YouTube recently announced the top 10 most watched videos of 2010, which range from incredible and unintentional musical performances, a Ke$ha parody and talking fruit to a funny advertisement, movie trailer, surprise appearance by Justin Bieber and more.

According to The Today Show, more than 13 million hours of video were uploaded to YouTube this year – and we’re watching … but not just online. Mobilefuture.org released this video, which tells us that 100 million YouTube videos play on mobile devices every day. As 2010 comes to an end, check out the video recap below for a reminder of what mesmerized the world this year.

Which video did you enjoy the most? And, if your favorite isn’t a part of the top 10, please share it with us in the comments.

During this festive time of year, the lights are on trees, Christmas music is all around, cookies are freshly baked and kids are looking forward to the bounty Santa will bring. Though it can sometimes be overwhelming – all the shopping, wrapping and get-togethers – we are so fortunate to have such wonderful worries, aren’t we?

I once heard, “The reason for having is to give.” At Costa DeVault, we are grateful for our blessings and cognizant of the fact that they can be used to serve a greater good in the community. This year, we participated in two charitable drives during December.

The Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida’s Adopt-a-Family is an annual program that benefits those less fortunate. Every year, this organization selects local families in need and provides clothes, toiletries, toys and other donations. This year, Costa DeVault had the privilege to sponsor two families, helping to create a happy and memorable holiday for them.

Seniors First, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of local elderly citizens, hosts an annual shoebox drive to brighten the days of 2,500 Central Florida seniors. Our team donated nine shoeboxes filled with blankets, candy, gift cards, crossword puzzles and other items to those we visit during our weekly Meals On Wheels delivery route.

It’s been a rewarding year at Costa DeVault, and we feel blessed to be among other Central Florida companies spreading the happiness of the season to the communities we serve. Here’s passing along the joy of the holidays – from our team to yours.

Operating since 1891, the Salvation Army Kettle drive bell ringers are as much a Christmas time tradition as eggnog.

Our local Salvation Army has experienced a 19 percent decrease in donations from this time last year – equating to about $24,000 total. The majority of the nonprofit’s resources come from the “red kettle” campaign, which uses the money raised to fund initiatives throughout the year.

This year, not only is the organization spreading holiday cheer outside storefronts, but it’s also collecting donations in a variety of nontraditional ways, including both “virtual kettles” online and text messages. With billions of dollars in holiday gifts purchased on the Internet, shoppers just aren’t going into stores as much as they used to – and many nonprofits are seeing a drop-off.

Although online donations are convenient for contributors, they often cost the organization extra fees to facilitate and can hurt local groups that need in-person donations, like the XL 106.7 Baby D.J. program, which collects toys for families who can’t afford gifts. The need for help this year is arguably greater than ever before, and the donations that the Baby D.J. fund has received are flying off the shelves.

When you’re out and about this holiday season, consider going straight to the source to give your donation. It might take a little extra effort, but for some organizations (and the families they serve), it could make a world of difference.

In 2007, when I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I discovered that, while my friends in Orlando were quick to adopt everything from Myspace to Flickr to Twitter, people in Silicon Valley avoided signing up for multiple forms of social media. For them, Facebook was the present and future king of all social networking. The reason? Managing too many different accounts was overwhelming, and Facebook effectively streamlined everything one wanted – from status and news updates … to photo sharing … to event posting – on one, easy-to-use site.

So how has Facebook managed this? It isn’t always because they had the best ideas first … but it is because they recognized value in other social media outlets and integrated facets of several of them. Recently, the site added Places, a spin on Foursquare’s geo-tagging application – putting the juggernaut in direct competition with Foursquare, a fledging start-up that has increased its user base this year, but hasn’t quite become the next big thing that some experts predicted. And, last week, Facebook did it again by introducing a new profile layout that puts job and education information in an easy-to-see location at the top of user profiles, and also allows people to add specific job details … a move that social media expert Peter Shankman believes could be “checkmate” for LinkedIn.

Only time will tell how Facebook’s new features and applications impact other social networking sites – but with the company moving full-steam ahead, it doesn’t appear that the trend of adopting ideas and tweaking them is short-term. And, it begs the question: If Facebook already does it and I have an account with them, why would I bother trying to manage another site or application?

What do you think? Would you prefer to use Facebook for all your social media needs or do you think that Facebook can’t provide the same benefits that other applications do? And do you think the “little guys” have a chance of surviving?

I have fond memories of lying on the kitchen floor with the Yellow Pages, calling every pet store listed. Depending on my favorite animal that week, inquiries ranged from “Do you have turtles?” to “What do ferrets eat?” The process made sense at the time: open up the massive book and just start from the beginning.

Fast forward 15 years and I can’t remember the last time I opened a phone book. The most interaction I’ve had with one in the past decade is picking it up to recycle it. In 2007, Chris Silver Smith, director of optimization strategy for KeyRelevance, wrote an article titled “Google Trends: Yellow Pages Will Be Toast in Four Years.” Three years later, the statistics are still convincing – the Yellow Pages took note.

In the past year, the Yellow Pages has updated its logo, developed a smartphone application and started pushing its new website address, YP.com. Its motto (“Click less. Live more.”) sums up its search mentality. And, I must admit, the iPhone application is beautifully designed with quick-click options for “eat,” “play” and “live.” (Sounds oddly similar to Eat, Pray, Love …)

The changes make sense. But, according to Nielson, more than 85 percent of Internet searches take place through Google, Yahoo and Bing. That doesn’t leave much room for the revamped YP. Statistics like these are hard to ignore, which must be why the YP homepage is a “mixed breed:” Google Places, Mapquest, Yelp! and Weather.com – it even supports Facebook integration. In theory, it’s the perfect homepage.

But, old habits die hard. While many may recognize – and appreciate – the update to the Yellow Pages brand, it might not serve as a replacement for more popular services.

Is YP.com your go-to source for local listings?

This past summer, I wrote about the highly anticipated Waiting for “Superman” documentary and discussed how the film would use social media to help advocate for education.

When I saw my friend Kathleen McManus’ Facebook page, I noticed that the film’s social media efforts were paying off. A teacher at Lake Silver Elementary School in Orlando, Kathleen posted two classroom book projects for which she needed funding on DonorsChoose.org. The education-based charity website had partnered with the documentary to offer a $15 gift card to DonorsChoose.org for those who saw “Waiting for “Superman” in the movie theater.

Kathleen has utilized DonorsChoose.org since earlier this year, but found that the movie’s press helped attract new contributors. And, it didn’t hurt that Oprah recently featured the website on her “favorite things” episode.

Kathleen’s rationale for her projects was straight from the heart. She wrote:

Many of my students are on free or reduced lunch and have never left the state. Most of my students lack the background knowledge that comes from vivid life experiences, like summer vacations with family or eating in restaurants with linen napkins. When faced with a test question about what happens at the country club, one of my students raised her hand and asked why dancing was not an option. Many had no idea what a country club was. This lack of background knowledge translates to low creativity in writing and stunted comprehension skills.

The good news is that donors generously stepped up to the plate, funding a total of $560 to support her classroom reading projects.

After this success, Kathleen decided to post a new project in order to raise money for an interactive whiteboard for her class. The funding is steeper – nearly $2,500 – so she says she’s not sure if it can be done.

I’m writing this post in hopes that her request can and will be fulfilled. Small donations add up. Kathleen is one of the many teachers in Central Florida who care about serving children – especially the underserved. Check out her project here and explore other worthy classroom initiatives.

… Jack Roth, that is. The 16-year veteran journalist who has written for publications such as Orlando Magazine, FirstMonday, Texture, CEO Orlando and more, has joined the Costa DeVault team. In the interview below, he opens up about his career as a writer, his style and what he really thinks about PR professionals.

Q: How did you develop your style as a writer?

A: I think it’s based on both your personality and your life experiences. As a journalist, you have to have a certain level of passion and enthusiasm for what you’re writing in order to communicate with a unique and compelling voice.

Q: What is the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about the PR profession that you didn’t realize until you were on the flip side?

A: Every word matters. Being an effective PR professional requires a great deal of knowledge and savvy. You need to deliver the message just right, which means you have to develop strong relationships — built on trust — with your clients.

Q: What is the most interesting pitch that ever received?

A: I got a call from a publicist saying that her client was the son of Meyer Lansky (the “Mob’s Accountant”) and that he had an incredible story to tell. Upon speaking with him, Meyer told me about how dysfunctional the entire Lansky family was, detailing quirky family relationships and the in-depth history of the relatives. The truth is, it was a great pitch, but unfortunately it wasn’t a good fit for the magazine I was working for. Looking back, I would have loved to have written a book about the story. He had a lot to say.

(more…)