It's that time of year again and people are in the Christmas spirit and celebrating the end of the year. Last year I did a list of the most popular post from this blog and I thought I would continue that theme this year. It's been an eventful year with Coalition Govenments, oil slicks, student protests, WikiLeaks revelations, lots of #uksnow and much more.

As for me I have grown my Twitter following to over 1,200 followers this year which is a significant milestone. It indicates people liked my content and what I've been saying which means a lot. In April I redesigned this blog and in September I launched the NiteGlow Sphere website which puts all my online presences in one place. As part of this I also launched a SoundCloud page to showcase my tunes, a MixCloud page for my DJ mixes, a Tumblr blog for various pictures/contents, and a Posterous page for other random thoughts. 13 October 2010 marked two years since NiteGlow came into existence so this was yet another milestone.

Of course, I have more plans for 2011 too namely the addition of NiteGlowTV but can't say too much about that at the moment!

So without further ado here are the most popular posts of 2010:

1. Asperger's Syndrome - The Untold Story Of Forgotten People: This post became the most popular post on this blog just hours after it was posted which gives an indication of how the issues it deals with have resonated with people. It gained 7 retweets on Twitter and 30 shares on Facebook and continues to get lots of traffic even now. It is also interesting to note that Google Zeitgeist 2010 ranked 'aspergers' as the third most searched for health related query which indicates growing awareness around the subject. High profile cases such as that of Gary McKinnon (who has AS) have also helped.

2. Life In The Slipstream: This post deals with Facebook's growing dominance, the digital divide and the growth of the social stream online. Increasingly it is a stream or now maybe a torrent (no pun intended!) of information which can be confusing to navigate or regulate.

3. Bristol Twestival Was A Blast: In March I helped organise and PR the Bristol Twestival charity event in aid of Concern Worldwide. It was publicised all over the local press and publications with lots of coverage and chatter online. I was very happy in getting the BBC to cover the story too. It was great to work with local people and businesses to make the event the success it was. We raised over £5,600 for Concern Worldwide exceeding all expectations! I am definitely looking forward to our next event... :)

4. The Internet: A network of networks and a culture of cultures: This is a post about the growing online communities and the connections between them. The internet is place where cultures and ideas are continually being mixed and melded.

5. Information Activism: A WikiLeaks Outlook: Unless you have been living under a rock you cannot fail to have heard about WikiLeaks. Here I talk about what Julian Assange calls 'Information Activism' and what it might mean for the media landscape and governments around the world. Since this post was written there have been many more developments as we have seen! I also wrote another post here after the release of the cables and Julian Assange's arrest.

6. Defining Social Media: It is very difficult to actually define Social Media for many reasons mostly because it means different things to different people and it such a new evolving phenomenon. This post shines a further lite on these issues.

7. Social Media And Hiphop - The Great Analogy: As a Hiphop fan of many years I have often noticed the similarities between Hiphop and Social Media. From ghetto stories, to bling-bling, to wack mcs and player haterz, this post has it all!

8. The Online Gold Rush - A Great Wild West Story: This is a lite-hearted post comparing large tech/online companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook to no-good outlaw cowboy posses from the Wild West in search of online gold and the American Dream! Need I say more?!? ;)

9. Has Facebook Sold Out Your Privacy?: There has been much talk and criticism of Facebook's handling of its users' privacy this year. I take a more in-depth look at the issues that matter and why they are important for all users to be aware of as they share more information on Facebook.

10. I don't need to be qualified to be a human being!: This post was influenced and inspired by @ChrisBrogan's excellent keynote on Social Media which I attended at the Likeminds event on 26th February 2010. Often businesses are all about numbers when it comes to Social Media strategies but what matters most is the human touch and making people feel special. In fact even dogs understand this! ;)

Finishing Thoughts.....

That about wraps it up for another year! It's all flown so quickly. I'd like to give a big shout out to my readers and Twitter followers! I've had some great conversations with the Bristol tweeps especially.

There is much more NiteGlow content and discussion planned for 2011 so look forward to 'engaging' as they say in the biz! lol!

It just remains me for to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and whatever you do #KeepShining ;)

As the year draws to a close there has been time for much festive cheer but it is also a time for reflection. Think of this post as kind of like a flash-back episode on a TV show.

In the spirit of this I decided to put together a list of the top 10 posts from this blog as chosen by you, the readers. In order to do this I have used some background web stats on number of views as well average time people spent each blog post. So without further ado here it is! Enjoy!

1. The 7 Chakras of TweetZen - A fun piece on the emerging existence of Twitter Spirituality (in my humble opinion!). I have a fair few retweets on this one so I will take that as good karma!
   
2. Lost in Social Media Mayhem - The world of social media can be tricky and confusing but there is light at the end of the tunnel!
3. 10 Unemployment Survival Strategies - Over the last year there are many that have experienced unemployment and this is a very challenging time for the soul.
   
4. Google and Microsoft Take Potshots At Each Other - Online business world has been compare to the 'wild west' and this is certainly not and understatement
5. Bada Bing - Nothing to do with Microsoft search engine but something I wrote at the beginning of the year about my love of the TV show The Sopranos. It is a surprise entry in this list.
6. Postcard from Palestine - A fantastic post from Ben Khanna about his experiences in the holy land
7. Arabian Nights.... Dubai Style - Dubai is city I never forgot when I visited it. If you are going yourself give this a read for sure. It includes a video of our expedition through the desert.
8. Is It A Case Of To Little To Late For Mr Murdoch - The way consume news and share information is changing with Internet. Murdoch wants to charge for online news content. We will see in 2010 how successful this is.
9. Has Notting Hill Carnival Lost It? - This is written by guest blogger Nadia Auckburally on how she thinks London's Notting Hill Carnival may be losing the original Carnival spirit.
   
10. Asperger's Syndrome/Autism - Disability or Special Ability - A piece on differing perspectives on Asperger's and Autism. This is especially poignant with the Gary McKinnon case and his possible extradition to the US.