Get Trendy

Studying This Year’s Trends can Help Prepare You for Next Year’s

When I was young and rebellious—as opposed to middle-aged and rebellious (just ask my boss)—to be called “trendy” was considered kind of an insult. It was the last thing that any self-respecting post-punk dada nihilist with big hair and a bad attitude wanted to be.

Later, I discovered that it’s good to watch and benefit from trends. If you’re selling hats online, for example, it might behoove you to know that Britney Spears-style fedoras are selling like hotcakes these days. As a seller of baby-T’s or greeting cards, you might want to know that “Jacob” is one of the top names chosen for newborn boys, and so forth.

We try to keep you abreast of search trends through our Buzz Index. The top trends on Yahoo! Search in 2007 have been recapped on a special site. Highlights include:

Sports:

1. NASCAR
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Boston Red Sox

Yahoo! Kids:

1. Games
2. Animals
3. Dinosaurs

Tech:

1. YouTube
2. Wikipedia
3. Facebook

Celeb downfalls:

1. Britney Spears
2. Paris Hilton
3. Anna Nicole Smith

del.icio.us (popular tags on the popular bookmarking site)

1. Design
2. HDTV
3. Games

For the complete list, click here.

Maybe it’s time to think about selling toy dinosaurs, or retailing Boston Red Sox caps or high-def TVs. Or maybe you should just sit tight and keep an eye on the trends for 2008. Either way, stay trendy by visiting the Yahoo! Buzz Index Buzz Log frequently.

—Michael Mattis

Photo courtesy Bazpics via Flickr.