The spring 2011 edition of the American Express OPEN “Small Business Monitor” found the use of social media for marketing was up over previous years. More than a third (35%) of US small businesses reported using online social networking for marketing, up from 15% in fall 2009. In addition, 12% of respondents were using blogs as a social tactic, nearly double the figure from fall 2009.

According to research from Piper Jaffray, 20% of US teens’ spending went toward clothing as of spring 2011, with a further 8% spent on shoes and 11% on accessories and personal care items.

The leading influence on these purchases was friends a constant for teens. The internet came in second, above other types of media, such as TV or movies. There were demographic differences dividing girls and boys, however, when it came to influence. While friends were most important for all groups, boys said sports were No. 2, followed by the internet. Among girls, by contrast, the internet came third after magazines.

In 2010, 38.5 percent of all new light-duty vehicles were registered to women – a 2.5-percent rise compared to 2006. Ethnic women (African American, Asian and Hispanic) have increased their vehicle purchase share by 4.7 percent during the same period.

Apparently, the judges appreciated their insights into the investment prospects of AutoZone, Inc. Another interesting fact about this stellar group with its one female out of three participants is that it closely mirrors the gender makeup of finance majors at the university level and practicing financial advisers.

The shortage of females in the financial advising industry is surprising in that over one-half of prospective clients are female.

First off, if you've been helping family during these tough times by providing them with a place to live, or maybe even paying their medical bills, you may be entitled to additional writeoffs. There's a $3,650 personal exemption deduction, favorable head of household filing status which gives unmarried individuals lower tax rates and a bigger standard deduction. There's also a medical expense writeoff if you itemize.

Did you conduct a job search? You can deduct some expenses associated with it like travel costs including half of all meals while out of town, resume prep costs as well as any headhunter or employment agency fees.

Maybe you went back to school. If that's the case, the most valuable tax breaks are employer-paid education arrangements, the American Opportunity Tax Credit (worth up to $2,500 for each eligible student) and the lifetime learning tax credit, which is worth up to $2,000 per household.

According to a June 2010 survey, people who use their mobile phone for web-based banking tend to be younger, male and more ethnically diverse than their online banking counterparts.

Hardly a news organization exists that does not have a blog where its journalists post updates to breaking stories, offer personal commentary and engage in a dialogue with readers and viewers.