Trends

Apparently there's no end to what can be deep-fried.  Just ask state fair concession chefs... or anyone who's ever been to a state fair.  Texas, not just king of barbecue, but ultimate connoisseur of deep fry, has a contest at its state fair, where concessionaires compete every year for best deep-fried concoction.  Stand aside heart valves: here comes deep-fried butter.

Fox TV is the first major network to strike a deal with Twitter to follow tweets while viewing two of their popular dramas. This is an innovative tactic by Fox to attract an audience to watch repeats, programming that tends to draw in low numbers on the Nielsen ratings! Hence the birth of tweet-peats!

Joining the likes of the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, the Pope, and the five million pageviews of Dave Carroll's "United Breaks Guitars", Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has launched his own channel on YouTube to grab the attention of the youthful Digerati in his country.

What is the significance of 09/09/09 and why is there this slow simmering buzz about it? Well for one, its the last of the single digit dates for this millennium. Next year, we move to double digits with 10/10/10, and September 09,3009 isn't due for another 1000 years.

Twitsnaps is the leading photo-sharing app on Twitter. Its advanced search, ratings program and 'Hall of Fame' are just a few of the unique features that attracts users to Twitsnaps, over Twitpic and some of the other competitive APIs in this field. Now with its Happy Hour Contest promo rolling out, it will once again distinguish itself from the pack by rewarding users for sharing their photos online via Twitter.

Twitter, like death and taxes is sort like the "great leveler." Sport figures, celebs and the average Joe's of this world can all co-exist in an environment as equals and communicate with each other in a non-threatening and open way. Well, maybe not at the US Open?

Its important to be aware of your surroundings and suspicious activity at all times,whether you are crossing a highly trafficked street in Manhattan or posting your profile to a social network. All the same rules apply and then some. Letting our guard down online creates greater risks as an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' on social networks with people they don't really know.

What if Santa Claus' identity was revealed when his cookie trail exposed his exact whereabouts on Christmas Eve? This would not only take all the fun and wonderment out of Christmas, it would be providing too much information for too many inquiring minds.

Did you hare? Japan's Bunny Petting Cafe is the best thing in ears, and that's fur certain!

As was witnessed recently with the Iranian Twitter Revolution and the protesters making their voices heard on Twitter and Facebook this past June, the Arab World is embracing social media in an impacting way. Now more important than ever, the Middle East is involved in open dialogue, no matter what risks may be incurred as a result.

Labeled A-Hole Foods by some, an army of bloggers have taken to full battle gear ever since John Mackey's op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal on August 12, 2009. Triggering significant backlash, Whole Foods may have a hard time overcoming a social media nightmare spurred on by their leader.

This cured crocodile foot comes in your choice of 5 pleasing colors. It also comes in handy when you want to send a message but don't have any severed horse heads around.

Ben Franklins for Freezers? Dollars for Dishwashers? Coin for Central Air? or Cash for Appliances? Whatever you'd like to call it, after the overwhelming success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program, the next government incentive to save consumers money will debut as early as this fall. However on this go around, you will receive rebates for the purchase of new Energy Star-qualified home appliances.

There's lots of talk about the Twitter Effect and how it can make or break a movie. When it came to Bruno & GI Joe- thumbs down! In the case of Inglorious Basterds and District 9 -thumbs up! If Twitter has this effect on improving movie ticket sales, do we even need critics anymore?

Remember in the days of Mad Men, when  Grandma and Mom use to cut those store coupons out of the newspaper and strategically categorize them for redemption when they  went shopping. That popular form of advertising was for the cost-conscious generation that had lived through two World Wars and a Depression.

What does Fred Figglehorn, Val's Art Gallery and a battle between a pride of lions and a herd of buffalo have in common? They are videographers and their subsequent YouTube productions that have produced thousands of revenue dollars  as a result  of them going viral and enduring interest over time by attracting millions of YouTube visitors.

It all started in 2008 when Sony rolled out its "Reading Revolution,"  to spark the imaginations of young readers and engage the public in digital reading. However somehow along the way, Sony lost its steam and Amazon's Kindle seized the moment to become the dominant force in the burgeoning e-Reader industry. Now late in 2009, the Sony Reader is re-engaging its marketing prowess to beat down its competitor and regain prominence.

The infamous 'United Breaks Guitars' video that went viral with over 5.2 million views is now receiving some push back from an airline branding company. SimpliFlying, an international marketing firm based out of Singapore has filmed their own editorial video to provide United Airlines with some useful social media tips as to how to counter this negative publicity.

Listening to music on your MP3 player... in the shower? It's more likely than you think, thanks to the Pomme MP3 Bath Speaker.