A Royal "Online" Wedding

The royal family has been accused of being fairly out of touch with modern day society but it seems this new generation of monarchs is catching on. For the first time ever, a royal wedding is utilizing a number of online channels to give "the people" full-access to the ceremony. Check out a few ways you can get a glimpse from the comfort of your laptop:

YouTube Live Stream
Over 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch Prince William marry his college sweetheart Kate Middleton at www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel. The feed will come from the BBC minus the broadcaster commentary but with a new social media twist - a live blogging stream via Twitter. YouTube will even offer a video "Wedding Book" where you can upload your own video well wishes for the happy couple.

Twitter Feed
For the first time ever, YouTube will offer a live Twitter feed alongside their video stream. Staff at Clarence House and St James's Palace will provide live commentary with historical information, interesting links, additional photographs and video footage. Follow them @ClarenceHouse and use the hashtag #rw2011 to send your personalized wedding wishes.

Flickr
Related wedding photos to be uploaded to the social sharing site as the day progresses. Watch the photo stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy

Facebook
Become a fan at www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy where you can even sign up to say "I'm Attending" this virtual extravaganza!

Web Announcements
Official updates to be posted at www.officialroyalwedding2011.org. throughout the day.

And as if that isn't enough, I haven't even BEGUN to tell you about the video spoofs...

2011 - A New Year with New Tweets

It's a new year, bringing a lot of new things. New gadgets and gizmos that are gifted from the holidays, new resolutions, and in the social media world - new tweets. Lately, I ventured over to blog.twitter.com to see what's new on Twitter. Low and behold - a Twitter tracker for New Years Eve!

Less than one minute after midnight January 1st in Japan, Twitterers set an all-time record in how many Tweets they sent per second (TPS). There were 6,939 TPS wishing friends a Happy New Year, or “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu”! That beats the previous TPS record on Twitter, sent during the World Cup Finals in June 2010. According to @JennaDawn, "In fact, on New Year’s Eve, that all-time TPS record was shattered more than 68 separate times within a single 3-minute period. " That's insane!

Check out this video showing New Year's Eve Twitter data from all over the world:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twitteroffice/5330386295/

Here is the data explained straight from Twitter:

"The video above visualizes New Year's Eve Tweet data across the world. The circles get bigger as more Tweets are being sent at that moment, which means it's probably midnight in that timezone. Notice that the circle over Tokyo gets so big it nearly swallows Japan.

Needless to say, we‘re looking forward to seeing what the Year of the Rabbit has in store. And, we’re humbled by moments like this that show how people around the world are connecting and celebrating on Twitter."

What's next from Twitter? A desktop application for Mac, of course!

What are your thoughts on how Twitter is quickly breaking records? Share it in the comments here!

Tomorrow, June 30th is Social Media Day!

Tomorrow, June 30th, is Mashable's Social Media Day!

Celebrate the social media revolution by organizing or attending one of the many meetups across the country.

There is even an event here in Boca Raton, FL which is hoping to be the largest social media meetup in Palm Beach County!

Social media has changed our lives as well as the way we communicate and interact with others. Why not celebrate by meeting up with your "tweeps" and long lost Facebook pals?

Don't forget to share your pics and tweets with the world by using the hashtag (#smday) on Flickr, YouTube and Twitter!