Is email dead? Well, not really but new data suggests that people communicate via social networking sites much more than via e-mail. The report also found that social networking sites are visited once every 11 minutes, up from once every 15 minutes in 2008. Another thing to keep an eye on is the rapid rise of group text messaging.

What are you doing Wednesday at 3pm? You are likely using Facebook, according to a new study from Vitrue which analyzed the busiest usage spikes on the social network.  The study also found morning posts perform best and Sunday is the slowest day for Facebook activity.  I wonder if that is for football, church or some other activity.

Facebook recently launched Friendship Pages, a new feature that lets users log interactions between themselves and friends. What do you think? Invasive or innovative? In other Facebook news, the social media giant is rumored to be introducing a “Deals” service. Similar to popular group buying websites, the feature will allow businesses to offer incentives to users whenever they check-in to a physical store via Facebook Places. Cool!

With the increase of popularity in social networking over the past few years, many have speculated on the effect on face to face communication. According to a new study, those fears can be put to rest. The report found that 27 percent of Facebook users and 46 percent of Twitter users hang with friends in person more often. What is the case for you?

Foursquare announced the launch of two new badges this week to celebrate a swarm of Foresquarers. When 500 or more members check in at the same venue, they will be rewarded with a Super Duper Swarm badge. Where are we all meeting again? I can’t wait!

How will you follow Tuesday’s election results? Broadcast news, online news websites, Twitter? All are viable options this year as the major cable networks announced election coverage across a variety on channels: NBC will embed news on Twitter, ABC will stream news to Hulu and mobile platforms and CBS will put material on YouTube, among others. Long ago are the days of getting news strictly from the paper!

Talk about no room for error… The Allure of the Sea, Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel which will share the title of world’s largest cruise ship, squeezed under a Danish bridge with 20 inches to spare. Luckily for the captain, it was a success!