Did you know that the Internet is a series of tubes? Senator Stevens thinks so. It's how the data moves around. Through tubes. Seriously.

Yahoo is building pipes. The pipes gather and filter data. Through pipes. Seriously. Sound familiar?

Yahoo's pipes are a bit different from tubes though. First, it's real. Second, smart people made it (as opposed to Mr. Tubes: Senator Stevens). The idea is that there are loads of data feeds (RSS feeds) out there carrying lots of information. The "lots of information" thing is the problem -- there is too much information that we need to sort through and put together in meaningful ways.

Pipes is interesting in another way as well: it has an amazing interface. Imagine a data-driven Visio. You drag a data block in, set some parameters, link it to a filter block, and before you know it you've tied the iTunes latest releases of your favorite band to the corresponding YouTube videos and delivered the list to your favorite news reader.

The interface is slick, but it's definitely technical and not for the un-savvy computer user. No one has yet to find a way to make RSS feeds more accessible, so it would be hard to expect a web application that organizes that data to be simplistic.

I wonder how Yahoo's pipes will work when Senator Stevens' Tubes get clogged. Maybe Google will release a tubes cleaning website. I think Drainle would be a catchy name, don't you?

Getting talked about has long been the purview of the Hollywood set and the politicians of both red and blue persuasions. When was the last evening out with friends that didn't have some mention of a movie, television show or star? Or some reference to politics or a politician? Getting talked about is how these "industries" build brand value.If nobody is talking about a movie star, you'll likely see them showing up in B-movies pretty soon. The same is true of your brand.The internet has become a social medium. It's where people go to socialize, show off pictures of their children, brag about their favorite sports team, talk politics, and share the latest gossip about movie stars or local celebrities closer to home. Just as in the real world, these online"neighbors" share their opinions of your brand, product, or service. When someone asks "has anyone ever tried ____", invariably someone in their blog or forum has an experience or an opinion about that product or service. When an online user has a great experience with something new, they talk about it, recommend it, and want others to have a similarly positive experience. Just like gathering around the water cooler,  whoever has the newest cell phone or cutest outfit is happy to share information on where to shop, what to ask for, how much to pay, and what pitfalls to avoid. If your brand isn't yet an Internet Socialite, don't worry, it's never too late to get started.  But remember, the talking never stops. If your brand isn't getting talked about, someone else's is.