Fight Over Flight: Finding Online Entrepreneurs in a Frightening Economy - Cory Treffiletti - MediaBizBlogger

As the world turns and our environment continues to evolve, our natural human instincts kick in to high gear. The most fundamental human instinct is the "fight or flight" response, which is hard-wired into our brains and is intended to save us in moments of acute stress. As the economy rumbles along on its roller-coaster ride, many people are experiencing a plethora of acute stresses, and their fight or flight response is expressing itself in a unique and positive manner.

According to GOOGLE TRENDS (http://www.google.com/trends) on Saturday, March 7, the number one hot trend being searched for was "get educated." That simple query translates to an expression of the fight or flight responses for many people searching to broaden their skill sets and uncover ways to transform their careers in the face of the increasing unemployment rate and the loss of so many jobs. That most fundamental instinct is forcing people to fight for their careers and find new ways to generate income rather than sticking their heads in the sand and waiting for someone else to find the solution. It is this resilience that makes the human race strong and seeing it in action is a motivating sign of hope; hope for a stable future.

This edition of the Round-Up is dedicated to those individuals, just like you, who have an unwavering thirst for knowledge. Maybe some of the companies we uncovered in this edition will spark an epiphany for you and result in a new idea that will create or sustain an important business.

If you're looking to uncover knowledge, one great way to do that is by monitoring Twitter through TWEETDECK (http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/). I'm not a fan of many downloadable applications, but TweetDeck is a super easy way to keep track of your Twitter feed as well as replies and trends in the Twitter universe. It links out to TWITSCOOP (http://www.twitscoop.com/) which is another trend-watching tool for Twitter that I like. It helps you understand what's going on in this environment, and is quickly becoming a necessary option.

If you're a blogger and you're trying to understand your audience and what they do on your site, try out the new TRACER from TYNT (http://www.tynt.com/). At first glance it may not make sense, but apparently 2% of web users will copy and paste content from your site to share with others and the Tracer tool allows you to keep track of it. When they post the content into a document or email, it creates a full link that can be traced back to your site, which is actually a very cool idea. I was impressed!

If you're searching for a website creation tool and you are tired of Wordpress, check out WETPAINT (http://www.wetpaint.com/). They offer another way to create a site, or to add the social media components of WetPaint to your existing site. If you're looking for more of a wiki-esque site, check out WIKISPACES (http://www.wikispaces.com/) as another option for quick and easy web development.

And last but not least, we uncovered a gem of a service this week called CARBONITE (http://www.carbonite.com/) which offers a web-based automated back-up tool for your computer. It costs $50 per year, but it's worth every single penny to have that peace of mind!

As for the world of iPhone Applications, check out the MOVIES app from Flixster as a way to find out when Watchmen is playing (as if you will be seeing anything else this week). For a branded application, check out the WATCHMEN app itself. Also, take a peek at the KINDLE app for iPhone if you're an avid reader.

Cheers to those who are hungry for knowledge and thanks for reading the Round Up!