This week’s online chatter about the internet marketing community suggests 2011 will see exciting social and search developments. From shifts in the mobile market to the surprising popularity of some […]

This week’s online chatter about the internet marketing community suggests 2011 will see exciting social and search developments. From shifts in the mobile market to the surprising popularity of some underdog social sites, here's Brafton’s take on the latest internet marketing news for the week ending January 7.

Facebook is off to a strong start in the new year, with reports emerging over the weekend that Goldman Sachs invested $450 million in the social site. As Brafton reported, these funds may translate into new marketing opportunities – including ecommerce developments.

Still, the good news didn’t last long for Mark Zuckerberg’s social site. Later in the week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Goldman/Facebook deal has drawn the attention of the SEC. Plus, news emerged that StumbleUpon eclipsed Facebook in the social recommendation market at the onset of 2011. As Brafton reported, StumbleUpon accounts for nearly half of social recommendations on the web.

Another surprising turn in the social market is news that Quora’s membership is surging. As Brafton reported, the question-and-answer social site is still in its beta phase, but it has seen impressive gains in users in the past two weeks.

As more people join the Quora community, foursquare is putting a limit on its members. Reports emerged this week suggesting that foursquare users can only send a limited number of friend requests. Brafton reported that there are speculations that this limitation serves to curb businesses' efforts to influence consumers on the geosocial site.

Speaking of the geosocial market, Google's Marissa Mayer made headlines this week for reiterating that the search giant will offer location-based services. Brafton covered an interview with the exec in which she suggested that social recommendations via HotPot give Google an edge in the location-based market.

Other search engine news came with this week’s announcement from Yahoo that it would remove the Microsoft adCenter transition tool. As Brafton reported, marketers must now manually move their accounts to Microsoft, and this development serves as a reminder that Bing and Yahoo are now in complete search alliance.

Search developments should be of interest to marketers in light of reports that search revenue will rise and the display market will surge in 2011. As Brafton has reported, display ad expenditures are on the rise, in keeping with growing impression rates. Moreover, overall online ad spend is poised to break records through 2014.

Mobile search marketing will prove key to catching clicks this year. In fact, it may reach new heights in light of the partnership between Bing and Toyota for a connected driving experience. Nonetheless, smartphones and tablets are likely the platforms to watch – and marketers will want to stick close to Google.

As Brafton reported, Nielsen studies show that Android phones are gaining ground. Plus, comScore’s latest mobile market report shows Google is gaining ground among mobile subscribers. Of course, the mobile market may continue to shift in light of mobile-related announcements made at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. (For more on CES, see Brafton’s business technology news roundup and technology news roundup.)

Looking ahead to next week, we might expect more news about the mobile market as devices announced at CES reach consumers. Also, we’ll see what next week has in store for the rising underdogs in the social market. Internet marketers, stay tuned.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.