My weekly update of what’s going on in new media marketing, pulled from social bookmarking site Creativing.com:

Why Things Become Unpopular

A look at how trends rise and fall in popular culture. The assertion is that the faster something goes up, the faster it comes down. And while that’s not always the case (The Beatles, the iPhone, Google), I think the general population is often rightfully suspicious of things that feel trendy.

Web Designer Help 30 Stunning Text Based Logos

Many of these are essentially concrete poems. I’m a fan of simplicity in communication, which these have.

The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras

Forrester puts out a lot of great research. This is a simple breakdown of social media trends, half of which we’re already seeing. Something as powerful as Facebook Connect can induce speculation in a lot of directions. According to Forrester, all of this is leading towards social commerce. Whether it’s because we trust our friends recommendations, or that we share similiar interests with our friends, I don’t think there’s any doubt that friendships will be at the center of a lot more commerce in the future.

Dutch muggers caught on Google street view camera

A rough story with a good ending. As every street corner seems to have a camera on it, this type of thing should accelerate. It’s also a great case study for security companies hoping to sell more surveillance cams.

User economy v. consumer economy

It’s interesting to see examples of the trend towards renting vs. owning show up in the physical world. This practice is already in full swing in the software world (Google Apps, Rhapsody, Basecamp), and now people are asking why they should buy a product like a drill, which they’ll use about 12 times in their life, when their neighborhood is full of people who’ve already bought one. Makes sense.

10 Great Implementations of Facebook Connect

I’ve been talking a lot about Facebook Connect. If you’re not entirely clear on how it can be used, Mashable has put together some good examples.

Killer Facebook Fan Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies

On a related theme to the above post, Mashable lays out 5 examples of companies they feel are using Facebook effectively. The main point is to be active in genuine ways. From there, the relationship can be extended in different directions, through a range of creative tactics. My favorite example is Red Bull. They’ve posted the recordings of people who’ve drunk dialed the corporate phone number on their cans.

“Inane and Half-Baked” Twitter Is the Forrest Gump of International Relations

You couldn’t ask for a better case stufy for Twitter’s power than the Iranian elections. The government, in an attempt to suppress reporting, dropped the bandwidth capacity across the country, so that large news files like video, audio, and photos, wouldn’t be shared easily. So in comes Twitter, at 140 characters, flying way under that bandwidth ceiling. Then, as further validation, the US Government asks Twitter to delay a maintenance update that would have interrupted service, because the best information they’re getting out of Iran is on Twitter. Remarkable.

Mania for iPhone Apps Comes with Risks for Agencies and Brands

The word ‘risks’ may be a bit strong, but try ineffectual. The math is pretty simple on this. Consumers typically see about 3,500 ads a day. That means there are a lot of openings for brands who want to get their message out. And social media also has a lot of room for brands to get into the conversation. Apps, on the other hand, are much more personal and time-consuming. How many apps could the average person consistently use in a week or month? More than 25 would be pushing it, I’d say. So there’s simply not enough room in people’s lives for the large numbers of brands that want to engage them with apps. A few will be able to, but it’s not a game with high odds.

WDCS – Life size blue whale – the largest animal in the world

Just a nice way for a cause to make a strong impact. The simplicity of the idea is great. I think it could have had better social media hooks and maybe a clearer CTA, but the idea is right on.

ARhrrrr – An augmented reality shooter

With the proven appeal of iPhone games and techs like OnLive lurking in the future, the trend towards mobile, console-free gaming is in the cards. This is a clear example of how mobile phones could function as the interface to a rich, 3-D gaming experience.