Google (GOOG) is accustomed to being in the top spot. It leads search and virtually owns the online ad space. Its Google News portal is among the top sites for directing traffic to media outlets. But, the behemoth is starting to feel the feet from social media sensation Facebook.

Not only is the rather young platform stealing market share from Google News, it's now encroaching on its e-mail turf ... a situation that Google isn't taking lightly. To compete more effectively with Facebook, Google is upgrading its Gmail capabilities to include more social media tools reminiscent of those found on its competitor.

Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) was down in the after-hours session by over 9% on the heels of the gaming publisher's Q3 report. Non-GAAP sales were off by over 20%. Adjusted income came in at 33 cents per share. This was two cents higher than expectations according to my earnings preview, but a lot less than the 56 cents per share earned in the comparable frame.

The press release mentions the lower quantity of titles released during the holiday season as being a driver of the decline in revenue (a tough European market was also cited). That may be, but it doesn't absolve EA of its fundamental challenges.

Facebook wants to take over the display advertising on its larger-than-life social network. In the process, it will stop using Microsoft (MSFT) to display the majority of advertising at what is becoming one of the most heavily-trafficked pieces of Internet real estate globally.

Is Microsoft angry? It should be -- every time the world's largest software company crafts some small way to try and compete with Internet advertising leader Google (GOOG), the rugs gets pulled from under it.

How are readers finding the news? Well, increasingly, the answer is Facebook. The social networking site, which boasts well over 350 million registered users, is now the fourth largest referral source of traffic to online news destinations. Almost a year ago, only 0.5% of traffic to news and media sites came from Facebook. Today, that level is 3.5%, according to data from Web analytics firm Experian Hitwise.

Only Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO) and MSN (MSFT) send more traffic to news sites. Google News, a subset of the search engine giant, failed to keep pace with Facebook, despite the fact that it exists specifically to send Internet users to media outlets. Only 1.39% of referrals came from this source.

The enterprise resource planning (ERP) software industry is mostly dominated by major players, such as Microsoft (MSFT) and SAP (SAP). However, because of the expense and complexity of the offerings, the recession has been tough. It's easy for companies to put off spending on ERP.

But there is one player in the space that continues to grow: NetSuite (N). In the latest quarter, the company posted revenues of $42.96 million, up from $41.40 million in the same period a year ago.

Microsoft (MSFT) is constantly called "dinosaur" and "laggard" in regards to its reputation in the consumer computer and electronics areas. One thing the world's largest computer software company does well, however, is crank out billions in sales (and profits) every quarter -- something that garners it fleeting recognition.

Shortly after the introduction of Apple, Inc.'s (AAPL) long anticipated iPad tablet computer I was quite surprised to receive an email from one of our more astute readers boldly stating "Game, set and match. See you at $300"

My immediate reaction was that this overly zealous stock trader and Apple enthusiast had let all reason escape his cranium. For me it reinforced how irrational investors are and how little they understand numbers. Apple stock will not reach $300 this year.

Google (GOOG) Apps -- which includes a suite of cloud-computing programs like Gmail, Google Docs and Google Sites -- has a decent footprint, with more than two million business customers. However, the company realizes it needs to do more as competitors come into the market, like Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM). Yes, the cloud is getting crowded.

Gold, as an investment, is a tricky thing. It tends to be thought of as a safe alternative investment, as compared to stocks, mutual funds or other forms of investment. Given recent activity, I don't see that as a likely outcome.

In recent months, the value of gold has skyrocketed. As a price per ounce, the latest price was $1,104.30.00 per Troy oz. According to Goldprice.org, a site specializing in gold sales, shows price charts for various time periods. In the past year, the price per oz has risen from $852.70 to today's close, an increase of roughly 30%. That sounds like a great deal, but unfortunately it doesn't stand up when compared to stocks.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Apple Inc. (AAPL) posted its highest quarterly revenue ever, easily beating estimates, as iPhone sales doubled.
• Boeing Co. (BA) swung to a larger-than-expected Q4 profit but guidance fell short of analysts' estimates.
• Chevron Corp. (CVX) fell short of analysts' earnings estimates for Q4, sending shares lower.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) shares rose after optimistic statements by the CEO ahead of Q2 results.
• Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) shares surged after it beat Q4 expectations by a wide margin and cash flow improved.
• Ford Motor Co. (F) reported its first annual profit in four years due to cost-cutting and improved market share.
• Halliburton Co. (HAL) reported lower Q4 earnings but beat estimates by a penny, and revenue also fell.

Nintendo (NTDOY), the power behind the Wii console and the DS handheld, and a feared competitor in the corporate eyes of both Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT), released earnings to the market this week. According to Bloomberg, the gaming giant experienced a better than 20% contraction in operating profit in the last quarter.

However, net profit rose over 80% because of currency issues. This was pretty cool, since the effect of the yen had been a previous concern. Also cool was the fact that Nintendo came in ahead of estimates.

Microsoft (MSFT), the tech giant behind the Windows operating system, whose colleagues include Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), IBM (IBM), and Yahoo! (YHOO), issued Q2 numbers after the bell on Thursday. Revenues increased 14%, and diluted earnings per share went up well over 50% to 74 cents.

In terms of expectations, Earnings.com says 59 cents was the number to beat. Obviously, the company had no problem doing that. As the news outlets have been reporting, Windows 7 was the big driver of the quarter's success.

For the most part, SAP (SAP) sells sophisticated and expensive business software. Needless to say, such offerings are often deferred as budgets get squeezed.

However, after a tough 2009, it looks like SAP is seeing some improvement. In fact, the company expects revenue growth of 4% to 8% in 2010. Moreover, it looks like operating margins will improve because of the cost-cutting efforts. How much? The expectation is for 30% to 31%. Last year's margin was at 27.4%.

The earnings crunch is on. Intel (INTC) and IBM (IBM) have already reported strong earnings results, and some of this week's biggest anticipated earnings gainers are also tech stocks: Apple (AAPL), AT&T (T) and Microsoft (MSFT).

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) to report that its earnings rose 57.1% from a year ago to $0.49 per share for the three months that ended in December. Revenue is expected to total $3.0 billion, up 19.5% from a year ago, during a fourth quarter in which it raised its guidance and declared a quarterly dividend. But the full-year forecast is for earnings of $1.13 per share (-28.0%) on $10.4 billion in revenue (-16.8%). This Dallas-based semiconductor maker's earnings results have been better than expected in the past four quarters, beating estimates by as much as nine cents per share.

Google (GOOG) proudly posted its fourth-quarter numbers on Thursday after the bell, probably assuming it would see a bid once the market digested its performance. But it didn't happen. Instead, the market sold the company on what I would call a very good report. Are you getting the feeling that the bullish sentiment on Wall Street is fading away?

The search giant, feared by both Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo! (YHOO), among others, said it made $6.79 per share on a non-GAAP basis. Which means management grew the bottom line by a more than respectable 33%. According to our earnings preview, the market was looking for $6.43.