Social networking and blogs now more popular than email, says Nielsen

Two thirds of us now use "member communities" -- and their popularity is being boosted by the growing use of mobiles for internet access. A Nielsen Online report says two thirds of us now use what it calls "Member Communities," which includes both social networks and blogs. MCs now make up "the fourth most popular category online – ahead of personal email," says Nielsen Online. The others are search, portals, and PC software.

Social Networks Spread Iranian Defiance Online

As the embattled government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be trying to limit Internet access and communications in Iran, new kinds of social media are challenging those traditional levers of state media control and allowing Iranians to find novel ways around the restrictions. Iranians are blogging, posting to Facebook and, most visibly, coordinating their protests on Twitter, the messaging service.