• by Catharine P. Taylor , February 25, 2009

This is the one-year anniversary of the Social Media Insider, so, 52 weeks later (and, yes, I did post every one of those 52 weeks), I thought it would be fun to do a year in review of the columns that elicited the most comments during the past year. It's a telling peek into what you, the readership, really care about, and boy, do you care. Only one column all year garnered no comments. I'll reveal which one it was, at the bottom of the column.

First, here are the top 11 (there was a tie for no. 10), including one comment from each that stood out. Enjoy.

1. A Few High-Scoring Words About Scrabulous (39 comments), about Scrabulous pulling itself off  Facebook because of a copyright infringement suit from Scrabble owner Hasbro. Comment: " ... anyone who says piracy isn't theft is neither an ethical person nor are they familiar with basic intellectual rights law. Definitely not the kind of person or company I would want to do business with." -Buzz Park, True Presence.

2. Ewww...What's That Smell? It's MyStarbucksIdea.com  (37 comments), in which I criticized Starbucks' community site for not really being a community, and most readers thought I was a chucklehead. Comment: "Excuse me, Cathy, but what planet do you live on? If this is such a tired old idea, then why don't we stumble over these 'online suggestion' boxes at every major retailer and consumer site on the Fortune 500?"-Mark Ragan, Lawrence Ragan Communications.

3. Is It Time For DIY Social Networks?  (28 comments), about whether the social networking world will give way to thousands of niche social nets. Comment: "If I have to create one more social network profile... STRAIGHT TO THE MOON ALICE! STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!"- Amanda MacArthur, Mequoda Group.

4. People Will Talk -- About Social Networking. A Lot. (25 comments), in which I reflected upon the skepticism even many social media people have about social media. Comment: "Treating 'Social Networking' as one big category is just like saying "content sites are overvalued" - it varies so much by which exact sites and models you're looking at."-Christian Busch, Takkle.

5. Blogger's Block -- And Other Ways Agencies Aren't Walking The Walk Of Social Media - (23 comments), in which we discuss the time-tested topic of ad agencies not "getting it", in this case not getting social media. Comment: "I believe a big reason that agencies don't 'get social networking' is because the compensation structure of most agencies isn't interested in devoting hours of unbillable time to learning this new discipline."-Uriah Av-Ron, Oasis Public Relations.

6. What's The Business Model for Niche Social Nets? ( 22 comments), about how and whether niche social nets could build a business model.  Comment: " ... one niche social network is never going to be make any meaningful advert revenue ... there are plenty of good reasons to build your own social network, from marketing to online retail - the business model of one little niche social network is pretty much irrelevant."-John Eaton, Zen Media Group.

7. Let's Get This Avatar Party Started!  (22 comments), in which I asked Social Media Insiders to play around with Coke's Burn Alter Ego app on Facebook and report back. Comment: "At least with Webkinz you get a cuddly stuffed animal (*something* for the physical and not just cyber dimension) with your virtual pet. Do I get a free refreshing beverage or free music with my Burn Alter Ego?"- Karen Talavera, Synchronicity Marketing.

8. Cathy's Confessions On Social Media (21 comments), the first Social Media Insider column, in which commenters get all excited that there is a Social Media Insider. Comment: "Welcome to your new column. I'm willing to bet you'll learn a lot--I certainly have. Whether you become a true believer will be interesting to watch."-MaryLou Roberts, diy-marketing.

9. Social Media And The Motrin Controversy: Or, Will Social Media Kill Advertising Creativity?  (21 comments), in which we ponder whether the criticism about a Motrin ad by a small group of vocal women will make advertisers skittish. Comment: "Maybe we ought to rely a little more on the community to shape the message."-Neil Perry, Neil Perry Associates.

10. Maybe Advertising In Social Media Should Be An Oxymoron  (19 comments), in which we contemplate whether advertising can even exist in social media. Comment: " ... brands and messaging need to work for or with the users... and not talk at them going forward."- David Godwin, Net-Recon, LLC.

11. Twitter Finally Has a Business Model ... Not!   (19 comments), in which we follow the back-and-forth over Twitter maybe having a business model. Comment: " ... is this service making my life more real? NO! It's a rubbish, nonsense, tiddle-taddle stupid way to 'be more important' than we really are."- Robin Caller, GOALLOVER.

OK, and the comment that garnered no comments? IPG Dips Toe Into Social Media With SocialVibe Deal. Sorry, Joe.

See you next week.