The survey by BT revealed that about 48% of those using the internet in Scotland regularly access social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, compared with 20% in Northern Ireland and almost 43 per cent in Wales. In England, the figures are 33% in the North-east, 39% in the South-west and 45.7% in London. Social networks are equal to news and current affairs websites in terms of popularity north of the Border, with those sites also regularly accessed by slightly more than 48% of Scottish internet surfers.

The study of 2,000 British people as part of a survey commissioned by BT found that over half of female internet users used social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook, whilst only 34% of men surveyed admitted to doing so. Similarly, out of those surveyed, 18% of women believed that, if the internet no longer existed, they would miss social media websites the most. This compares to just 7% of men, most of whom said they would miss most the ease of administration online, such as web banking.

U.K.-based Diageo PLC (DGE.LN) and France's Pernod Ricard SA (RI.FR), the world's No. 1 and 2 spirits companies by revenue, respectively, are diverting more advertising spend away from traditional formats like television. Thirst for whisky, rum and vodka in Latin America, Africa and Asia has accelerated as adult populations have expanded and incomes have risen, and companies see the improved online access in developing markets through laptops, tablet computers and smartphones as an opportunity to drive sales.

The National Library of Scotland has urged the UK government to act swiftly on proposals to give libraries the legal right to collect and store electronic publications. Legislation passed in 2003 is scheduled to be implemented in 2013. The NLS said there was no current formal system for preserving online archive material and some information had already been lost forever. Examples of the first Scottish Parliament website have gone as has some material on last year's Holyrood elections.

This weekend saw the long-heralded implementation of new regulations in the UK around "cookies", digital morsels of data that can track surfing behaviour across the web, and an accompanying last-minute rush from several popular websites to comply, with many using small pop-up messages on their homepages. Surveys of both consumers and companies show that most remain confused about the 2009 European e-privacy directive, which requires website owners to obtain the consent of their visitors to the use of cookies.

It is the first time the regional newspaper group is using tablets as a field reporting device, Nigel Vincent, head of editorial development for Newsquest Digital Media, told Journalism.co.uk. ournalists will be using iPads to liveblog from the Olympic games, directly feeding into the publisher's new content management system. Journalists will also be using the publisher's new in-house iPhone and iPad appto file live reports.

The much-delayed internet TV venture by some of the UK's biggest broadcasters and broadband providers, will finally be put to the test by members of the public this week after three years in development. An "alpha" trial of some 350 homes was agreed last week by YouView's board, which is chaired by Lord Sugar, the former Amstrad entrepreneur and host of The Apprentice reality TV show.

The AELTC will use the video sharing platform to launch Live@Wimbledon, its digital media service that shows matches as well as pre-filmed content such as behind-the-scenes interviews, match previews, highlights and archive footage. Coverage will be streamed on Wimbledon.com, the tournament's official iPhone and Android apps, as well as on Dailymotion, whose global audience reaches 115 million monthly unique visitors according to its vice-president of international content Daniel Adams.

In the first year of the prize, awards will be given in four separate categories and will reward each winner with EUR10,000. Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel from different areas of Europe and under the chairmanship of Sir Harold Evans- editor of Thomson Reuters and former editor of The Sunday Times. Seven of Europe's most distinguished media foundations behind the European Press Prize, rewarding excellence in journalism across all 47 countries of Europe.

The packaged goods giant is attempting to reinvent "soap opera" sponsorship for the digital age by striking international, multimillion-dollar partnerships with media groups Viacom and News Corp. The deals illustrate how the internet is driving the globalisation of media, and how its creation is funded, as well as advertisers' desire for more professional content on social networking sites such as Facebook and Google's YouTube.