Netpop is at it again, lighting up the blogosphere with the latest installment of our syndicated tracking study of the U.S. and China Internet populations. Starting off with a featured article in USA Today, our first report – “Social Animals: Who’s Sharing What and Why Online?” – sets the foundation for a series of reports on social media brands and behaviors.

We will continue to update you on report releases and coverage over the next few months, or see the “Publishing Calendar” below for a list of the topics we plan to cover.

In The Media

Fast Company recently turned to Netpop for insights behind the Social Wall of China for their cover article in January 11th. Check out the complete article.

Sometimes a blog entry becomes a story. That’s what happened when Cate Riegner, VP, Brand Insights wrote about the importance of screeners in qualitative research. Click here for Cate's blog entry, and here’s the story on MarketingVox.

“Social Media Sites May Be Ready For Romance”: Online dating was a hot topic in mid-February. Netpop’s Josh Crandall weighs in on the topic for a CNBC article.

Netpop is gearing up for an exciting 2011 and look forward to keeping you in the loop!

Stay Connected:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/netpop
Twitter: @netpopulation

… and for everything else, Google Netpop Research!

See you online!

2011 Netpop Publishing Calendar

February 22nd

"Social Animals - Who's Sharing What and Why Online?"

This report examines growth in social media since 2009, identifying the activities and behaviors that have caught fire in the last two years. More importantly, it reveals the users who are driving the trends. Demographic and psychographic profiles of "social animals" in the United States are revealed and defined. Not only is social media a "melting pot" of the old and young and of friends past and the present, it is also a mix of individuals with different motivations for sharing.

More information and purchase US: http://www.netpopresearch.com/node/26683
More information and purchase China: http://www.netpopresearch.com/node/26688

March 8th

"Is Facebook Bulletproof?"

This report takes a close look at the impact of privacy and trust on major social brands, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and more. We examine how much users trust these brands and whether trust and privacy concerns impact user satisfaction. Hint: On the surface, Facebook is strong despite privacy concerns; however, the brand takes a hit when we examine specific age and user groups.

March 22nd

"Twitter: Simple to a Fault?"

With 400% growth since 2009, there's no denying the meteoric rise of micro-blogging in the U.S. And as the only micro-blog brand of any consequence, Twitter sits squarely at the center of the trend. But how does Twitter stack-up against other leading social brands? This report reveals a brand with some work to do, particularly among its core audience of younger users. No social brand is immune to privacy concerns, but in the case of Twitter, the issues may go deeper.

April 5th

"Social Marketing: Are Consumers Opting-In?"

As consumers spend more time in social spaces, marketers are scrambling to connect. This report investigates who and how users are "opting-in" to stay connected to brands through social channels. Some channels (like social networking) have caught on more quickly, and some verticals (like Entertainment) have seen greater success. With Facebook serving up more display ads than Google or Yahoo, this report benchmarks consumer adoption of expanding opt-in marketing channels.