During November 2011, Google was the most-visited Web brand with 174.3 million unique U.S. visitors. The list of Top Brands remained the same as the month before, with the Amazon overtaking Wikipedia as the 8th ranked site by total audience in November, reflecting greater consumer activity during the busy holiday shopping season.

Nielsen looks at the top online destinations and mobile platforms of 2011

Internet access in Hong Kong has become near-ubiquitous, as 87 percent of consumers there have used the Internet in the past year, outpacing neighboring markets like Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

To friend or to de-friend, that is the question. New research from NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company, reveals that there are innumerable factors that help Facebook users decide to add a friend or cull someone from the fold, though knowing someone in real life is the top reason cited for friend-ing someone (82%) and offensive comments are the main reason someone gets the boot (55%).

A new report provides a snapshot of the current mobile media landscape and audiences in the U.S., and highlights the potential power of mobile commerce in the near future.

Teens have officially joined the data tsunami, more than tripling their mobile data consumption in the past year while maintaining their stronghold as leading message senders.

Streaming video on game consoles is up over last year, according to Nielsen. An October survey reveals that streaming and video-on-demand represent a larger share of usage on Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii compared to last year.

Facebook and apps from Google like Gmail and the Android Market are the most popular smartphone apps among Android owners according to Nielsen’s latest research on smartphone usage.

NM Incite found that the iPhone has been the most frequently mentioned smartphone OS in terms of online buzz on blogs, message boards/groups, Twitter and Facebook, and online news posts, capturing 40 percent of online buzz about smartphones from July through December 2011.

In an updated analysis of Black Friday/Cyber Monday buzz, NM Incite found that 2011 Black Friday Buzz has already more than doubled the total from 2010.