Symbols and messages associated with social media are proliferating on TV, and they're getting through to TV viewers, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adult TV viewers by Accenture, which revealed high levels of recall for social media messaging, as well as high rates of social media activity in response to this kind of messaging. Overall 64% of those surveyed said they could recall seeing symbols and images associated with social media, including for example the Facebook "Like" button, while watching TV.

The alleged "digital divide" notwithstanding, U.S. Hispanics are enthusiastic users of social media, according to a new survey of 650 online Hispanic adults by uSamp -- but they're also more cautious about the information they share online, the same survey found. There's no question the online Hispanics surveyed by uSamp hold an edge in social media adoption: 90% of respondents are on Facebook, compared to 81% of the general online population.

Depending what metrics you look at, Google+ is either a fast-growing, promising newcomer to the social scene, or at best an also-ran. On one side, in January Google CEO Larry Page said Google+ had attracted 90 million registered users, up from 40 million in the first half of October -- and it may have doubled again since then. On the other side, comScore data (also from January) showed that PC users who visited Google+ spent an average of three minutes per month on the site from September to January.

While bosses may not always be thrilled about their employees using social media in the workplace, the reverse isn't true: it seems employees take a more favorable view of bosses who use social media to communicate, according to BRANDfog's 2012 CEO, Social Media and Leadership Survey. Unfortunately, most of their bosses aren't doing this.

For most big brands there often comes a moment in which they have to make an uncomfortable choice: should they sue a much smaller company that happens to have infringed on their trademark (and potentially look like a bunch of evil corporate S.O.B.'s) or should they let it slide (and hope consumers can figure it out on their own)? This was always a tough choice, but now the rise of social media is changing the calculus by letting the little companies fight back -- sometimes with devastating effect. Just take a look at our neighbors to the north, where Lassonde …

While "parenting" might not be the first thing you think of when you hear "glam," there's no question it's a deeply engaging topic that is especially well-suited for social media, where parents can ask each other questions, seek and dispense advice, vent their frustrations, and, yes, contribute to the exponentially growing volume of pictures and videos of cute kids doing cute stuff, cutely.

Well, that was fast. Launched in March 2010 and more or less unknown by the wider Web until last summer, Pinterest is now the third most popular social media site, behind Facebook and Twitter, according to "The 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report" from Experian.

Social media buzz can predict the winners in political elections, although it can't necessarily forecast the size of their victory, according to a new study by NM Incite. The NM Incite study examined social media buzz in relation to four races during the 2010 midterm elections, and found that in three out of four races, the candidate who was mentioned most frequently in social media went on to win the election. However, NM Incite also noted that their share of online buzz didn't necessarily correspond to actual percent of votes, suggesting there is a correlation between social media buzz and …

Led by Grindr, the mobile meet market (get it?) for gay men, the next wave of social media would appear to be what I call mobile flirtation platforms. This week Skout, a "mobile network for meeting new people," announced that it has secured $22 million in funding from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which will be used to expand the service. Currently Skout has "millions of members" and is attracting new members at the rate of a million per month, according to the company; the average user checks in eight to nine time per day, spending an average of 45 …

There's a natural intersection between spectator sports and social media: spectator sports are best enjoyed in groups, real or virtual, and team loyalties are often expressed communally. There are also the fine details of strategy, player stats, and insider gossip to be debated and rehashed at great length. All of this translates easily to online social platforms -- and also provides a wealth of information for marketers working for professional sports franchises.