In the social networking arms race, without a doubt Facebook and Myspace are the leading contenders. But now, at least on a global stage, it looks like a definitive leader between the two giants has emerged, with Facebook claiming double the visitors of Myspace.

Reported by TechCrunch, according to a new data report from comScore Facebook drew more than 200 million unique visitors in the month of December compared to Myspace’s number, just over 100 million. Just six months ago Facebook and Myspace were tied around 100 million visitors, but Facebook’s numbers shot up at a rate of 10.8 percent per month on the global scale while Myspace stayed stagnant.

In the U.S., Myspace still leads, but has not grown its visitor numbers for most of the year. Facebook, on the other hand, has been increasing at a rate around 3.8 percent each month so while Myspace is currently the leader, it won’t be for long if the trend continues. By the end of this year, Facebook should have a lead over Myspace in the U.S., in addition to absolutely trouncing Myspace worldwide.

The CNN-Microsoft project to create a commemorative 3D portrait of the presidential inauguration is live, and you can view it here. Using Microsoft’s Photosynth technology, the joint venture is designed to capture the historical event by stitching together digital photos shared by anyone who was there. The Photosynth software, part of Microsoft’s Virtual Earth software group, lets users create “synths”-3-dimensional renderings of multiple images of the same scene. Users can rotate and view the synths from many angles. The more photos supplied, the better the 3D effect.

The inauguration synth makes for an interesting view. The multiple vantage points do give the viewer a better sense of what the event must have been like live. Navigational arrows appear on screen, making it easy to move between photos, which Photosynth melds together, albeit not always seamlessly. You can rotate images as well. The effect is jarring at times, particularly if you’re prone to motion sickness, but the overall effect is pretty cool.

The real-time aspect of the inauguration synth is a lot of fun. A couple hours after the swearing-in, for instance, the 3D portrait had just a handful of long-range shots of the event. Within minutes, however, more photos were added, including several close-ups of Obama taking the oath of office. The CNN-Microsoft is an intriguing experiment in citizen journalism that may have a bright future.