The graph above shows the extent to which Ubuntu is Linux for many users. Clearly, Linux still has more total searches, but Ubuntu is coming on strong. The trend lines suggests that either 1) Linux is losing steam, or 2) everyone who’s interested has already found it, so the searches are leveling off.

Notice that the interest in IT certifications has drifted lower over the last few years. Some experts say that certs are less important, that employers look for experience over certifications, though that opinion is disputed. At the same time, interest in IT salaries has held steady over the last three years, even moving slightly higher in today’s turbulent job market. Amid the general malaise in the economy, the tech job market continues to be healthy, so perhaps IT pros are tracking salary trends with job-hopping in mind.

Ah, the mighty do fall. Who would ever have guessed, in MySpace’s fifteen minutes of fame – in those surging months of early 2007 – that the sprawling teen networking hub would so soon begin to whither? Once an absolute necessity for every teenager in America, now it suffers from a case of AOL-itis, almost terminally unhip. And you can see where its users are heading: Facebook is trending nearly parabolic.

Here’s an interesting one. Digg runs leagues ahead of Reddit, especially during its brightest year, 2007. But look at what’s happening in 2008: Digg is losing altitude, as Reddit is showing a steady, albeit modest, move upward. Has Digg jumped the shark?

This one is quizzical. Perhaps it’s to be expected that Bluetooth is flat – are users really that excited about, say, getting rid of that wire between their mouse and the PC? But could Wireless also be flat, even modestly down, over the last few years? In the middle of an explosion in the use of mobile devices? Hmmm…maybe Google Trends isn’t the prognostic device it appears to be…

Adapted from ITManagement.earthweb.com.

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