While that headline might be a bit misleading (I’ll explain why, below), it is meant to send a bit of a jolt to those interested in writing and publishing.

Can this be true?

Yes, with some qualifications.  Amazon did indeed sell more digital books for its Kindle than print books on Christmas day, 2009.  There are logical reasons for this.

1. People received a lot of Kindles for Christmas.
2. Because you can download from the device, what is the first thing that people are going to do upon opening their bright, shiny Kindle?  Easy – they are going to immediately dive in and buy some books!
3. Few beyond a bright, shiny, new Kindle owner were really shopping for books on Amazon on Christmas day.

So was it an anomaly?  Almost certainly.  And yet, it is a very strong indicator of where the publishing world – the reading world in general – is going.  All of those people who jumped in and began to download books on their Kindles that day will continue to buy, download and consume digital books from Amazon in the years to come.

The importance of ensuring that digital publishing is a key part of book publishing and distribution strategy simply can no longer be ignored.

The numbers coming out of Facebook are pretty amazing.  There are 300 million active users,; 50% of which log in every single day.  That’s loyalty!

And to top that, 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each and every day, with with more than 40 million status updates daily.  That’s engagement!

But here’s why those numbers are so important to small businesses and brands: 10 million users become fans of pages daily.  Companies can set up their page on Facebook and can reach those users exactly where those users voluntarily go to contribute and consume.

Of course, setting up a page isn’t a magical field of dreams.  Just building it does not mean that they will come.  Instead, a cohesive strategy behind marketing, content and messaging needs to be front and center before your page ever goes live.

It is worth some time to think about this.  Is Facebook right for your company?

In recent research conducted by Sysomos, some very interesting Twitter statistics were bandied about.

• One-fifth of all Twitter accounts are either void wastelands, or placeholders.
• Over 90% of all Twitter accounts have less than 150 followers.
• A small minority of accounts creates the majority of the Twitter traffic.
• 30% of the accounts that have at least one tweet are inactive, having not posted for at least 7 days.
• The biggest group of Twitterers?  Social Media Marketers.

Some of these numbers should surprise no one, as they reflect the trends of online usage and participation in general.  And while many companies have joined in the landrush to stake a claim to their brands and identities, it is clear that many companies do not have a communications or marketing strategy above and beyond “Grab our name!”.

The real question when determining a strategy for Twitter?  What do you hope to gain from it, and does the strategy fit your brand and your clientele?

The reality is, not every company should rush to Twitter.  And some companies could benefit greatly by putting some cohesive Twitter strategy together.