---
title: "Weekly Wrapup: Best BigCo & Products ’08, Social Media Predictions ’09, And More…"
date: 2008-12-20
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2008"
    url: "/tag/2008.md"
---

# Weekly Wrapup: Best BigCo & Products ’08, Social Media Predictions ’09, And More…

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/rww-logo-150.jpg)It’s time for our weekly summary of Web Technology news, products and trends. On the product side, we continued our [Best Products 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/2008-in-review/) series with 5 more lists – covering Mobile Web, Enterprise, ‘Real World’, Digital Lifestyle, and Alternative Search Engines. We also named our Best BigCo of the Year, the fifth year we’ve done this. On the trends side, it’s that time of year when we start thinking about what will pan out in 2009. So we brought you our picks for social media in ’09, as well as our analysis of predictions from leading marketing geeks. Last but not least, check out the latest [Jobwire](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/jobwire/) stats – our new product which tracks hires in tech and new media.

*The Weekly Wrapup is sponsored by [EasyDate Affiliate Network](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://affiliates.easydate.biz/):*[![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/easydate_banner_468x60_animated.gif)](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://affiliates.easydate.biz/)

## Web Products

[**Best BigCo of 2008: Apple**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/best_bigco_of_2008_apple.php)

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/apple_logo.jpg)Every year we do a review of the top Internet companies, to identify the ones we think had the biggest impact. Today we’re announcing the **Best BigCo of 2008** and next week we’ll announce **Best LittleCo** and **Most Promising Company** – all selected by the ReadWriteWeb writers.

In 2007 the [Best BigCo went to Facebook](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/best_web_bigco_of_2007.php), due to the launch and subsequent impact of its development platform. Google won [Best BigCo of 2006](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_best_web_bigco_2006.php) and [2004](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/best_web_20_com.php). In between, [in 2005](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/best_web_compan.php), Yahoo! won the award. **This year we’ve chosen Apple**, which almost single-handedly brought the Mobile Web to life in 2008.

[**Top 10 Enterprise Web Products of 2008**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_enterprise_web_products_2008.php)

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/150-red-star.jpg)Enterprise adoption of cloud computing, SaaS, and social media (whatever you want to call it) is accelerating. This is a healthy market, in which vendors are doing well in a tough economy. As we near the end of a year that will go down in history with the words “meltdown,” “panic,” “crisis,” and “depression” attached, it is time to celebrate the winners in this market, enterprise-focused web products that are already doing well and poised for even greater success in 2009. And if these products excite you, we invite you to subscribe to the [ReadWriteWeb Enterprise Channel](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/enterprise/).

***We’ve now published 9 of these year-end lists. Here are the other 8:***

- [Top 10 Semantic Web Products of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_semantic_web_products_2008.php)
- [Top 10 International Products of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_international_products_2008.php)
- [Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_consumer_apps_2008.php)
- [Top 10 RSS and Syndication Products of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_rsssyndication_products_of_2008.php)
- [Top 10 Mobile Web Products of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_mobile_web_products_of_2008.php)
- [Top 10 Real World Web Apps of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_real_world_web_apps_of_2008.php)
- [Top 10 Digital Lifestyle Products of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_digital_media_products_of_2008.php)
- [Top 10 Alternative Search Engines of 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_alternative_search_engines.php)

[**A Firefox Add-On for App Addicts: App Discover**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_firefox_add-on_for_app_addic.php)

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/firefox_logo.jpg)When you visit a web site how do you know you’re getting the best experience for you? That’s the question the new Firefox add-on [App Discover](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://almaer.com/firefox/appdiscover/) aims to solve. Once installed, the app could alert you if there were any enhancements (Greasemonkey, Firefox add-ons) or applications (Adobe AIR, Appcelerator Titanium, Fluid, Mozilla Prism) that work with the web site you’re visiting.

***SEE MORE WEB PRODUCTS COVERAGE IN OUR [PRODUCTS CATEGORY](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/products)***

## A Word from Our Sponsors

We’d like to thank ReadWriteWeb’s sponsors, without whom we couldn’t bring you all these stories every week!

- [Mashery](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=2491__zoneid=239__cb=addf48c820__maxdest=http://www.mashery.com/?utm_source=RWW&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=BA_V1) is the leading provider of API management services.
- [Pro Opinion](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=2474__zoneid=237__cb=9c88053dde__maxdest=https://www.proopinion.com/join.php?aid=af11178-12025) allows you to get paid to take surveys.
- [WildApricot](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1995__zoneid=239__cb=98d8239eb7__maxdest=http://www.wildapricot.com/membership-management.aspx?utm_campaign=RWW&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=readwriteweb.com&utm_content=MMFCA) is Membership Management Software.
- [Crowd Science](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=2380__zoneid=236__cb=3a3f7c4c45__maxdest=http://www.crowdscience.com/welcome/) gives you detailed visitor demographics.
- [Strands](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1767__zoneid=235__cb=f0f4e9c70c__maxdest=http://bizsolutions.strands.com/) provides real-time recommendations of products.
- [Rackspace](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1054__zoneid=239__cb=2dd713cc7e__maxdest=http://www.rackspace.com/whyrackspace/index.php?CMP=readwriteweb_ros_ban_125x125_smb_dec_generic) provides dedicated server hosting.
- [VisualCV](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://visualcv.com/) lets you stand out from the crowd when job-hunting.
- [Quintura](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://affiliates.quintura.com/) is a visual-based search engine.
- [Eurekster](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.eurekster.com/) is a custom social search portal.
- [DEMO09](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=2518__zoneid=241__cb=eded35e272__maxdest=http://demo.com/demonstrators/eligibility.html) is the launchpad for emerging technology.
- [MediaTemple](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1491__zoneid=362__cb=4c0fc53e95__maxdest=http://www.mediatemple.net/?utm_campaign=rww&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=readwriteweb.com&utm_content=bluebug) provides hosting for RWW.
- [SixApart](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.sixapart.com/) provides our publishing software MT4.

## RWW Jobwire

[**Here’s Who’s Getting Hired Right Now in Tech**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/jobwire/2008/12/heres-whos-getting-hired-right.php)

[![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/jobwiretinylogo2.jpg)](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/jobwire/)**Marketing and social networking companies are hiring developers and community managers.**

One of the things we’re most excited about at Jobwire, in addition to the individual stories about peoples’ exciting new jobs, is the aggregate data that’s becoming available as we report on more and more new hires. In this post we published two pie charts illustrating hiring trends over the past 6 weeks, split up by job title and company sector. Some of the numbers are not what we expected.

***SUBSCRIBE TO READWRITEWEB’S [JOBWIRE](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/jobwire/) FOR THE LATEST NEWS ON JOB HIRES IN TECH***

## Web Trends

[**Social Media in 2009: Our Predictions and Desires**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_media_in_2009_our_predi.php)

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/lifestream-icons.jpg)Over the past year, we’ve been inundated with social media. We’ve seen [Twitter](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/earthquake_in_uk_news_broken_on_twitter.php)[go](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/hurricane_gustav_on_the_web_reference_guide.php)[mainstream](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/did_twitter_really_outshine_th.php), [lifestreaming take over blogging](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_future_of_blogging_reveale.php), and we’ve tried what felt like [a million](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/favorite_web_apps_of_rww_readers.php)[different applications](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/your_favorite_mobile_web_apps_and_sites.php). We’ve joined then abandoned new services recklessly, leaving our accounts to wither away on platforms long forgotten. What more could we possibly do in 2009?

For the entrepreneurs still looking to get our attention with the latest social media toys, their pitch may no longer be *“come try this, it’s new,”* but instead, *“come try this, it helps.”* Because if there’s anything we learned from 2008, it’s that [social media overload is not sustainable](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/too_many_choices_too_much_content.php).

***Read [the full post](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_media_in_2009_our_predi.php) to find out our Social Media Wish List…***

[**Top Marketing Geeks Make Their Predictions for 2009**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_marketing_geeks_make_their_predictions.php)

![marketinglogo.jpg](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/marketinglogo.jpg)Will 2009 be the big year for corporate transparency, for a global conversation – perhaps for bargain basement online marketing tactics instead of old-school huge commercial campaigns?

[Peter Kim](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.beingpeterkim.com/), a former Forrester analyst now working on stealth enterprise software company, recently polled 14 of the most high-profile thinkers about social media marketing and asked them what they expected to see 2009 bring. The end product was an attractive 23 page PDF that we’ve embedded in our post, but **we thought we’d pull out some of the thoughts we found most interesting for all you skimmers out there.**

[**The iPhone is Apple’s Netbook: Almost Half of All Traffic from WiFi Networks**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/half_of_all_iphone_usage_wifi.php)

![iphone_logo_dec08.png](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/iphone_logo_dec08.png)According to the latest [report](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.admob.com/metrics) from [AdMob](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://admob.com/), 42% of all requests from iPhones to Admob’s partners worldwide are coming in over WiFi instead of through the networks of mobile operators. This puts the iPhone in a league of its own, given that on average, AdMob is only seeing about 10-20% of all requests from Wifi capable phones actually coming in from WiFi networks. From T-Mobile’s [Android phone](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/g1_android_web_browser_in_action.php), for example, only about 10% of all requests were made on WiFi.

[**Favorite Podcasts of the ReadWriteWeb Community**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/favorite_podcasts_of_readwriteweb.php)

![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/rss_tattoo.jpg)Podcasting has had its challenges over the past couple of years and we even once [questioned whether it would survive](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/will_podcasting_survive.php)! But at heart we at ReadWriteWeb love listening to podcasts, nearly as much as we love reading blogs. So we decided to find out the favorite podcasts of our readers and writers. We [put the call out on Twitter](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://twitter.com/rww/status/1059260728) and got a great response. The results are in this post, together with the favorites of the ReadWriteWeb authors.

***SEE MORE WEB TRENDS COVERAGE IN OUR [TRENDS CATEGORY](https://web.archive.org/web/20090118101447/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/trends)***

That’s a wrap for another week! Enjoy your weekend everyone.

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_image_search_more_filtering.php))*