eModeration LOTW: Tebow reigns, SOPA darkens, and Google shakes our world

A social media links of the week list curated from a (mostly) US perspective.  Enjoy!

SOPA Blackout
Only time will tell which sites "go dark" on Wednesday, January 18 in protest against pending US SOPA/PIPA legislation.  Reddit, Minecraft, Tucows, Major League Gaming, I Can Haz Cheezburger Network and others have stated their intentions to silence their online presences in protest, with Wikipedia mulling the decision.  Forbes continues to push Facebook and Google to join in, but the expectation of what will actually happen in terms of protest is more along the lines of modified logos rather than server outages.  A list of companies that have spoken out against SOPA is here.

(Updated)  Today, the White House has issued a response to petitions regarding the pending SOPA and PIPA legislation, stating "the important task of protecting intellectual property online must not threaten an open and innovative Internet."

Tim Tebow Dominates Sports Social Media
NFL Denver Bronco quarterback/Christian Evangelist Tim Tebow is breaking all kinds of records off the field, specifically in regards to social media.  Twitter reported January 9 that a new record of “tweets per second” was set at a staggering 9,420 as Tebow and the Broncos scored on the final play of a game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, proving that no matter what he does as a football player, the kid knows how to trend.  How does one spell Tebow?  The WSJ counts the ways.

Google Launches Social Search
Google dominates the social media news landscape this week with a launch of "your world" search, incorporating "personal results," "profiles in search," and "related people and pages" into Google search engine results and making the Google+ network suddenly relevant.  PCWorld offers tips on making the most as an end user of a feature that, in one form or another, is probably here to stay, while Mashable takes a look at improving your brand page's new era SEO.  SearchEngineWatch tells us that brands can rank for whatever they want, as long as they circle up and push content.  Twitter did not take the news well, and now the FTC is reportedly adding Google's social search feature to the on-going antitrust probe.

Since the launch, we have found our G+ use reinvigorated.  How about you?