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2008 has been an interesting year for the online environment and Web 2.0. With a strong trend towards traffic on Social Media and Social Networking sites this year, the emphasis is moving away from websites ruled by technology, to owners and users interacting with these websites, and uploading their own content. We're seeing massive changes in how users interact with the internet, and with their communications devices, through Social Media and Social Networking sites

Top 5 Movers and Shakers in the online space in 2008:

	#1 - Barack Obama uses Web 2.0 to great effect - an avid blogger, Twitter'er, and Facebooker, Obama was truly able to tap into mass market America by using these technologies which are increasingly familiar to Gen-X and Gen-Y'ers, and more than ever Gen-Z'ers (yes, we know they can't vote yet!). Spending Millions on his campaign has paid off for Obama as he sees a phenomenal result - take note of the biggest ever Web 2.0 campaign Read this blog post for more details on his campaign.
	#2 - Facebook witnesses phenomenal growth - in May '07 Facebook reached 26.5 million users worldwide. In December '08 that number reached 140 million. There are 4 million+ members in Australia alone. Take a look at more mind-boggling Facebook stats
	#3 - Apple launches the iPhone, and revolutionise mobile / internet technology convergence (finally!). Rumours abound of development by Apple of a follow-up device - a larger, more laptop-like iPhone, to be released mid-2009)
	#4 - Google Local Business Results - last year Google modified their Search Algorithms dramatically to favour local relevance. The integration of Google Maps and Google Search results is, and will even more in 2009, moving the internet from a global information tool, to a localised platform with relevant results from your area. In 2008, these were largely powered by Is your business listed? Find out here
	#5 - YouTube continues to grow exponentially - with over 28% of the entire internet user base tuning in to videos at least once a week, YouTube is a massive online asset. Time spent daily viewing videos online increased 46% year-on-year in 2008. Expect this trend to continue as more sites generate content and embed video in their websites. And expect an effective video advertising model to appear on YouTube in 2009.