• by Laurie Petersen , November 29, 2007

Think back a moment to this time last year. Joost was on many lips. But few people were talking about widgets, Facebook or 3D search. Conversational marketing had yet to break into the lingo. Hulu brought to mind a Hawaiian dance or a child's game.

So it might seem presumptuous to create a Survival Guide for the year 2008 when the only safe bet is that new people, places and things will be cropping up by mid-January. But we didn't let that stop us.

We picked 10 areas we think you need to stay on top of for next year. And we've thrown in 10 people you need to know. Quiz yourself to calculate your odds of survival. But most of all, take the package in the spirit it was created, and have fun with it. Consider it our holiday gift to all of you.

Speaking of gifts, I've sure gotten one with the opportunity to be the executive editor of OMMA for the past year or so. Being at the center of this whirlwind of change was nothing short of exhilarating.

The startup junkie in me now heads to a new venture. Next year at this time, I hope the name MinyanLand is part of the industry lexicon. It's an immersive virtual environment dedicated to entertaining and educating kids and families about finance - featuring our take on the icons of Wall Street: "Hoofy" the Bull and "Boo" the Bear. I'll be spearheading the effort as general manager of Minyanville Family Media. Please do check it out.

In the meantime, look for more fun developments in the pages of OMMA through the day-to-day leadership of John Capone, the magazine's new managing editor. (You can reach him at jcapone@mediapost.com)

It's been a pleasure. See you around.

Laurie Petersen, Executive Editor

laurie@mediapost.com