2008 has been a pivotal year in our world. Just think about it: in the course of 12 months, we've experienced the most incredible Olympics ever in China... the rebirth of Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin... a wave of Obama-mania which resulted in the first African-American president-elect in our history... and a huge economic upheaval that is {{even now}} redefining our entire economic structure.

Not only do these events impact our everyday world, but they also have huge ramifications for the digital world where we all spend so much of our time...

• Barack Obama's New Media Department uses online marketing in politics... and it works! By using digital media to keep in touch with his supporters {{using an e-blast to announce his vice-presidential choice, and advertising heavily online - even posting ads on video games}}, Obama created a team dedicated to new media and social networking... and completely redefined what it means to campaign for political office. Thanks, Team Obama!
• Google releases updated Analytics code. Just when we thought Google couldn't get any more impressive, they released an updated version of Analytics in October. With more reporting options and more flexible ways to view data, Google has made their easy-to-use tools even easier to use!
• Touchscreens and iPhone SDK info proliferates. Okay, you have to admit it: touchscreen phones are just cool, and we're happy to see that all cell carriers are now offering them. What's better than that? How about the fact that Apple released SDK information in March? What that means is that mobile content creation is now in the hands of creative types {{like us}} to develop applications for the iPhone.
• Hulu appears on the horizon. Watch out, YouTube; a new player is in town - literally.  The video sharing site, Hulu, has already seen huge growth in 2008. Jumping from 88 million videos viewed in May to 235 million videos viewed in October, this trend is just the tip of the iceberg.  The videos are quality, the site is easy to navigate, and as online-video soars in popularity, we think this trend will keep its momentum well into 2009.
• Social Networking is for everyone. In 2008, we've seen a significant rise in social networking among the middle age demographic. Between October of 2007 and June of 2008, Facebook experienced substantial growth with 35-54 year olds: in just nine months, this segment grew 172.9%... proving that social networking isn't just for teens.