Announcements

While Google Analytics is ubiquitous for tracking Web site traffic, it lacks in real-time analytics.  Similar to how real-time search escaped Google's grasp until it's recent partnership deals with Twitter and Facebook, the grand-daddy of search engines hasn't yet been able to put its collective brain trust around real-time web stats.

Foursquare, the young-upstart, game-like location-based social network has gained a lot of traction not only for its unique geolocation services, but also from the 'freebies' Mayors can obtain competitively on its API. 2010 is going to be the year of geo-targeting and unless Twitter and Facebook make their move and out maneuver the little guy, Foursquare may dominate the world of location-based commerce.

With the economy rebounding, is there any surprise that the world of social media might be primed to take a run on the stock markets? While a 140 banks were forced to close in '09, 140 characters became the digerati's new mantra. Where were you when Google and Apple went public? Sitting on the sidelines? Might be time to keep your ear to ground and listen to the growing digital drumbeats signifying that IPOs could be right around the bend.

To celebrate 'World Hypnotism Day' on January 4, 2010 at 8:30PM GMT, British hypnotist Chris Hughes plans to hypnotize a record number of the Twitterati and Facebookers by simply broadcasting his voice via Twitter and Facebook.

Compared to other countries in the Middle East, the Iranian people have a high level of political maturity and an organized popular movement for democratic socio-political change. So why do Iranians continue to revolt on the blogosphere and the streets of Tehran?

Eating the right meal on New Year's Eve or Day could lead to good fortune. For centuries, people all over the world have noshed on certain foods that are thought to bring them luck on New Year's. Traditions vary per country, but it appears that if one follows the folklore, you can become what you eat on New Year's.

The mystery of a missing mom's disappearance on December 6 could have been ripped from a screenplay out of a Law & Order TV episode. Strange disappearance of a 28-year Susan Powell while husband Josh Powell takes toddlers camping in a wintery Utah desert the night she disappeared.

Just as soon as secret rumors caught fire that Apple's soon-to-be released "tablet," will now be released under the new name, "iSlate," a fresh wave of rumors have hit the digital airwaves. Apparently,  Google has released RFPs (Request For Proposal) to several hardware companies including two prominent computer manufacturers in Asia to launch their new netbook. While these two titans battle it out for marketshare, will Kindle and other PDA (personal digital assistant) devices just sit on sidelines?

If there is one coffee maker that has kept up with the times, it's Eight O'Clock Coffee. I guess like their slogan, "it's always 8 o'clock somewhere!" this coffee company feels that social media is as ubiquitous as a cup of Joe.

With the recent release of "Avatar," the world of 3-D viewing has once again become part of our zeitgeist. Unknown to many, 3-D films have had a long history dating as far back as the 1890s. However due to costly hardware, the technical processes and a lack of standardized formatting, the popularity of 3-D films that emerged in the 1950s waned over the years. That is... until today.

A recent Mashable report couldn't have been more on target when it recognized YouTube as the top social media innovation of the decade. That social media tool in the able of hands of  Mohsen Sazegara, an opposition activist is being used as a military resource to rebel against Iranian tyranny that has swept the land since the disputed presidential elections held back in June. Like David versus Goliath, this is a classic tale of choosing the right weaponry.

The latest generation of Kindle was released in October. In November, Amazon’s Kindle broke sales records as the hottest item on holiday gift lists. My holiday blog titled "Kindle vs Nook & Sony e-Reader For The Holidays!" exceeded over 70,000 page-views. On Christmas day,  Amazon's Kindle hit an unprecedented milestone in the publishing history - it sold more Kindle books than physical books.

The acronym FML became a pervasive meme to mark the year 2009. Some of us might have escaped its grasp, but apparently a good number of folks used it as a crutch to describe their overt preoccupation with how much life sucks!

2010 is going to be the year of the location-based services. While Location-based social networks made inroads in 2009, nothing will compare to the anticipated growth this coming year. In the last twelve months, we have seen the rise of  several location based start-ups, Foursquare, Gowalla and Brightkite are a just a few of the exciting apps out there. Yet, until now, the bigger players have held back.

In addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, there are other celebrations that are honored during the holiday season.The Winter Solstice occurs on December 21 each year in the Northern Hemisphere. But what about that other holiday gaining in popularity called "Festivus."

Soon kids ages 6-12 will have their own social network according to Smart Kids Group Inc., a global provider of children's digital education and entertainment. A site called, "Live At The Hive" will launch with specialized content within a safe community that can be supervised by parents.

There is so much buzz about Apple's new "tablet" launch in the Spring that you have to wonder what it will look like. True to Steve Jobs' 'trademark" of keeping his products a mystery until they officially launch, only a select group of designers and executives at Apple know exactly what design was selected for the device.

A new wrinkle in Holiday Shopping. One the hottest location-based social networks on the market today just added Augmented Reality to one's holiday shopping experience. Just point your smartphone's camera toward any shopping area and view more than you bargained for.

Rumors are running rampant that Google is closing in on a potential acquisition of Yelp. Why would the Search Engine Giant consider such a move? Might a small savvy start-up like Foursquare be in its cross-hairs?

There is so much activity in the location-based social network space with even Facebook and Twitter jumping into the fray. Companies like Foursquare, Gowalla and Brightkite are getting a lot of attention with successful rounds of funding added to their coffers.