most compelling facts and figures from Facebook’s S-1 filing. Facebook’s User Base Facebook’s global user base is growing dramatically, and has been for years. How does Facebook define a “monthly active user”? We define a monthly active user as a registered Facebook user who logged in and visited Facebook through our website or a mobile device, or took an action to share content or activity with his or her Facebook friends or connections via a third-party website that is integrated with Facebook, in the last 30 days as of the date of measurement. What’s even more stunning than that figure is the fact that more than half of Facebook users are active every day.

The 10 Most-Followed Men on Pinterest When you think of Pinterest, what kind of user comes to mind? If you answered "a woman who likes crafts and chocolate," you're not alone. However, men represent an influential presence on the social network, too. In fact, 10 out of the top 45 Pinterest users are men. We utilized social analytics tool ZoomSphere to determine the most-followed men on Pinterest. SEE ALSO: How Pinterest’s Female Audience Is Changing Social Marketing Do you think more men will join the Pinterest craze?

Giants? Patriots? Mobile and Social to Win Super Bowl XLVI The New York Giants and New England Patriots face off for gridiron glory this Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI. But the game's real winners could be social networks and mobile technologies — as well as the marketers who best leverage those platforms. A look back at how fans engaged with last year's game provides an interesting insight into the huge role that social and mobile now play in people's Super Bowl experience. The analysis comes from a recent study by digital marketing agency iProspect, which has worked with a list of sports-related clients including Adidas, Under Armour, Dick's Sporting Goods and Finish Line. Dawn Zencka, iProspect's vice president of strategic insights, connected with Mashable to go over some of her team's findings and dissect a bit of what it all means. "The point is becoming that there's a much bigger opportunity than just buying ads during the game itself," Zencka said. How do you think brands can best leverage sports fans' mobile and social emphasis?

5 Food Brands Building Social Buzz on a Budget Bob Marshall is a social media strategist for SociaLogic Marketing. SociaLogic provides social media strategy, community management, and content development for clients in the food, CPG, and automotive categories. Follow him @Bob_SociaLogic. By now, most brands are rightly viewing social media as an integral piece of their overall marketing strategy. In reality, there are several standout social media marketing tactics that can mobilize an enthusiastic audience while remaining cost effective, and the food industry has consistently been a leader in this department. SEE ALSO: 8 Best Practices for Food Brands on Pinterest The most successful brands are discovering three truths about social media marketing. Here are five food brands that prove a company can build social media buzz without draining the marketing budget. 1. Chobani Greek Yogurt is an innovator among health food brands. 2. Whole Foods shines when it comes to giving users something to talk about. 3. 4. 5.

Global Digital Communication: Texting, Social Networking Popular Worldwide Usage Differs by Age and Education Survey Report Cell phones are owned by overwhelmingly large majorities of people in most major countries around the world, and they are used for much more than just phone calls. In particular, text messaging is a global phenomenon – across the 21 countries surveyed, a median of 75% of cell phone owners say they text. Texting is widespread in both wealthy nations and the developing world. Many also use their mobile phones to take pictures or video. The survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, conducted March 21 to May 15, also finds that social networking is popular in many nations around the globe. Social networking is generally more common in higher income nations; however, this is largely driven by the fact that wealthier countries have higher rates of internet access. In nearly every country, the young and the well-educated are especially likely to embrace all of these technologies. Many Use Phones for Texting, Pictures

8 Best Practices for Food Brands on Pinterest Janet Helm is the chief food and nutrition strategist of North America for Weber Shandwick. She is the author of the blog Nutrition Unplugged and co-founder of the Nutrition Blog Network and Healthy Aperture. She has been a contributor to Cooking Light magazine and is currently partnering on a book with Cooking Light. Pinterest has become the fastest growing website ever, now with nearly 12 million monthly users. The site illustrates the evolution from the “social graph” to the “interest graph” – or the shift from friend-based networks to those that connect people based on their shared interests. Food is one of the major niches or shared interests on Pinterest. Not surprisingly, food bloggers have also become Pinterest power users. SEE ALSO: What Paula Deen's Cookin' on Pinterest , Y'all While the Pinterest terms of use prohibit commercial use of the site, Pinterest's lack of enforcement means that marketers are rapidly turning to Pinterest to help visually curate their brands. 1. 2. 3.

Google to Congress: We're Still Not Evil Google sent a 13-page letter to Congress Monday explaining changes to its privacy policy that the search giant announced last week. Those changes are scheduled to go into effect for Google's 350 million global users on March 1. The letter is a response to a letter Congress sent to Google last week, which requested more specific knowledge about Google's new privacy policy and practices. "Last week we heard from members of Congress about Google’s plans to update our privacy policies by consolidating them into a single document on March 1," Google director of public policy Pablo Chavez wrote in a blog post Tuesday. "Protecting people’s privacy is something we think about all day across the company, and we welcome discussions about our approach." According to that blog post, Google's updated privacy policy came for two reasons. SEE ALSO: Google’s Privacy Update: What You Need to Know The search giant goes on to make the following assurances: 1. Google's response to Congress is embedded below:

Top 10 Alternatives to Pinterest There is certainly no denying the ever-growing popularity of Pinterest. With over 2.5 million users participating in the beta, Pinterest provides a new and unique way to discover and share the web. This growing popularity has, of course, spawned numerous sites that utilize a variety of Pinterest elements. If Pinterest doesn’t seem to be quite what you need, you might consider trying one of the many alternatives. Gentlemint The front page of Pinterest definitely doesn’t scream masculinity, so “manly” alternatives are always arising. Price: Free Developer: Brisky Business, LLC AppStorm Review: Gentlemint: Pinterest for Men We Heart It While Pinterest is popular with a variety of ages, teens are not really its target audience. Price: Free Developer: We Heart It, Inc. Knack Registry Finding items to purchase or make is definitely a very popular way to use Pinterest. Price: Free Developer: Knack Registry Jux A large part of the focus of Pinterest is sharing images. Price: Free Developer: The Juxers

Digital Divide: If You're Reading This, You're One of the Lucky Ones [INFOGRAPHIC] Even in the richest countries on the planet such as the U.S., not everyone has easy access to this cornucopia of connectivity, the Internet. The Internet is a tremendous growth engine, responsible for 21% of economic growth in the more advanced countries in the world, according to a McKinsey study. While those of us in the United States complain about how we have to pay more for Internet service that's slower than those of other first-world countries, within the United States there's a gaping chasm between the haves and the have-nots. In this infographic by OnlineITdegree.net, an ad-free website describing itself as "an online informational resource for individuals looking to pursue IT degree of related education and careers," you'll find surprising information about the differences in Internet access in the United States. Beyond that, you'll see more information about how the U.S. lags behind other countries in Internet technology, broadband speed and access.