It’s no secret that MySpace has been struggling the past few months. To put their decline into perspective, this time last year they had about twice the traffic they currently have. But MySpace isn’t going down without a fight, with new front man Justin Timberlake on board. Timberlake recently had this to say when asked about MySpace’s plans for the future:

“I can’t tell you, because then that would ruin when I get to tell you about it. But suffice it to say, it’s going to be what it should have been.”

Biz Stone, one of the original founders of Twitter, is stepping down in from his day to day role with the company to focus on a new venture with two other Twitter titans, Evan Williams and Jason Goldman. The highly talented trio have resurrected The Obvious Corporation, the company that once spawned Twitter. Stone had this to say about Obvious on his blog: “I'm thrilled to announce that Evan Williams, Jason Goldman and myself will be relaunching The Obvious Corporation as co-founders. Our plan is to develop new projects and work on solving big problems aligned along a simple mission statement: The Obvious Corporation develops systems that help people work together to improve the world.”

…It would be the world’s 3rd largest. I’m sure many of you have seen this video, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to share it with you, in case you haven’t seen this yet. It really speaks to the power of social media, and shows just what a force it has become in recent years. Here are just a few eye-opening facts from this amazing video, aptly titled “Social Media Revolution”:

-Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old

-A new member joins LinkedIn every second

-Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Britney Spears have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Sweden, Israel, Greece, Chile, North Korea, and Australia

-50% of all Internet traffic in the UK is for Facebook

-Over 37 million people viewed Volkswagen’s Darth Vader Super Bowl ad on YouTube

In today’s modern age, technology is having a profound impact on every industry – allowing the gears of commerce to turn more efficiently. Between mobile devices and social media, today’s technology is also revolutionizing the way we communicate, interact, and shop. While the immediate impact this technology is having seems profound, only time will tell just what type of impact that mobile devices and social media will have on society in general. In the long term, innovations like these can have a ripple effect that lasts decades and even centuries. Many innovations, whether they intend to or not, have the unique ability of impacting other industries in unforeseen ways, and alter the course of progress.

I’m sure many of you have seen the ridiculous Old Spice commercials starring former football player, Isaiah Mustafa. Between Isaiah’s charm and charisma, and the hilariously absurd scene changes and props, these amazing commercials have had a profound impact on the market. While the TV commercials have been highly successful, Old Spice has followed through with a social media campaign that has been equally effective.

There’s a common misconception that social media is a tool meant primarily for the younger generations to utilize. While it is true, social media is used quite extensively by today’s youth, they are not the only segment of the population that has caught the social media bug. In the past few years, various studies have indicated that Baby Boomers who surf the web are engaging in social media in record numbers.

A report from eMarketer shows that Baby Boomer participation in social media swelled to 47.5% in 2009.To put that into perspective, it was closer to 32% in 2008. It would appear that Facebook is reaping the rewards of this social explosion, as 74% of Boomers have a Facebook page. For Boomers online, Facebook is the clear social media champion, as only 13% claim to use Twitter and LinkedIn. Another more recent study from the UK shows that 1 in 5 grandparents use social media, and also reflects a similar proclivity for using Facebook, as 71% preferred it over Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s also noteworthy that nearly 90% of all seniors who use social media use Facebook – a staggering number.

Over the past few decades technology has improved by leaps and bounds, impacting nearly every aspect of life. As computers and mobile devices continue to evolve, the role technology plays in our lives seems to be increasingly significant. From monitoring the engines in our cars, to helping businesses run more efficiently, technology has permeated and influenced nearly every aspect of human existence. But one aspect that has been tremendously impacted by today’s technology is our ability to communicate with one another. Social media in particular has revolutionized the way we interact with one another, a fact not lost on Apple.

As many of my fellow entrepreneurs begin to use social media to help expand their business and connect with their customers, some will encounter peculiarities that might be confusing at first. One common item you will encounter as you delve deeper into the realm of social networking is the # symbol. The # symbol, which many of you know as the number sign or the pound symbol, is actually known as a hashtag in the digital world. Hashtags are placed in front of keywords to help organize groups or topics. Hashtags make it easier for people to follow conversations, and are used to determine what topics are “trending,” which is another important concept. Trending essentially describes a word or topic that has been tweeted multiple times, i.e. something that is popular. So let’s say its Game 7 of the World Series – the type of topics that you would expect to “trend” well that day would be #baseball or #worldseries. If you tweet something like: “I can’t wait for the #worldseries tonight!” – you would be able to click on #worldseries to see all the other tweets that included that tag – making it easier to connect with those who want to discuss the same topic. Essentially, hashtags help to sort topics, and make them easier to search for.

To be fully successful, entrepreneurs must utilize all of the tools at their disposal to maximize opportunities. Viral videos and social networking sites might just be the tools you need to help push your business to the next level. As a way to help grow and develop your UnFranchise business, my amazing wife, Loren, created a set of powerful new viral videos. These videos take a comprehensive look at the industry’s only Cashback program with no annual fee, and are a great tool for explaining the program to potential customers.

From our revolutionary Cashback program that pays people to shop, to our ability to generate residual income for aspiring entrepreneurs, Market America has always stood out as a truly one of a kind company. But without question, our most important and unique commodity has always been our people. Our ability to connect customers with highly-knowledgeable Shop Consultants has allowed Market America to stand out in the crowd. With a person behind every web portal, Market America provides a personal touch to high-tech shopping. Our Shop Consultants interact with customers online and by phone, providing valuable insight, and ultimately helping them to find the right products and services. They act as personal shopping gurus, pampering our customers and ensuring that Market America delivers an unmatched online shopping experience. Market America has thrived by providing customers with the personal touch of a Shop Consultant, and now it would appear that other companies are beginning to catch on.