The folks at Apple just need to wake of in the morning to create news of all sorts that could shape the online world in many ways. First, theres the talk about some profits in Q1 that would make any company happy (The company posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share). Theres all the hubbub about the announcement of their new tablet device on Wednesday which is apparently the worst kept secret in quite some time.

If you prefer to live in the real world you will agree that the job situation in the US is not getting better any time soon. If there are any political pundit types out there who want to duke it out about the whats and whys of this situation thats fine. Im just stating a fact. This reality of the times we live in is played out all the time across social media channels. In particular,

New statistics regarding Twitter have been released, and there's good and bad news for the site. The good: it's attracting lots of new users every month, and some of them become very devoted fans. The bad: Twitter's growth rate is declining, and a ton of people seem to establish an account and then never return. Let's just get the most important numbers out there. Robert J. Moore wrote today that there were 75 million Twitter accounts at the end of 2009. He also stated,

by Mike Krumboltz Time to cash out your life insurance policy, because the world as you know it is ending. Want proof: An airline is planning to install lie-flat seats... in coach. What, what, what! Air New Zealand made the announcement. A blog from USA Today explains that the airline will offer "coach seats that recline to an almost-flat bed for customers willing to pay extra." Ah, so passengers will have to pay extra. Hmm, maybe the world isn't ending after all.

Back in the summer MySpace launched its own email service called MySpace Mail. The company has now announced that it has surpassed 15 million accounts for that service. "Adoption by our users has experienced phenomenal growth, well exceeding initial expectations," says MySpace's Rajit Marwah. "At launch we set a goal of 10 million accounts created within a year we knew we were on to something when we surpassed this goal in less than a quarter.

LinkedIn has announced some upcoming features related to the way users browse their connections. The company says users will start seeing the changes over the next few weeks. There is a new browse panel, which allows users to browse their connections by their current companies, locations, and industries. They can also search connections by entering their first name, last name, or current company in the search box.

Facebook has become the most-visited social network on the mobile web, according to Opera's State of the Mobile Web report. Unique users of Facebook grew more than 600 percent during 2009, helping the site surpass Russian property VKontakte, formerly the most popular social network among Opera Mini users. Twitter saw its usage increase more than any other social network, jumping more than 2,800 percent in just one year. In December 2009, more than 46.

Social networks may become home to a lot more marketers this year. The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) surveyed a number of senior marketing execs, and found that many of them have made social networks and applications their top priority in 2010. Indeed, a whopping 45.4 percent of the people involved in SoDA's Digital Marketing Outlook study indicated that they consider social networks and applications to be a top priority, and although this isn't quite a majority,

eBay announced today that starting March 30, it will be lowering the cost of selling for sellers of all sizes. The company will introduce its lowest insertion fees ever. Here are the new options for sellers, as described in eBay's announcement: Option 1: "eBay Everyday" Standard Rates - List up to 100 items a month Auction-style freeno Insertion Feeswhen you start your Auction-style listing under $1. - Get new, lower Insertion Fees for all other start prices. - Either way,

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Rachael Flatt (Searches increased by 2,217%). Her skating skills aren't flashy, but the national champion gets the job done . "Bonanza" (+713%). Pernell Roberts, the last living member of the "Bonanza" cast, has died . Pablo Picasso (+542%). First rule of art class: Don't fall on the priceless paintings . Australia Day (+421%). Australian for the country's founding anniversary celebration .