Twitter is an excellent tool for sharing news. It has the power to turn topics viral, which can be very helpful for bringing publicity to a company or Twitter page. It can also bring a lot of traffic to businesses. When topics go viral on Twitter and are creating a buzz, they are known as trending topics.

For those who are not familiar with Twitter trending topics, they are breaking news that people are sharing and commenting on. A “#” may appear in front of the phrase or word, those are called hashtags, which categorize it into a topic that people can converse about it. It is a great way to promote your page.

They are listed on the right side of the Twitter homepage where the timeline appears. It can also be localized, rather than having a list of trending topics worldwide, Twitter allows users to narrow down the topics to local areas, so users can see what is going on in other countries.

Here is a list of examples for some of the trending topics in early 2011:

• #swineflu – for Swine Flu
• Cairo – capital of Egypt
• #prayforjapan – sentiment following the March earthquake and tsunami
• Libia/Libya – site of an ongoing civil war
• Fukushima – Japanese nuclear power plant
• William & Kate – Newly-named Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
• Gadafi – Libyan political leader

Here are some topics relating to pop culture:

• Rebecca Black – pop singer of the song “Friday”
• Femme Fatale – newly-released Britney Spears album
• Charlie Sheen – actor from Two and A Half Men
• #tigerblood – hashtag made popular by Charlie Sheen
• Nate Dogg – rap artist
• Queen Gaga – referring to artist Lady Gaga

Here are a few for the end of the year that highlights some of the key events that took place recently:

• #London Riot- For the riots that happened in London
• #OccupyWallstreet- for what’s taking place in Wallstreet
• #Irene- for Hurrican Irene
• #VMA- For Beyonce’s news about her pregnancy
• #Thingslongerthankimsmarriage- from Kim Kardashian’s news on divorce
• #osamadead, #osamabinladen, #osama- Osama Bin ladens death

And of course, one that got so many reactions:

• #RIPStevejobs, #SteveJobs, #iHeaven, #iSad, #ThankyouSteve- for the passing of Steve Jobs

When Hurricane Irene hit in late August, #Irene became a popular hashtag and received over 1 million tweets that were related to the hurricane. TGDaily said it was a weak storm but a social media superstorm.

Trending topics are excellent way to follow news and keep updated on events. It is also a great way to share thoughts relating to that topic. It can lead to debate or even bring out a project to help others. An example would be the riots that took place in London. After the riots, a #riotcleanup hashtag was started which led to a Twitter page devoted to helping those affected by the riots.

Twitter was the first to report Osama bin Laden’s death, even before President Obama’s broadcast. Country singer Keith Urban tweeted hearing about the death from a credible source and soon after Twitter was receiving over 4000 tweets per second.

Twitter trending topics are very useful for promoting an event or any news in general. It is important to promote your hashtag so users will know the official hashtag for whatever it is that is being promoted and can join  in on the conversation.

The article Top Twitter Trends 2011: Impact of Twitter Trending Topics appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

While not many may be aware of it, a new, controversial and well-developing branch of marketing called neuromarketing is forming and affecting consumers. What exactly it is, how big influence it has for our shopping decisions and what dangers brings to the retail world is not so obvious yet, but this topic is worth of reflection.

Neuromarketing is the study of how people’s brains respond to advertising and other marketing stimuli by scientifically monitoring brainwave activity, heart rate, eye tracking, skin responses and body language. The goal is to translate these responses into human emotions, thinking styles to understand customer reactions for different stimulus.

Adding to ideological values like higher needs, ethical rules, taste specialists have possibility to create a desirable product that satisfies customers fully.

There are basic tools used in neormarketing analysis like ƒMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), which measures changes in brain activity and EEG (ElectroEncephaloGraphy), which measures activity in specific parts of the brain and Sensors measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, the skin’s response to stimuli, and tracking eye movement.

So far, the most popular studies about neuromarketing have been done by Dr. Read Montague, a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, Director of the Human Neuroimaging Lab, and Director of the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience.

The test arranged by Dr. Montague was called “the Pepsi Paradox” and was inspired by a series of TV commercials from the 70s and 80s, in which people were asked to take “the Pepsi Challenge.” In the commercial’s blind taste test, Pepsi was usually the winner. However, in Dr. Montague’s study, 75 percent preferred Coke.

Even though the respondents knew what they were drinking, Montague noticed activity in the prefrontal cortex, indicating higher thought processes, and concluded that respondents were associating the drink with positive images and branding messages from Coke commercials.

Martin Lindstrom a 2009 recipient of TIME Magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Influential People” and trusted advisor for top executives in numerous Fortune 100 companies including PepsiCo, McDonald’s Corporation and American Express also found out interesting facts about this topic and documented them in the book Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.

He proved that warning labels on cigarette packages stimulate activity in a brain area associated with craving, even though respondents claimed that the warnings were effective. He noticed that images of dominant brands, such as iPod, stimulate the same part of the brain activated by religious symbols.

There are a lot of controversies surrounding this topic as well. Skeptics claim that neuromarketing can manipulate consumers by using levels of fear or stimulating positive responses. Practitioners argue that such precise manipulation is impossible and unnecessary. They believe that neuromarketing only seeks how and why customers develop relationships with products, brands, and the company itself.

Said Godin who is American bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change concludes the topic in a blog spot in short well matching description: “Just like every powerful tool, the impact comes from the craftsman, not the tool. Marketing has more reach, with more speed, than it has ever had before.

With less money, you can have more impact than anyone could have imagined just ten years ago. The question, one I hope you’ll ask yourself, is what are you going to do with that impact.”

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