However, I can’t just let you off that easy. You’re going to ask these questions in 2 rounds. In the first round, you’re going to consider a few questions that will help you hone in on your target audience and learn what they are already talking about.The second round is focused on you, your business goals and the way that you’re going to reach your audience.

Now keep in mind that though these questions are simple, they’re not all going to be easy to answer PLUS there are a lot of questions to consider. It may all seem overwhelming at first, and that’s totally okay! There are tons of approaches to finding the answers to many of these questions, so leave comments or drop me a line at media@resamichelle.com for an in-depth explanation.

Let’s begin!

Round 1: Ask about your audience.

WHO
Who is talking about you?
Are they clients? Are they peers in your industry? Are they potential clients? You want to know who is already talking about you and figure out if these are members of your target audience or if perhaps they should be.

WHAT
What are people saying?
Is it good? Is it bad? Are they simply curious about who you are or what you do? It’s crucial to keep up with the buzz surrounding your brand because this will determine how you will connect with your audience.

WHEN
When are they mentioning you?
Is it when you post new content? Are they responding to major events like new product launches or big announcements? This is one way of figuring out what drives traffic best for your business.

WHERE
Where are people talking about you?
Which platforms are the members of your audience using? There are tons of platforms available, but trying to spread your time and resources is inefficient and could ultimately be ineffective. Work smart, not hard. Narrow down the platforms that are most important to your business based on the platforms your audience is using.

WHY
Why are they talking about you?
Are they responding to your great customer support? Are they complaining about a defective product? Do they have questions about how you do things? Figure out why there is buzz about you – hopefully it’s a good reason. However, if it’s not, take it as an opportunity to right a wrong and rectify some poor feedback.

HOW
How are your clients or potential clients using social web?
Are they broadcasting to make recommendations and evangelize? Do they simply rant or rave to their close friends? Or are they simply lurking and keeping watch? The way your audience is using the social web will help you decide what kind of approach to take with a campaign.

Treat all of this information as your data. This is the starting point to the success of your social media campaign, because this information is going to guide your answers for round 2 and ultimately, these answers will guide your social media efforts.

Round 2: Ask yourselves about your business and endeavor goals

These questions are a bit more straightforward, so they’re in a bit of a lightning round format. Ready?

WHO
Who is your target market?
Are you a Business to Business or Business to Consumer type of service or product? What is your target demographic?

WHAT
What are your campaign goals?
Are you trying to increase your brand recognition? Are you working to enhance and improve the customer experience? Are you working to build authority in your field?

WHEN
When is the push most important?
Do you get the most buzz when you have just launched a new blog post or product? Or do you generate buzz by discussing upcoming announcements, products, service changes or deals?

WHERE
Where are you going to join the conversation?
Which platforms are you going to use? Note that these should be the same ones your audience is using..

WHY
Why are you going to engage with others?
ORM? Product feedback? Lead development?

HOW
How are you going to connect and encourage engagement?
Are you going to launch viral campaigns? Are you going to incentivize current clients to join you online? Are you going to include your social media links and handles in your traditional marketing materials?

BONUS ROUND: Metrics and Application!

Now these questions are the ones that are going to take a lot more discussion and research, perhaps even professional consultation.

WHO
Who in your organization is going to manage your efforts?
Are you going to have a single team member or dedicated team for your social media campaign (like Kodak)? Are you going to have multiple team members from various departments on board (like Zappos)?

WHAT
What are you going to measure?
Buzz? Leads? The number of customer support issues resolved? Site traffic and conversions?

HOW
How are you going to measure?
Are you going to create a budget for social media monitoring tools (like Radian 6)? Are you going to create a makeshift dashboard of free tools (like Addictomatic and Twitter Search)?

So now what?

I’m sure that by now your head is swimming with ideas and questions, and perhaps right now you’re a bit confused.

Okay, maybe you’re a lot confused.

Don’t fret! Remember, these questions are a frameworks and guide to your approach from the start. Additionally, these are questions you can always check back with if you feel like you’re missing the mark or getting off-track. Keep in mind that sometimes, things might change. You may have to go into crisis/emergency repair mode, but by having a firm grasp on the buzz around you, you’ll already be a step ahead of the game.

What questions guide YOUR social media efforts?

**Special thanks to Drew Skwarcan for sharing his editing skills in this post (and for being awesome)! Make sure to check him out – DrewSkwarcan.com

In this time, I’ve connected with some of the most impressive, incredible people I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with, both online and offline. I’ve also been given the most incredible opportunities, from coffee shop meetings across town to conferences across the country. I learned more about the online marketing industry than any one person could possibly teach me from the people I follow.

I watched some of the most tragic and triumphant moments with millions of others, often from first hand accounts that were shared before traditional media even had time to catch wise. I’ve seen unbelievable acts of kindness. I’ve seen mind-blowing displays of strength. I’ve seen millions of people band together in the face of injustice.

I remember when I first heard about Twitter – I thought it sounded ridiculous, to be honest. Seeing people’s incessant updates on Facebook seemed obnoxious, excessive and incredibly self-involved.. even more so than Facebook stati. However, once I was in the online marketing industry, I figured I may as well give it a shot. There was a lot of buzz about it and I figured that there might be something more than what was on the surface. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Twitter has become an information source and a way to connect with amazing people. If I’m looking for a product or service recommendation, I can ask or search for current, real feedback from people who have tried it firsthand. If I’m stumped about a programming issue, completely lost on a gadget problem, or simply making sure that I haven’t done something stupid that caused a simple error, I can reach out to a ton of people who might know what to do. I keep up with my industry, the world and, most importantly, friends through Twitter. Similarly, I can share what I know, learn and do with my kicka$$ followers.

So thanks, Twitter, for an amazing platform for sharing, informing and learning. But more than that, thanks to everyone who shares their knowledge, experiences, interests, and themselves. YOU are the reason that Twitter is such a valuable communication tool.

Cheers!

Okay, maybe that’s just me, but roll with me here.

That doesn’t mean it has to be a cop-out, chick-flick and chocolate fest. Even worse, it’s not a reason to call up an old flame and become a cautionary tale that romantic comedy bad date montages are made of. There are tons of things to do beside wallow in your singletude.

1. Have a valentine making party

Think back to 3rd grade when boys were still germ-ridden piglets and girls still had cooties. Sure, there was the token casanova who had like, 3 “girlfriends” and the heartbreaker who played hard to get but was, in reality, impossible to get. However, despite all that, our teachers made us give EVERYONE a valentine. On top of that, there was about an hour of that day where she would lay out doilies, pink construction paper, and a blizzard of glitter so we could make big gluey messes of valentines to give to someone special. Namely our parents because these were masterpieces, and who better to appreciate third grade works of art than parents?

Oh, right, hard-to-get girl and casanova.

Anywayyyy, recreate the trauma of third grade. Lay out the construction paper and doilies, induce glitter seizures and make sure there’s enough to go around.

Wine helps the creative process, by the way. To keep it cheaper for a bigger group, get some Two- Buck Chuck (or some standard cheap wine) and make a killer sangria of it. If it’s going to be a group of close friends, make it a liquor-luck (like a potluck but with booze).

2. Reach out

Bring cards, treats, share a skill and lend your company at a children’s hospital, nursing home or shelter. You can even volunteer at your local animal shelter if you’re the puppies & kittens type. If you’re not feeling the love, casting aside your mood and giving something just to give is a quick way to bring out the warm & fuzzies and keep them coming.

3. Have friends over to watch Fatal Attraction and other love-gone-very-wrong movies

Sometimes we just need that little reminder that being single isn’t all that bad.

4. Do something you actually love doing

V-day is about love, right? So make it count. Go snowboarding, ride a roller coaster, take a cruise down your favorite scenic drive. Just do something that makes you happy. And don’t make it about meeting someone either.

Although it could be a good way to meet someone that shares your interests.

What are the rest of you single folks doing for Valentine’s Day?

Additionally, I saw Chris Brogan’s blog post from yesterday, which got me to thinking about my favorite YouTube clips (my little digital happy places). Thus I thought I’d share a little joy with you! #1 is the only one that’s NSFW, but if you stop it around the last 10 seconds you should be ok.

Cheers, ladies and gents! And make sure to add your favorites in the comments!

1. Chola Makeup Tutorial

This girl is HILARIOUS! She does some great tutorials and impressions, so make sure to subscribe to her videos. (She’s GlowPinkstah)

*Note: This and most of her videos are NSFW*

2. Hey Jude

This is TOO cute and it’s one of those adorable kid things. I’m a sucker for little kids doing cute things. Throw in The Beatles and we have an EPIC win.

3. Charlie Bit Me

A timeless web meme classic. More kids doing cute things, and as it’s been said, it shows all of human life: joy, trust, happiness, doubt, pain, fear, grief and joy again. Deep.

4. Evil Eye Baby

Just the thought of this one makes me giggle! Again, kids doing cute things – this little dude gives the BEST evil eye, and it cracks him up too.

5. Sneezing Baby Panda

Ahh, memeville. It’s so pleasant here! Anyway, the sneezing baby panda is so cuuuuuute! Just watch.

6. John Williams Is the Man

Okay, the music geek in me emerges from the closet on this one. This is one guy in four takes, singing a medley of John Williams’ most famous film scores with lyrics about Star Wars. Big major crazy props, too- he arranged and wrote the lyrics for the whole thing. Stellar!

7. The Muppets Do Oh Danny Boy

Beaker, The Swedish Chef and Animal. How could you go wrong?

8. David After the Dentist

Another nugget of awesome from memeville- I really wish I was that funny when I was all laughing gassed up after getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Unfortunately, 20 year old women seem more like trainwrecks than comedic geniuses when they pull these sort of antics.

9. Daft Punk Girls

This song is my working anthem.. seriously. If ever I’m feeling sluggish and unproductive, I turn on Daft Punk. If ever I need a good pick me up, or just to be inspired, I turn on this video.

10. Sarah Palin’s Greatest Hits

Ahhhhh, Sarah Palin. This woman has brought schadenfreude to new heights. If ever I find myself facing dark moments of self doubt (and by self doubt I mean the times I feel really stupid), I can rest well after watching this.

So those are my favorites- what are yours?

Right?

Well, it’s a tablet, that’s true. Let’s run down some specs first.

Specs:

9.7″ Multitouch Screen
1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)

0.5″ in Depth
1.5 lbs (1.6 lbs with 3G)

Available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB with or without 3G.
1GHz Apple A4 low-power system-on-a-chip

All models are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ready
Digital Compass
Accelerometer
Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Approx. 10 hours of web surfing, watching videos and listening to music.

For even more specs, check out Apple’s iPad specs page.

Ok. So what exactly does it do?

Everything an iPhone does… but on a bigger screen with a more convenient user interface. Quite literally, it’s the perfect go-between for a MacBook Pro and iPhone.

So if you already have both, why would you need an iPad? It seems a little ridiculous.

You all know me: I’m a huge Apple fangirl. Before today, I thought Apple could do no wrong.

The iPad changed it all. I hate to say it, but there really wasn’t anything terribly innovative presented at today’s “Latest Creation” event. Additionally, there are a few major things missing from or wrong with the iPad.

1. They named it the iPad.

If you’re on Twitter, you saw the jokes likening the iPad to feminine hygiene products. Because it sounds like one.

However, if you missed them, here are a few favorites:

“With a name like iPad I’m guessing we’ll only use it one week a month and occasionally while we’re sleeping.” @ruthakers

“The new Apple iPad! With 4 gigs of absorbency!” @thebenbrooks

“You can do things with the #iTampon that you just can’t do with the #iPad – like biking, horseback riding and swimming” @thomasjhardy

And let’s just add insult to injury with the trending topic: iTampon.

BTW, MadTV did an iPad sketch 4 years ago. Seriously, Apple, what were you thinking?

2. No Flash support.

One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone is it’s lack of Flash capabilities, and since this is a larger device than the iPhone, it will inevitably be an even more prominent issue. I understand that Apple wants people to buy things from the iTunes store, but frankly, if there is a service that allows me to use or see something for free (think Hulu, not torrenting), I’d rather use it. I understand wanting to make money – trust me – but come on! I’d really rather not buy an entire episode of SNL just to watch a single clip. And Hulu makes it really convenient to watch my fave clip of Arrested Development. Over and over and over again. And again.

I’d rather suffer through 30 seconds of ads than pay to watch something once. Seriously. This is the beauty of services like Hulu and Netflix (can I get a what what for instant view!). Let me subscribe to stream a movie or show instead of charging me. This is half of the reason Blockbuster is failing, Apple. Get on the boat!

3. It’s missing classic tablet functionality.

By classic tablet functionality, I mean it’s not going to be draft/design friendly. I was hoping that Apple would integrate some of the functions of Wacom’s line of tablets & pen input displays. Considering that Apple is the first choice of the creative industry, they truly missed out on an opportunity to integrate some awesome extended features here. Specifically, I would have loved to see write-to-text and precision art tools. Given that the iPad runs on the iPhone OS and is really more of a multimedia center than productivity tool, this point is really nullified.

4. No multitasking.

Yet another carryover groaner from the iPhone & iPod Touch: the iPad doesn’t run multiple apps simultaneously.

Seriously?! When the eff will I be able to listen to Pandora AND text without having to reload my freaking game of Scrabble?!

5. Poor multimedia integration in general.

The iPad won’t have a camera, SD card or standard USB port. The camera is a no brainer, plus you would think that you’d be able to add pictures directly. Additionally, most cameras are USB ready as it is. Unfortunately, you’ll have to buy a dock adapter to use a USB peripheral.

I know that this isn’t necessarily supposed to function as a normal computer will, but let’s be honest here. This seems to be a great multimedia center as a whole, but it ONLY seems to be a multimedia center. I thought that it may at least be free standing, but unfortunately, it seems that it has to be synced to a primary computer. In essence, it’s an oversized iPod Touch.

If I were to even consider getting an iPad, it would HAVE to function that way so I wouldn’t have to load down my MacBooks memory with my iTunes and iPhoto files.

But who are we kidding? That’s what externals are for, and frankly, the iPad doesn’t have enough memory to hold my iTunes & iPhoto libraries.

6. AT&T

I mean, are we kidding? I feel like I’m writing a rant about everything I want to change about the iPhone. It’s unfortunate that the computer company with the top rated customer support services is paired with wireless’ absolute worst. Not only is AT&T’s customer support absolutely abhorrent, but their network is patchy at best. I used to depend heavily on the 3G network, since moving 5 feet requires reconnecting with whichever Wi-Fi network is connected. Unfortunately, data users put more pressure than AT&T can handle on it’s data network (and AT&T isn’t about to admit that they’re the problem). With growing 3G network dissatisfaction and many people citing AT&T as an anti-selling point to the iPhone, I’m more than bothered that AT&T received exclusive data coverage.

In essence…

The iPad is, unfortunately, an overgrown iPod Touch meant to act as a shiny toy that seems to simply be for show. Let’s be honest here, everything about it’s functionality screams “buy more stuff from Apple via iTunes, the App Store and iBooks.” I love Apple. I do. But this seems like a call out to the elitists of the Apple marketplace.

I think iBooks is really the most exciting announcement of Apple’s “Latest Creation” event. To create a marketplace for books is (I think) the final frontier of multimedia consumer products for Apple to sell and of course the iPad is a great device for it. It has a lot of potential for innovation within the realm of academia. The question is will iBooks be able to compete with Amazon for the Kindle’s share of the wireless reader market?

The iPad doesn’t offer anything you would need if you already have an iPhone and Apple computer. I’d imagine it’s great for kids for the games, music and entertainment tools. However, $499-$829 is a high price to pay for a kids entertainment gadget. I can’t really think of a great target market for such a gadget except for the frequent traveler. However, in my travels I’ve found my MacBook and iPhone to be beyond sufficient.

I love my Mac gear, but the iPad is one gadget I won’t be adding to my arsenal anytime soon.

What do you like or dislike about the iPad and would you buy one?

I’m wondering why this is even a debate. First, let us consider a few facts.

-Girls represented just 17 percent of Advanced Placement computer science (CS) exam-takers in 2008; that’s the lowest female representation of any AP exam.

-In 2008 women earned only 18 percent of all CS degrees. Back in 1985, women earned 37 percent of CS degrees.

-Women hold more than half of all professional occupations in the U.S. but fewer than 24 percent of all computing-related occupations.

-Only 16 percent of Fortune 500 technology companies have women corporate officers.

-A study on U.S. technology patenting reveals that patents created by mixed-gender teams are the most highly cited (an indicator of their innovation and usefulness); yet women were involved in only 9 percent of U.S. tech patents.

-National Center for Women & Information Technology’s

Obviously, there are fewer women in the tech industry than there are men. By the numbers, it seems that about 1/5th of the tech industry is female, the other 4/5’s being male. Thus, it’s true: the pool of female talent to pull from is significantly lower than the men’s techy talent pool. If speakers and panelists are the top in the field (let’s just say they’re the top 5th percentile of the industry), it’s reasonable to think that just about 1/5th of that group will be women.

Long story short, it’s slim pickin’s as far as qualified female speakers and panelists are concerned. However, that’s not to say that the female tech base isn’t an incredibly qualified group of women.

My personal thought is that the people who speak should be chosen based on their merits. Cast gender aside and pick the person who is best for the job. Of course I believe you can go half and half, getting the top women and men, without compromising quality. However, I really wish we were beyond this point, expecting that people will make the exception and cut someone else of quality out of the picture just to “level the playing field.”

If we were really to level the playing field, skill, experience and understanding would override any gender biases.

What are your thoughts?

As though it wasn’t hard enough already to discuss and demonstrate the value of Twitter to non-users.

I have a lot of frustration left in me, but I won’t write another diatribe on the matter. Instead, I’m going constructive. You can anticipate my opinion on women in tech this week, but in the meantime, I’m sharing some links that I found encouraging and passing along a few more responses to the Vanity Fair misfire.

First:

Notable Women On Twitter

14 Power Women to Follow On Twitter

30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow On Twitter

Second:

Responses to Vanity Fair’s “America’s Tweethearts”

By a couple of the women featured:
Disappointment by Felicia Day on feliciaday.com

There’s More to a Tweetheart by Amy Jo Martin on thedigitalroyalty.com

By a few other women
Vanity Fair on Twitter Fame: Twembarrassing by Caroline McCarthy for CNET News

Hot For Twitter! Vanity Fair’s “Twilebrities” Have Sexy Legs by Rachel Sklar for mediaite.com

Why Does Vanity Fair Hate the Women of Twitter? by Kiala for GeekWeek.com

AAAANNND The Geek Girl Diva Series:
Tweethearts? Oh Vanity Fair! You Slay Me!
Less Rant, More Rationale: My Letter to the Vanity Fair Editor
and
Gawker Says the Twinternet Is Tweaking Out?

Finally…

I want to share the links to these women’s Twitter accounts, since they’re all awesome and Vanity Fair neglected to display their usernames.

Julia Roy: @juliaroy
Sarah Evans: @PRsarahevans
Stefanie Michaels: @adventuregirl
Felicia Day: @feliciaday
Sarah Austin: @pop17
Amy Jo Martin: @digitalroyalty

Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t a feminism sort of thing. I’m just not one to stand by and watch someone else take a beating because she OR he is successful.

Not. Cool.

He spent the morning on the phone getting bounced around, placed on hold and over all getting no help. He asked me to find their Facebook or Twitter and see if there was anything I could do.

I was FLOORED to find that Dell IS on Twitter with dozens of accounts, featuring information like deals, new technology, the latest in fashion and music, and their efforts in environmental sustainability. What floored me is that not ONE of the 34 accounts listed was customer support or feedback.

Sure, they list @TeamDell, an account for all the Dell team members who want to be recognized for being Twitter users. But @TeamDell doesn’t tweet. They tweeted twice in June 2008.

Now that’s not to say they don’t have team members in customer support that actively seek and converse with Twitter users who are complaining about their Dell experience/products. However, if they do, Dell isn’t doing anything to help us find them.

What does that mean for Dell?

That means I’m going to complain about the craptacular experience I just had and my apprehension at EVER ordering a product from them again.

Not that I’d ever order something from Dell anyway, but you get the point.

The long and short of the issue is they’re opening themselves up for negative public feedback instead of providing an outlet for help, support and ORM.

So I started thinking about what I expect from corporate Twitter accounts. I know that it varies from business to business, but if it’s a service or a company I buy a product from, I expect a few things.

1. Let us know you’re on Twitter!

Include a Twitter icon or a “Follow us here” or “Hey, we’re on Twitter” type of badge or a visible link SOMEWHERE BEFORE THE BREAK of your site. Don’t make us scroll down to your footer links- give us something at the top of the page. Additionally, make sure it’s CLEAR that you’re on Twitter. Saying community, in my mind, sounds like a forum or entire social network in and of itself.

2. Talk to us!

Now, responding to followers doesn’t have to be an obligatory, “every time someone tweets our name, we have to tweet back at them” type of thing. However, if you’re tweeting ONLY as a one-sided marketing tool, you’re missing the point. If someone asks a valid question, acknowledge it. Even if you don’t have an answer, we like to know you’re listening (and really, we do appreciate it).

3. Keep us in the know!

I LOVE seeing messages like:

“We’re going down for updates in a couple minutes – sorry for the inconvenience, but we’ll be back up within the hour”

It tells us the service that is going down is keeping us in the loop. They want to make the service better, of course, and though it’s an inconvenience at the time, they give a warning that it’s happening or they advise their us that there’s nothing catastrophically wrong.

Now of course there are times when we want a solution. However, if there is some information that would better help us understand what’s going on, you’re making a great start.

4. Don’t spam us!

Seriously, do I even have to say this?
This includes mass @ messages (consisting of only usernames with no message) and tweeting the same message to different people over and over, among a multitude of others.

5. Be human and be honest!

Let us know who’s we’re talking to, whether it’s a team or an individual. It’s really simple. We understand the difference between a company that says it cares and a company that actually does.

I want to be clear – these are the absolute bare-necessity basics and I’m only scratching the surface. But they are a few things that I’ve come to expect from my favorite brands and businesses on Twitter.

What do you expect from businesses on Twitter?

If you dont know what Thymer is, its an incredible new productivity tool that I was lucky enough to try out in its beta phase. Its, in essence, a simple, collaborative to-do type project manager. Ive loved it from day 1 because its SO ridiculously simple and wonderfully intuitive.

They are SUPER awesome and sent me a HAND WRITTEN card for the holidays.

From the Netherlands.

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is customer care.

I hope 2009 was a great year for each of you and I know that youll make 2010 even better. Its a new decade and I know weve paved paths for great things. Now is the time to use them.

Make history. Be inspired.

Cheers!

However, 2009 did produce a couple awesome goodies to compensate for it’s general suckitude.

Therefore, it is my absolute pleasure to present to you:

The Top 10 Super Awesome Geeky Fun Things of 2009

1. Craftsquatch Social Media and Geeky Pillows

These adorable, squishy testaments to our mass addiction to our social networks were a sign storm siren that our virtual lives are rapidly bleeding into our real lives. But they’re so cuuuuute!

Price: $15.99-$19.99

2. Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

Geeks of the world were shocked and awed by the genius of the Tauntaun sleeping bag. I mean, it’s like LIVING one of the most awesome parts of Star Wars. Except you don’t have to deal with the mess. Or the smell. Or the arctic tundra that is Hoth.

AWESOME!

Price: $99

3. Yoda Plush Backpack

Since we’re on the topic of living out Star Wars, the Yoda Plush Backpack must be addressed. Flash back to Dagobah Swamp… You’ve just met this strange little wrinkly dude who mixes his parts of speech and kinda seems like an all out pest.. little did you know he would groom you to meet your potential as the most powerful Jedi knight of all time! Meanwhile, you’re stuck giving him a piggy-back ride through this God-forsaken swamp.

Fulfill your destiny one humble step at a time.. or just show the world how big of a geek you truly are.

Price: $34.99

4. The Beatles Rock Band

(Amazon link)
Not necessarily as geeky as Star Wars gear, but I still think it qualifies as geeky. I love The Beatles. I love Rock Band. So I got The Beatles Rock Band, complete with instruments modeled after John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar, George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, Paul McCartney’s Höfner bass AND Ringo Starr’s classic “The Beatles” bass drum cover. When I heard that this would be released (I heard about it something like a year ago?), I was stoked. However, The Beatles wouldn’t be The Beatles without super catchy harmonic lines, too. Guess what? THREE PART HARMONY SUPPORT!! It’s like the video game gods smiled on the music geeks of the world (although you could argue that the music from Halo, Zelda and Super Smash Bros Brawl is the gaming world’s contribution to music).

Anyway, Beatles Rock Band? Heck yes!

Price: $59.99 (Game Alone)-$249.99 (Bundle with game, mic, drums & guitar)

5. Lego Rock Band

Who doesn’t love Legos? Lego already has an awesome line of video games out there, so taking on Rock Band was obviously the next natural step. Unfortunately, they didn’t make super mega awesome Lego controllers. Get on it, Lego-maniacs!

Price: $49.99

6. Bacon Salt

Please don’t disown me, but I don’t eat pig meat. Pork, ham, piggy bacon, and all other piggy parts make me very very ill. Additionally, piggy parts are all a bit too heavy & salty for me.

HOWEVER, I do recognize the geek world’s fondness, nay obsession, with bacon. Hell, even I like bacon on occasion (just not the piggy kind – I’m not exactly what you’d call a masochist). Thus I recognize the geeky miracle that is Bacon Salt.

Yes. Bacon Salt is bacon flavored salt, so you can make everything taste like bacon. You can find it at most major grocery stores or online.

Price: $4.49-$5.99

7. Plush Jobs

I know they’re all sold out (believe me, I really want one), but it’s still hilariously awesome. It’s a cuddly Steve Jobs, ready for travel, fun and adventure! I can’t describe him nearly as well as Tomi of PodBrix does, so I’ll let you read what he has to say:

Plush Jobs loves you. Cuddle up with him and pretend he’s whispering corporate secrets in your ear. Jobs enjoys hanging out with your other stuffed animals… also he adores Barbie. But please keep him away from computers running Windows, he hates those.
Plush Jobs would like you to know that he is completely handmade and that his glasses are constructed from wire. He also mentions that even his shoelaces are hand stitched. Plush Jobs says that he is quite tall at 43cm (17″ inches) high. He thinks it would be very nice to live at your house.

Plush Jobs is not for children. Unfortunately he is a choking hazard. Please be 18 or older to handle Jobs responsibly.

Beautiful.

Price: $27.99, but sorry! It’s sold out

8. Obama Chia Head

A coworker of mine actually owns one of these beauties, and it is as amazing as it sounds.

Seriously, though. It’s a Chia Head made in the likeness of the POTUS. How awesome is that?

Additionally, in writing this post, I discovered that there is a set of 4 patriotic Chia Heads including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Lady Liberty AND they make a Hillary Clinton Chia Head. Lemme tell you, Hillary Clinton with a green Chia ‘fro is a sight to behold. And by a sight to behold I mean hilarious.

Price: $19.95 a piece, $7.95 S&H (order more than one and they wave S&H, though)

9. Star Trek

One of the keystones of geek culture is reignited in the form of a 2 hour badass-fest. Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike rejoiced in the revival of one of the greatest, geekiest icons of all time, ushering in a new generation of Star Trek fandom.

Rife with homages to the original series (think red-shirts dying first), eye candy, and action, Star Trek not only satisfied the geeky masses, but converted a new era of former non-geeks. WIN!

Price: $15.99-$20.99

To finish off this amazing list, I had to pull out the big guns, and 2009 made it a very easy choice. With no further ado, I present to you:

10. The Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt

(Amazon Link)
Betcha forgot about this one, didn’t you?

Ok, so maybe not so much forget as block from your memory.

Too bad! This epic, magical shirt is, in reality, neither epic nor magical. However, it’s Amazon reviews are. The hundreds of hilarious reviews earned this shirt a place in the meme hall of fame, and in the closing spot on my list of the Top 10 Geek Toys of 2009.

Price: $9.95-$19.99

So there they are! My picks for the most hilarious and/or awesome contributions to geek culture of 2009! What would YOU add to the list?