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Katrina's devastation of New Orleans was BSM (before social media). It's hard to think that we lived during a period of time without social networking, but only 4 years ago Facebook was barely one year old, and Twitter was yet to be inked out on a restaurant napkin.

Since Web 2.0 is now passing its 5th year anniversary, there is enough data to assess just how much of an impact social media has had on our lives. While there are still those who believe it's nothing more than a passing fancy, a fad, the Studio 54 of our day...one cannot deny the numbers. Statistics don't lie and Kagan, Fisch, McLeod & Qualman are here to prove it so!

How can a brand maximize its exposure in the social media space. Juggling one's presence and opportunities with the top social networks is an arduous task that takes time and know-how, two commodities we are so often lacking in today's Attention Economy.

Apple, Apple, Apple! Like Marsha from The Brady Bunch, it always seems like Apple gets all the attention. Even when its quiet! Yes, without one single PowerPoint presentation from Steve Jobs or even a whiff of a press release, Apple is out there front and center churning up the rumor mill!  The latest fodder to hit the digital airwaves is a reported social media app that will simultaneously connect various social networks and integrate with iTunes.

Remember when Comic Books fit neatly in your back pocket ...available for quick access while on the go. Well its a new millennium, and print has gone digital. Now your Comics and Graphic Novels are even more accessible on a mobile platform of your choice.

Fast on the heels of acquiring FriendFeed, Facebook is about to roll-out Facebook Lite. As a quasi-Twitter platform, one can only wonder if it comes with half the calories but allows for more characters per morsel? If Twitter is your micro-blogging maincourse du jour, what could Facebook possibly be offering to alter your diet?

Obama promised transparency during his presidential campaign. He is keeping that promise with the current push to lock up legislation on healthcare reform by using social media as his communication tool of choice. A strong proponent of social networking for the 21st Century, the Whitehouse reaches out to the 'wisdom of crowds!' to place the debate front and center.

When the GLBT community launches their social network in 2010, do you think the name "Queerbook" is an appropriate handle? Reece W. Manley, the founder thinks so as he has registered trademarks for Queerbook.com and Queerbook.net, in addition to establishing their logo.

With the DDoS Twitter attack fresh on our minds, one has to wonder who is utilizing social media for anti-social reasons. Could our enemies be covertly watching our every move in the Twitterverse, awaiting to seize an opportunity to use the free-flowing firehose of information for ulterior motives and surprise us again with another denial-of-service ambush?

A cyber-attack, a lone blogger and a little known country in Russia were responsible for our Ferris Bueller day off from Twitter this week. People had to resort to the antiquated twentieth century source for the news, the newspaper! And the lives of the Twitterati were put on hiatus for hours on end! On August 5,  'DDoS', 'Cyxymu' and 'South Ossetia' meant nothing to the average Twitter user. Today, we know a little more about blocking social networks and political friction back in the USSR!

Want to view the latest fashion trends direct from the streets of Japan's major cities to your computer screen? It's an open and clothes case, thanks to Fashionsnap.

With the Iranian Election protests and the Big Brother governmental control of China, we are familiar with some of the bans of social networking around the globe. But what about in our own backyard? Why are some organizations and corporations choosing to block sites like Twitter and Facebook right here in the US? This is a list of the top five bans that exist today in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

What is a Denial of Service Attack and how did it wreak havoc across the Twitterverse on Thursday AM, August 6, 2009!

With Kevin Spacey's "Social Network" movie about Facebook scheduled to start production later this year, was it any wonder that "Twitter, the Movie" could be far behind? The microblogging site that scaled from a podcasting company in the South Park suburbs of San Francisco to changing the world in a 140 characters or less will grace the small and large screens in March of 2010 as a documentary, aptly titled "Twittamentary."

The difficult thing about traveling is finding the right hotel in the right city at the right price! But equally important is securing a hotel you can trust - one that has been recommended by others.

Ottawa inventor Geoffry Maseruka has created a unique way to help other inventors improve their marketing by actually getting their new inventions on store shelves!

Something has to be up when Google, salt of the Internet decides to use an antiquated form of 'push marketing' (namely billboards) to spread the word? It appears Google is desperate to be taken seriously in the corporate world, where customers remain reluctant to switch from Microsoft’s desktop Office Suite in favour of a cloudier option such as Google Apps. So Google is taking it to the street with outdoor advertising.

Remember the days of 'push marketing', when the Mad Men of Madison Avenue monopolized what messages were beamed out to the public. Feeding us manageable morsels of propaganda about the brands they represented, they controlled a lot of what we ate, drank, and yes... even what we thought.

As legacy newspapers continue to seek out new ways to survive beyond their antiquated twentieth century business model, the Wall Street Journal has strapped on some big guns in an attempt to build a name in the Wild West terrain of Web 2.0. Leaked rumors indicate its jonesing for a mano-a-mano duel with LinkedIn in an attempt to attract some of that business network's 15 million monthly netizens.

Barnes & Noble just became my best friend.  With the addition of cafés serving yummy chocolate treats and Starbucks coffee, it was on its way; but going WiFi, all network WiFi... there's just no competition.  And then there's the new free e-gadget.....