There's no recession in social networks. In the last year, Twitter grew 343%, LinkedIn 193%, and Facebook 116% according to Nielsen. MySpace's growth has stalled at 1%.

It's worth pointing out that pure growth in registration numbers is not the only metrics that matters. Data on user activities such as page views, time spent on site, visit frequency, as well as member interactions and purchases are all important when you evaluate the value of these networks.

Engaging users over time has proven to be tricky. Yeah, you can build it and you might even be able to get people to register. But can you make them stick around? Many can't make it work and that's been an expensive lesson for many brands and marketers.

It's a challenge one of our teams are taking head on. Ryan Nash, Sara Apelkvist, Michael Jung, and Clayton Kjos are developing a new niche social networking site due to launch in January.

We can't wait to share our design experience with you when the BETA site becomes available in late January. Can we make you stick around?

Samsung did something interesting with their latest Instinct campaign. Check this out. The story is wrapped in a series of videos - with interactive choices for the viewer. The story kept me engaged. That's hard to do these days. Clearly someone understands what the Internet is all about: Getting people involved!

Have you seen anything else like it recently?

Samsung Instinct video