FC Barcelona has ended 2012 with more than 56 million fans on social networks around the globe. That figure, according to the Starcount.com organisation’s ‘Social Media Chart Toppers of 2012’ study of the world’s main social networks, makes them the leading global sports club - ahead of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Other figures appearing in the chart include US President Barack Obama, NBA star LeBron James, entertainment giants Disney, singers Justin Bieber and Eminem and chef Jaimie Oliver.

The figures have been collated from the world’s principal social networking sites- Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google +, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, Orkut, Ren Ren, Vkontakte, Youku and Mixi, and take into account not just the number of users, but also their loyalty and interaction with other users.

The figures follow on from the award made to the Club by Starcount.com as the Best Sporting Organisation 2.0 in the world. In the ‘The Social Star Awards 2012’ more than 1,500 fans chose the Club as the leading sports entity in the digital world, ahead of clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.

FC Barcelona has over 14 million followers on Twitter. This social network is an essential strategy to explain the 2.0 Club youth players worldwide. This year, Twitter has published a summary of the best of 2012. The annual summary of Twitter shows several categories in which to display items that have been trend this year 2012.

Moreover, among the newest options is the possibility that each user can have a timeline with a summary of his year, grouped by the most popular topics.

Below you will see FC Barcelona on Twitter:

SHARING BEST WISHES

This year, FC Barcelona has consolidated its position as the leading sports club on global social networks. Recently named the top sports site by Starcount.com in its 'Social Media Chart Toppers’ for its management of social networks, the Club’s Facebook page has grown by 14 million users this year and now has 38 million followers.

Her are the most popular posts, ordered by month, which featured on the Club’s official Facebook page during 2012.

2012 Posts month by month

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Pep Guardiola, the goals of the academy youngsters, Gabriel’s moving story, Leo Messi’s incredible year, pre-season action and an interview with Álex Morgan are amongst the Top Twelve videos of 2012 in FC Barcelona’s official Youtube site.

Pep Guardiola’s farewell to the Camp Nou at the end of last season and a tribute video, #GraciesPep, top the Top Ten videos of 2012 at Barça’s You Tube channel. The Top 3 is completed by a video about the Club’s academy teams, which has received nearly two million visits in less than a month . In all, the top twelve videos have received more than 12 million visits.

Enter The top 12 videos of 2012

CBS has opted to focus on FC Barcelona with two features being aired this week. One looks at the way Barça is run and the other looks at Leo Messi, who ended 2012 with a record 91 goals.

On Sunday January 6, ‘60 minutes’, which has been running for 44 seasons on CBS, will be showing a documentary about the success that the club has enjoyed and the way it has been run for so many years. It will be particularly highlighting how 70% of the players have come from the club’s own youth programme.

The show will also include appearances from the likes of president Sandro Rosell, director of sport Andoni Zubizarreta and players Leo Messi, Xavi Hernández, Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué.

16 million viewers

’60 minutes’ is one of the classics on CBS, and as well as the US, it is also viewed in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America by something in the region of 16 million people a week.

It has recently shown features on major sports personalities such as Michael Phelps and Novak Djokovic, as well as other important public figures along the lines of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Steven Spielberg, Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Leo Messi in launch of ’60 Minutes Sports’

Such has been the success of ‘60 minutes’ that the channel has created a new version focused entirely on sports. The launch on January 9 will be examining the life of Leo Messi, described by the promo as “the best footballer in the world.” The Argentinian striker gave an exclusive interview to prestigious reporter Bob Simons, in which he looks back at his record-breaking 2012 and will be aired just two days after the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala.

’60 minutes’ is one of the classics on CBS, and as well as the US, it is also viewed in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America by something in the region of 16 million people a week.

It has recently shown features on major sports personalities such as Michael Phelps and Novak Djokovic, as well as other important public figures along the lines of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Steven Spielberg, Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A group of young students of the Catalan language gather in the Chao Yang neighborhood of Beijing. They’ve been meeting since May of last year. One of the objectives of Catalan Communities living abroad is to bring the Catalan culture with them to their new country of residence, the vehicle by which many of these communities believe they can share their culture is through language. The Catalan Community in Beijing decided to promote the Catalan language but they quickly realised that Catalan language classes were not being offered in the city. Faced with this complication, they decided to start their own Catalan language program.

Among the difficulties that come with starting a new initiative from the groud up is finding a suitable building for the classes and finding students. In the end, however, the interest the city has in FC Barcelona and the interest to learn the language provided a very motivated group of students. The issue with finding a suitable location for the classes has yet to be completely resolved. The group has met in various locations, many times in local coffee shops.

Student profile: Culé, motivated and a progressive learner

The average Catalan language student is a motivated young woman and a fan of FC Barcelona. Some of the students are thinking about continuing their studies in Barcelona, some want to visit the city, others equate the language with Barça, and a few see the classes as a social get-together.

President of the Great Wall Penya Barcelonista Xavi Roch, who also teaches Catalan language courses, says the classes have been successful: “It makes me very happy to see the students improve their level of Catalan and their knowledge of the Catalan culture. For the most part the students are at level A1 of the Common European Framework. Some of the students have advanced to level A2. The progress of the course is satisfactory, keeping in mind that many of these students are either working or are university students. There are more students of the Catalan language in Beijing than other, as some might say, more famous languages. It’s an honour to be the only ones in China offering up courses in Catalan.”

Catalan language course a la Blaugrana

The fact that so many of the students are FC Barcelona fans and the strong bond between the Club and the Catalan language and culture brings a certain Barça element to the classes. When numbers are taught, the professors use the numbers on the back of the Barça strips to illustrate their point. In addition, the Barça hymn is one of the first things learned by the students. Learning to sing and understand ‘El Cant del Barça’ is “essential” in the class.

Acknowledgment from the Generalitat de Catalunya

Ever since the Casal Català was recognised as an official Catalan Community Abroad,  the Generalitat has offered to help with counseling and the finances for the course. The Govern de la Generalitat is very aware of how important it is for people that are born outside of the Catalonia to have an interest in Catalan culture and language. The course in Beijing has served as a bridge to bring the students closer to Catalonia. More than half of the students have already visited Catalonia in part thanks to the language course they’re taking in Beijing. Currently, the course professors are helping the students earn official accredited degrees from the Generalitat.

Gerard Piqué has set up a new website at www.gerardpique.com. The Catalan defender has always been highly active in the digital world, and the new portal offers an extensive personal biography including multimedia content that has never been seen before.

The site will be keeping fans up to date with all the player’s latest news, and includes a timeline feature that details his life from 1997, with pictures of him in action both as a child and as a fully fledged professional at FC Barcelona.

Piqué site can be enjoyed in Catalan, Spanish, English and Chinese, and complements the pages that the player already has on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Foursquare and Tencent Weibo. Indeed, he was the first member of the squad to appear in the new #CampNouLive initiative that FC Barcelona has implemented to bring the players closer to their millions of fans around the world. Via a Google+ Hangout, Piqué spent half an hour chatting to supporters of different nationalities.

On #CampNouLive, Piqué expressed his conviction that social networks are now a very important means for football supporters to feel in contact with the players.

This week the club reached 39 million Facebook fans, while there are now more than 60 million people in the world that follow FC Barcelona on its different social networks.

The Club, which is the world leader of sporting institutions in the management of social networks, has launched its profile in order to offer a new service for all Barça’s members and supporters, who can exchange information in real time.

In order to see the FC Barcelona photographs, Barça fan users simply have to install the Instagram application,
which is completely free of charge, onto their smart phone or go to the website www.instagram.com/fcbarcelona.

Millions of active users

Instagram is a photographic social network for iPhones and android smartphones, which was set up in 2010 and which now has more than 100 million users who upload more than 5 million photos a day. The application’s success lies in large part in its ability to share photos via other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Hashtags such as #FCB, #FCBarcelona, #FCBlive or #Messi are frequently found on Instagram, but the Club has now launched its own - #igersFCB - to help fans feel a part of the Club and extend brand loyalty.

The Club’s Director responsible for New Technologies,

Dídac Lee, believes: “A picture is worth a thousand words. Instagram will allow us to strengthen the feeling of belonging to the Club for our supporters and help create an emotional link with the organisation. We would like our supporters to be both participants and protagonists and with their help we hope to become the world’s leading sporting organisation on Instagram”.

INSTAGRAM FC BARCELONA

1. Leo Messi wins his fourth Ballon d'Or

2. FC Barcelona - CBS '60 Minutes' report on FC Barcelona

3. Leo Messi Toon with Ballon d'Or

4. Five years on from Pedro's debut

5. David Villa out for Málaga

At a ceremony held before the kickoff of the Malaga game, FC Barcelona handed over 50,000 Euros to the Mayors of the towns in the Empordà region affected by wildfires last July. The money was distributed in line with the aid given by the Generalitat, the Catalan Parliament. It will be used to repair paths and to replace signs, street furniture and children’s play areas etc.

The ceremony was held in the anteroom to the Directors’ Box. Among those present were Club president Sandro Rosell, board members Dídac Lee and Ramon Cierco and the Mayors of the towns affected. The full list is as follows:

• The Honourable Mr. Santi Vila, Minister of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalonia
• Mr. Xavier Sanllehí, president of the Alt Empordà County Council
• Ms. Marina Gutés, 1st Deputy Mayor of Agullana
• Mr. Josep M. Bartolomé, Mayor of Avinyonet de Puigventós
• Mr. Albert Campos, Mayor of Biure
• Mr. Frederic Minobis, Mayor of Boadella d'Empordà
• Mr. Àlex Hernández, Mayor of Cabanes
• Mr. Joan Sabartés, Mayor of Cantallops
• Mr. Enrique Gironella, Mayor of Cistella
• Ms. Marta Felip, Mayor of Figueres
• Ms. Sònia Martínez, Mayor of La Jonquera
• Mr. Carles Fortiana, Mayor of Llers
• Mr. Lluís Pujol, Mayor of Masarac
• Mr. Josep Fuentes, Mayor of Pont de Molins
• Mr. Josep Guiola, Mayor of Sant Climent Sescebes
• Ms. Anna Palet, Mayor of Vilanant
• Mr. Isidre Felip, Mayor of Terrades
• Mr. Eduard Pairà, Mayor of Darnius

A benefit match

Readers are reminded that last September the Catalan Festival of Rugby was held in the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium. USAP Perpignan took on Toulouse in Barcelona in the fifth round of the French League.

However, it wasn’t just a rugby match. All the fans who filled the Olympic Stadium to overflowing on September 15th, 2012 contributed to the repair of damage caused by wildfires in Alt Empordà. FC Barcelona played a crucial role via an agreement with USAP, by agreeing to donate the proceeds collected from the sale of tickets to the ‘Tots som l'Empordà' appeal.

Narcis de Carreras, a man of liberal and Catalan nationalist ideas, had been elected Barça president by acclamation in the assembly of delegates on 17th January 1968. He gave his acceptance speech in Spanish, as was mandatory by law. A representative of the government, charged with making sure nobody violated the prohibition of speaking Catalan in public or saying anything ‘subversive’, sat at his side. However, Carreras very skilfully included a phrase that would in time become very famous to the point that it has become the hallmark of the Club.

The famous phrase of Narcis de Carreras

At one point in his speech, and who knows, perhaps glancing at the governmental representative, the new president said: "Barcelona is something more than a football club; Barcelona is more than a place of leisure where we go on a Sunday to see the team play; more than all these things, it’s a spirit rooted within us, the colours we love above all else”.

A seemingly innocuous phrase, which taken in a literal sense only meant that Barcelona fans love their club but which figuratively gave rise to another interpretation; that Barça transcended its strictly sporting significance and became a symbol of oppressed Catalan nationalism and, at the same time, the only public means of its expression.

The subsequent popularity of "More Than a Club"

The phrase went unnoticed for a few years and did not see the light of day again until October 1973, during a publicity campaign launched by Javier Coma during the World Football Day in the Camp Nou, featuring a friendly match between teams from Europe and America. The advertising for this event, inserted in the Barcelona sports press in Spanish, said: "The history, the projection and the activities of Football Club Barcelona have always positioned this organization not only well above the ups and downs of its football team, but also at a cultural and emotional level much higher than would be logical in sports club. "

A few weeks later, the slogan "We are the ones who say Barça is more than a Club" (now in Catalan) was to be the central theme of the election campaign of Agustí Montal Costa to the presidency of Barça, in December 1973, but eventually the idea was abandoned. However, from that time on, the term "Barça is more than a Club” became a popular saying, of which everyone knew the implied meaning.

In recent years the phrase has become the official motto of FC Barcelona. Thus, "More than a Club" is now present in all areas of the Club, such as in offices, the Camp Nou stands, the shirt, the website, etc. And now the phrase has extended its meaning and has become more global. Now Barça is More than a Club not only for its defence of the Catalan identity and as a factor of integration of newcomers to Catalonia, but also as a tool of social action and charity in favour of the noblest causes, as evidenced by agreements signed with UNICEF, UNHCR and UNESCO and all the work done by the FC Barcelona Foundation.

Barcelona fans around the world can now enjoy the most fascinating photos of the daily life of the Club in real time - and the response has been spectacular. The official account of FC Barcelona received more than 25,000 followers within 48 hours of its release. This means that 520 followers every hour are joining the official Club account in the world's largest photo network.

Instagram was introduced to the world of European football through the Premier League whose leading teams created their official accounts in 2012. However, in the few hours the official Barça account has been active, figures for followers are already similar to other teams in the Champions League.

Instagram, founded in 2010, has become one of the most popular social networks in the world with over 100 million users and more than five million photographs uploaded every day.

Contest # igersFCB

To coincide with the opening of the account, the Club has organized a contest to showcase the commitment of Barça instagramers. Users who wish to participate should take pictures of anything related to the Club - its teams, its identity and values - and share them on Instagram. To indicate participation in the contest, users have to type tag # igersFCB at the time of publication in the comments section of your photos. The competition is free and you don’t need to register on any other application except Instagram. The contest is valid for all photos taken and uploaded on Instagram by 23.59 on Monday 21st January.

The Club will choose three winners from among the 10 most voted photos, according to their aesthetic and photographic value and relevance to the theme of the contest. The prize for the three winners is a FC Barcelona shirt and a special ticket to the Camp Nou for the match between FC Barcelona and Osasuna on 27th January 2013, the first time a live match featuring FC Barcelona will be followed on Instagram from the account of FC Barcelona.

INSTAGRAM FC BARCELONA

1.Leo Messi with his four Ballon d'Or in Camp Nou

2.The best formative goals of the weekend

3. FC Barcelona - Barça has launched its official profile on Instagram

4. FC Barcelona Legend: The goals of Samuel Eto'o (First part)

5. 20 players in Anoeta squad

Bonus track: Musical clip with Leo Messi with his four Ballon d'Or

The ticket petition process for the AC Milan-FC Barcelona Champions League match closed this Monday at 19.00. Barça members asked for a total of 1,054 tickets. Every member that asked for a ticket will be able to watch the match live in Milan.

There will be no drawing for tickets this Tuesday seeing that the Club had a total of 5,210 tickets available. Tickets are priced at 33€.

@alinaiatiuc, @itotti69 and @pol1983 are the the winners of the #igersFCB contest that FC Barcelona launched to celebrate the debut of its official Instagram (www.instagram.com/fcbarcelona) account. @alinaiatiuc is an ‘instagramer’ from Moldova who garnered the most votes in the contest, @itotti69’s photo depicts the intersection of new technology and barcelonismo, and @pol1983 shared a photo of his FC Barcelona jersey collection with the city of Barcelona as a backdrop.

The 10 photos that received the most votes from January 15 through the 20th reached the final stage of the contest. From this point, FC Barcelona selected the three winning photos from the 10 finalists. Barça selected the photos based on aesthetic and graphic value in addition to how well the photo conveyed the Club’s values.

The contest marked the debut of FC Barcelona’s official account on Instagram. Since its launch last week, the account has accrued nearly 40,000 followers.

Barça’s official Instagram account joins the Club’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google and Tencent Weibo accounts.