Awwkward.

The service is still new, and quite obviously skews tech heavy, so once more invites open up we’re sure that Google celeb favorites like Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber who dominate Facebook and Twitter will kick the geeks out of the top 10 on Google+ as well. And really, if Google+ is going to be a Facebook (or Twitter) killer, that will be the surest sign of future potential.

Though having your primary competitor sign up to see what’s going on isn’t a bad sign either.

While the Wikileaks founder battles it out with Sweden’s courts for his freedom, ironically for (official) accusations of poking someone inappropriately, the man who took a college social network from pokes and sheep to a 500 million member, billion dollar behemoth lands the cover of Time’s person of the year. He beat out Lady Gaga, the Chilean miners, and the Tea Party among others.

Does he deserve the title?

Facebook’s success has been unprecedented. Even when MySpace, and Friendster before them, held the number one network crown, they never got to the user numbers that Facebook has. Even though details on revenue aren’t public, a 2009 estimate put revenue at $800 million, with 2010 revenue expected to grow to $2 billion. The same source of the estimate for the 2009 revenue said that the company had achieved profitability in the “tens of millions” on that. {Reuters}

In spite of vocal privacy concerns, a not completely flattering Hollywood portrayal now nominated for awards, and a call for an alternative that gives users more control over their information, Zuckerberg’s Facebook continues to grow.

No small feat, and certainly a rare achievement, but readers on Time’s website were overwhelmingly pushing for Julian Assange as person of the year. While it’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison, there is a solid case for Assange to claim the title.

Whether you agree with Wikileaks’ actions or not, it’s difficult to name anyone who caused more disruption this year than Assange. Visa, PayPal and MasterCard shut off their monetary pipelines, and it’s doubtful Wikileaks will ever find the type of financial foothold that Facebook has. Even before the crackdowns started coming, the site relied on donations to survive. Despite that fact, Wikileaks – with a staff that’s probably 1% of Facebook’s  and funding that’s even less, managed to make the most powerful people around the world defend themselves, their words and their actions in multiple forums.

On an individual level, lots of people have found themselves defending tagged photos and status updates on Facebook, and while it may force more attention to be paid to how we present ourselves online, Wikileaks has forced one of the most powerful governments in the world to pay attention to how they present themselves in nearly every arena.

Facebook is a juggernaut, but was 2010 really the year of Assange?

On June 21, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed rumors that the site would be launching location-based features sometime in the future. Continuing rumors are swirling that Facebook’s location-based features may be a ploy to pull users of sites like Foursquare, Brightkite, and Gowalla back into the Facebook world.{Mashable}

Dubbed “check-in” sites, Foursquare, Brightkite, and Gowalla were all created with the idea of people being able to learn about the resources in their community from other people in the community. Users “check-in” when they arrive at a destination and can offer comments about the location. Users can also browse locations close to them to find a new restaurant, bar, or other attraction.

But all of these location-based network sites may not be the best thing for users. Facebook users have been robbed after posting their plans in status updates. {CNN} Meanwhile, Twitter users have been hit in a similar manner. {Social Reflections} Apparently, disclosing your location in a Tweet or status update is like hanging a banner over your front door that says, “We’re not home. Please take all of our stuff!!” Quite frankly, it seems that stalkers will have an easier time stalking with location updates.

Looking back to the unrest in Iran after their disputed elections, many protesters used Twitter to organize and communicate. Following the protests, which often turned violent, groups of hackers claiming to be an “Iranian cyber army” hacked Twitter, Baidu and a number of other large sites, which could have potentially sensitive data about anti-government activists. With the planned location based updates, spying on users could now be as simple as following or friending them – no advanced technical skills required. While the threat to most Americans may not be in the form of a cyber army or violent militia, it’s only a matter of time before a more serious crime results from location updates.

We’re not ones to wear tin-foil hats, but it’s certainly worth remembering that when it comes to announcing your plans and location, not everyone who follows is a friend.