Currently, there are many third-party applications out there that provide analytics to allow you to check out how influential a Twitter handle is, namely TweetGrade, Twitalyzer andTweetStats. Expected to launch by the end of 2010, Twitter will also provide users real-time analytics and data so users can find out which of their tweets are most successful, which tweets caused people to unfollow them, and who are their most influential re-tweeters.

Flowtown has released another infographic based on research by Michael Steltzer, founder of SocialMediaExaminer that gives us a good overview of how businesses are latching onto the marketing opportunity presented by the growth of social media.

A recent survey at Ratepoint reveals small businesses are uncertain about using social media usage. Although 36 percent of small businesses agree their customers spend time on social networking sites, 27 percent are undecided and 20 percent disagreed that their customers were spending time on social networks.

Big Ben is the great bell situated in London since 1859. Needs no further introduction. I was amused to see a need for a landmark to have a Twitter account. Does it need one? Secondly, I was even more amused to know they have 72k followers (as I publish this).

Now we have micro-blogging – blogging made easier to update, either via web, mobile, with a limit of max 140 characters (so just speak to the point!) Some examples are Twitter, Plurk, Fmylife, but mainly focusing on Twitter.