- Depression spreads in Scotland (a survey shows that 1 in 10 youths find life "meaningless") (BBC News)

- Cybils shortlist (were announced, in case you hadn't heard. Also Newbery comes under fire… again this time for the lack of diversity among selected titles. And A Chair, A FIreplace and A Tea Cozy responds to the uproar) (The Ya Ya Yas) (Bloomberg News)

- Teens tell all (on social networking sites according to a recent study. Surprising? Not so much. More interesting was the second study that measured the demo's response to a physician reaching out based on the risky behaviors they disclosed. Also an Op Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal challenges the recent study that questioned the effectiveness of virginity pledges) (Washington Post, reg. required)

- 'The future of work' (a sidenote to our ongoing debate with PSFK from writer/comedian Chris Hardwick who discusses his life as a freelancer) (PSFK)

- You know you love it (the creator of "Gossip Girl" announces a new web series that will follow a group of twentysomethings who hang out a nightclub. Also the second season of "Secret Life of the American Teenager" raises more questions about teen pregnancy) (Variety) (LA Times, reg. required)

- Will virtual worlds get real? (a look at the explosion of branding inside virtual worlds for kids and teens) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- Alcopops banned (from youth-targeted video games in Illinois after a new law passes. Plus more on Pepsi's millennial-centric plans for the year ahead) (GameInformer) (AdWeek)

- Thatsnotcool.com (a new site dedicated to raising awareness and stopping digital dating abuse)

- Obama RSVPs (for the Youth Ball, an inaugural celebration for those between the ages of 18 and 35) (Washington Post, reg. required)

From blog to website: The biggest change is that instead of just publishing full posts in reverse chronological order, which we've done since our launch in 2004, we are moving to a more modular homepage design. We're doing this for a couple of reasons: 1) To highlight other types of Ypulse initiatives like our events and research from our partners 2) To be able to highlight content in our new channels: Mobile, Tweens, Youth Marketing, Campus and Urban (and also Books). You will still get links to each day's new content five days a week in the top "Today On Ypulse" Box. You can also still get non-essentials posts in reverse chronological order at the bottom of the page. I know it's an extra click from the homepage to read these posts, but we felt the trade-off was worth it in the end.

Offering vertical channels: We decided to launch five new channels in addition to Books in order to showcase our archival content as well as regularly add new content to the vertical topics we have found Ypulse readers are most interested in. It also opened up new advertising inventory on the site and the opportunity for advertisers to exclusively sponsor specific channels. For example, Campus Media Group is the exclusive sponsor of the Campus channel and Youth Marketing Connections is the exclusive sponsor of the Youth Marketing Channel. We still have opportunities on Tweens, Urban, Mobile and Books so if you're interested, get in touch with Anne Weiskopf.

You will begin to see new posts with invitations to dig deeper into these channels archives as well as thanking our new sponsors. You can find these channels in our cool new nav, where you can also toggle between "Topics" and "Tags" to find even more archival content.

The Ypulse Daily Update and our RSS feeds will remain the same for now in that you will see full posts or at least those that aren't truncated editorially for length. Please let us know what you think….we hope you like it!

With the exception of Red Bull and a handful of other stalwarts, I imagine smaller, newer brands facing both stiff competition and rough economic times will have a tough time sticking around. While inside the drinks' traditional niche market of extreme sports, household names like Red Bull and Gatorade continue to keep their stronghold, outside, in the mainstream, vitamin-enhanced beverages with a multitude of flavors and corresponding health-enhancing properties have systematically overtaken almost every selling point going for the product (revival, endurance, intelligence, focus) and made them low-calorie to boot. Even the street cred factor (given a boost back in '05 when Lil' Jon launched his "Crunk Juice") has been encroached by vitaminwater with 50 Cent agreeing to hawk his own flavor.

And then there's the outcry against the health risks, which came to a head last year when a petition was submitted by physicians and scientists calling for the FDA to regulate the highly caffeinated drinks. The drinks were called out for putting "young drinkers at possible risk for caffeine intoxication and higher rates of alcohol-related injuries." Yikes.

And so, it seems the buzz is dying down. But given the aforementioned health risks and the fact that most of these drinks seem like a hop, skip and a jump away from alcopops (Sparks, anyone?) if not worse, I don't think it's necessarily a loss, as much as an opportunity to explore healthier options for getting energized. What are your thoughts, readers?

Sorta Related
Ypulse Best and Worst of 2008: Youth Targeted Ad Campaigns

Disney in the Digital Age (how CEO Bob Iger is keeping Mickey's monolith alive and well) (Fortune)

- Ning for British teens? (a new online community for 13 to 18 year olds lets young UK users create the look and feel of their own social networking site) (BigNews.Biz)

- Teen dating violence (awareness and funding for the issue gets a much-needed boost) (New York Times, reg. required)

- 'Why colleges are just not that into you' (or how admissions marketing gives prospective students false hope. And the Common App site crashes because of too many high school seniors waiting until the last minute to send their college applications online. Ouch. Also AdAge offers recent grads alternatives to joining –or attempting to join– the workforce) (The Daily Beast) (AdAge, reg. required) (Jossip)

- Calling all teens.. (tips on grabbing the attention of the most easily distracted demographic. Plus why its tricky to use teen tech habits as a guide for TV programming) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Multichannel)

- Pushing pink (shops in the UK accused of reinforcing gender stereotypes by making the majority of girls toys pink. Plus popular UK teen drama "Skins" is back for a new season) (The Daily Mail) (Digital Spy)

- Adidas goes global (with a new ad campaign for its Originals brand. And young teens get groomed for college football fresh out of middle school) (USA Today) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Wild over Wii (50 kids unwrap a new Wii on Christmas. Hilarity ensues) (Pwn or Die)

- Gawker's Consumerist gets sold (in an attempt by Consumer Reports to attract a younger audience. Plus how the recession has changed Gen Y's views on marketing) (New York Times, reg. required) (MediaPost, reg. required)

- More on Boy Scouts (and their modern marketing makeover.) (AdAge, reg. required)

- Burton snowboards (still stirring up controversy) (The Boston Globe)

P.S. New year. New opportunities. If you haven't already, join the almost 600 youth media and marketing professionals in the Ypulse LinkedIn group.

Though the programs themselves have little in common ("The City" follows young fashionista Whitney Port as she tries to make her way in the big city; "Bromance" pits guys against each other in an effort to become BFFs with Brody Jenner), they share a common heritage in "The Hills" (Port was Lauren Conrad's co-worker at Teen Vogue, Jenner, the bachelor err.. bro makes regular appearances as Conrad's on-again off-again love interest). And therein lies the root of the problem…

How can MTV expect these shows that star peripheral characters to continue holding viewers' interest after so many iterations? By definition they're derivative. Just take a look back… before Conrad aka LC took off for "The Hills" she was a part of the high school ensemble on "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," which itself was a take off of the fake Orange County, "The OC." Now, setting aside the irony that a primetime soap created to skewer this privileged community instead launched multiple reality series reinforcing the stereotypes, there is the question of sheer momentum. At this point, it's like copying a carbon copy of a carbon copy, no?

This issue is further compounded by the contrived premises of both shows. Much has already been made of "The City's" fake factor, and I think YAB member Alyx summed up the problem with "Bromance" pretty nicely in his YIR post where he named "Reality Shows" as one of the "Worst Moments" in television: "We’ve learned over and over again that searching for romance, best friends, and other valuable relationships on live TV is a waste of time, so why don’t people give up already?" Teens have clearly absorbed this lesson to the point of saturation; shouldn't the folks in charge of programming catch up?

Chances are these shows will flicker out soon enough, but what will replace them? With 16 new programs on MTV's lineup (the channel's supersized attempt to hold on to its target audience), there are no shortage of contenders. I'm personally curious to see how viewers will respond to a slightly real-er version of reality with the new series "College Life," a compilation of student-produced video footage from the University of Wisconsin (a similar web-only project called "What the Flip?" was recently launched by MTV.com with Flip cameras on a nation-wide scale.) Of course, in the hands of MTV, you have to wonder if both projects won't just end up being more art imitating life…

Because of the downturn, Net Geners are finding it harder to hop to new jobs. At the same time, their dissatisfaction is growing as crisis-hit firms adopt more of a command-and-control approach to management—the antithesis of the open, collaborative style that young workers prefer. Less autonomy and more directives have sparked complaints among Net Geners that offices and factories have become “pressure cookers” and "boiler rooms."

What actually caught my eye in this article was how Estée Lauder was trying to address this issue:

Estée Lauder, a cosmetics firm, is also encouraging Net Geners to help it innovate. It has launched an initiative called iForce which brings together young staff to dream up ways of marketing products using emerging technologies.

We’ve seen this approach before with Porter Novelli’s pop-up agency, and I’m sure there are other examples of this. This intentions behind these efforts are well meaning, and the outcomes may even be beneficial to the bottom line, but I started wondering about the practice of segregating younger employees as a way to foster innovation.

Part of the discussion around what younger employees want at work speaks to what we all want at work – openness, collaboration, recognition, etc. Just because older generations were socialized to suck it up, doesn’t mean we all wouldn’t benefit from a reinvented workplace (if you believe companies will still exist to work for in the future….)

Why not create these incubator groups or teams but make them inter-generational? You can make sure that leaders are selected from different age ranges and that all ideas are heard. By creating an intrapreneurial environment for employees (across generations) who are interested in innovating, you could also foster mentoring – and reverse mentoring - along with re-energizing older workers who may have been going through the motions and collecting paychecks. Thoughts?

'The City' premieres (and gets called out by New York media for giving Manhattan the LA treatment. Plus 50 Cent's Brooklyn-based reality show gets cut) (New York Post) (New York Magazine) (New York Post)

- How one tween's texting habits (helped provide valuable insight towards a whole generation) (AgencySpy)

- Taking It Global's (rad new redesign)

- Wal-mart and Unilever team up (to make music together. The retailer recruits Unilever to help promote Soundcheck, a music microsite recently launched by the megastore. Also a new iPhone app lets you "Be like Lil' Wayne") (Ad Age, reg. required) (Take The Handle)

- Gatorade scores (with the best viral marketing campaign of the year according to The Urlies) (Urlesque)

- Women on the web (as print mags continue to drop to like flies, new female-focused sites continue to crop up like TheFrisky.com, a sex and relationship site for women ages 18 to 34) (WWD)

- Virginity pledges (apparently not so effective) (MSNBC)

- Boy Scouts (reach out to Hispanics in an effort to boost membership) (La Crosse Tribune)

- At what age should your child… (Picking up a discussion that started a few months back when a mother let her 9 year-old ride the subway alone, The New York Times' parenting blog reports the results of a poll asking parents the appropriate age for other activities. Plus more on the debate over cybersafety over in Australia) (New York Times, reg. required) (Variety)

- FooWho? (virtual pets company FooPets revamped their Facebook app formerly known as Pokey to enhance realism and provide users with more options. Also, a new book on the history of "Sesame Street" takes a long walk down memory lane) (Virtual World News) (New York Times, reg. required)

The Best

Nike's 'Beautiful Losers' DIY Workshops
I didn't actually see the film, but I love the idea of Nike supporting the featured artists as well as spreading the creative  vibe through DIY workshops for youth in cities where the film played. Nike branding is played way down, but the connection between the brand, which finally gained acceptance in the skateboarding world, and this effort to promote subcultural artists/heroes is quite clear.

The Obama Campaign
Ypulse Youth Advisory Board member Libby echoed this in her Best And Worst In Advertising and I already highlighted it in my bigger YIR post, but it's still worth mentioning again. By fostering participation from the bottom up, tapping into social media in every way possible early on, nourishing the grassroots culture that began to flourish around it and actually speaking and more importantly, listening to younger voters, this campaign won my vote for the best of the year.

Do Something's use of text messaging
To me, this was the perfect use of SMS - having youth opt in to receive text notifications about volunteer opportunities that match their interest, location, etc. Nicely done.

The return of music to MTV
While it hasn't really returned to the flagship channel in a big way, the massive success of Rockband has brought music back into the MTV product lineup. No matter how many reality shows MTV airs, the brand is still Music Television. I was also thrilled by the launch of MTVMusic.com - all my favorite 80s videos in one place, but seriously, another move that reaffirms that music is still a part of their brand DNA.

Virtual worlds doing 'good'
Whether it's because virtual world operators know this generation of tweens and teens wants to see corporate social responsibility or just because they, too, want to help enable social change, it doesn't really matter — either way, the folks in the virtual world space did a lot of good this year. Dizzywood partnered with schools, green-themed worlds like Ekoloko launched and Habbo fought against homophobia. Definitely a trend I hope will continue in '09. I'm sure I missed lots of other examples here, so feel free to post them in the comments.

The Worst

Burton's Playboy snowboards
I know these were meant to appeal to its
"core" audience of young men within the snowboarding subculture, but it did so while offending lots of girls and young women who are now also a big part of the sport. FAIL.

The glamorization of teen pregnancy
From Jamie Lynn's bump watch in the celeb weeklies to "Juno" breezily giving her baby up for adoption and reuniting with the father to play precious music, this year pop culture seemed obsessed with teens having babies. While there were efforts to counterbalance these stories with the grim reality most teen moms face, making celebrity teen moms cool, is well, not cool.

MTV's 'Model Makers'
MTV made the right call and canceled this show that would have followed "15 young women between the ages of 17 and 24 and turn[ed] them into high fashion models by forcing them to lose weight." This one should never have been given the green light in the first place.

Teens behaving badly online
This year the media loved to cover stories about teens doing bad stuff online - whether it was posting photos of bathing in industrial sinks, "sexting," or the cheerleaders beating up a classmate, the coverage helped to paint a very negative portrait of youth and technology. Even PBS Frontline's look at growing up online was overly focused on the trouble these "kids" can get into. The reality is that there is another side to this story, how technology has opened up new worlds, connected old friends, enhances learning, etc. — it's just not as sensational as three girls taking a bath at KFC. And as I said on "The Today Show," it's not just teens who do stupid stuff online…

Juicy Campus
It's all in the name. This site encourages anonymous slander and has destroyed reputations. Should it be allowed to exist? Sure. Should the founders be able to sleep well at night? Not in my opinion.

The Best

1. 'Twilight.' Definitely the most anticipated movie of the year. Millions of eager fans around the world (including myself) went out to see it. Combined with lovable actors (R.Pat!) and an amazing idea inspired by the extremely popular series, we couldn’t wait to go to its midnight showing! "Twilight" definitely hit the spot for those droves of screaming fans that came barging into theaters. Awesome special effects, famous actors, vampires, friendship and a love scene: What more could you ask for?

2. 'The Dark Knight.' This movie was not only amazing for Batman devotees, but for newcomers to the franchise as well. With special effects and impressive acting, this movie definitely deserves a mention. Despite the fantastic notion of a city patrolled by a superhero, the characters seemed incredibly realistic. It lived up to the high expectations and will be talked about for a long time to come.

3. 'Sex and the City.' Four characters that millions of women have come to love were finally on the big screen together, tying up the loose ends of the famous television series. With its familiar faces, wit, amazing wardrobe and décor, I think this movie definitely aimed to please fans of the original show. And even if it was a cheesy chick flick about friendship and marriage, it still managed to interest women of pretty much all ages. All in all, it was a success!

4. 'Quantum of Solace.' With amazing action sequences and an original plot, the latest Bond film didn't disappoint. Many had been eagerly awaiting the next adventure of the A-list hero after "Casino Royale," and lucky for them Daniel Craig served up another satisfying helping with this suspenseful spy flick.

5. 'High School Musical 3.' It finally hit the big screen! Most fans agreed that HSM3 was the best of the High School Musical series. It was funny in a corny way, but still cute and full of catchy songs. Moms and dads went to see this, as did teen guys and girls. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but, it was still pretty great. And though some may be embarrassed to admit it, this movie made most smile.

The Worst

1. 'The Love Guru.' It wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t cute. The acting was mediocre at the most and there wasn’t anything original in this movie. It didn’t get rave reviews, and while a few teens might have been amused, the majority just decided to skip this movie and move on.

2. 'The Hottie and the Nottie.' Nobody expected it to be hilarious so it wasn't exactly surprising when it fell flat. We don’t even need to talk about the unbelievable plot and awful acting. Of course, any movie that stars Paris Hilton makes itself a pretty easy target for haters. Still, it seemed like a pretty catastrophic failure and I can't really imagine anyone willingly going to see it.

3. '10,000 BC.' This prehistoric epic could have been interesting, but it wasn’t. Instead of drawing teens into theaters, it came across as just another history lesson. Nothing much seemed to happen and it just lacked suspense. After a while the movie just became tedious to watch.

4. 'Kung Fu Panda.' This animated film was neither funny nor charming and even for a cartoon, the acting was mediocre. It also didn't help matters that the characters weren't developed. Even with Jack Black, it still had a tired plot and recycled jokes. Honestly, it felt like a waste of twelve bucks.

5. 'Wanted.' This action film starred one of the most in-demand actresses around, so what was the problem? Well, for one thing, even though Angelina Jolie was okay, she could have been better. Also, the storyline and screenplay could’ve been looked over a few more times. Action alone does not a good movie make especially when the suspense is ruined by predictability. For future reference, an all-star cast doesn't mean you shouldn't put in any effort.

About Caroline
Caroline is a high school student in Geneva, Switzerland. While Caroline lists sports, music and travelling as her hobbies, she also very much enjoys writing and reading. After being a teen adviser for NickMag, she thought Ypulse would be the perfect opportunity for a new start. While trying to keep up with the trends (or setting some of her own), dance classes, working on long papers and trying to master three new languages, she rarely has time to write the novel she wishes she could finish, though she is certain one day she will. Writing is never far from her thoughts.

The Best Songs

1. 'I Kissed A Girl' - Katy Perry
So the lyrics aren’t exactly genius, but you can’t say it isn’t catchy! Our generation is more open than ever to ideas of bisexuality; and it’s amazing to have this manifested in our music.

2. 'Violet Hill' - Coldplay
A perennial favorite, Coldplay's latest is always eagerly awaited – and as this song proves, their melodic alternarock is never a disappointment.

3. 'Addicted' - Saving Abel
Although Saving Abel adds a pop element to their music in this song, they still manage to maintain their strong rock roots. The raw energy and emotion coupled with the throaty vocals make it one of the best songs I’ve heard this year.

4. 'Womanizer' - Britney Spears
I’ve never really been a fan of Britney Spears, but again, you have to hand it to her for making a bold comeback with this fast-paced number that grabs your attention, not unlike I Kissed a Girl.

5. 'Shut Up and Let Me Go' - the Ting Tings
This song became one of my favorites because of the fun guitars that open it. It’s something you would expect to hear playing in the background of a show like "Gossip Girl"…one of the most fun songs.

The Worst Songs

1. 'Got Money' - T-Pain
If anyone can connect at all with the incredibly odd lyrics of this song, I beg you to enlighten me.

2. 'When I Grow Up' - the Pussycat Dolls
I’d be embarrassed to have written this in the seventh grade. This song has driven me to never-before experienced levels of mental unrest.

3.'If I Were a Boy' - Beyonce
Not to go against my own sex, but this song crosses off all the checkpoints of angry-chick music. The clichéd depiction of men is getting old.

4. 'Love is Noise' - the Verve
And the award for most shallow, angst-ridden song title (and matching lyrics) goes to…

5. 'Heartbeat' - Scouting for Girls
A new form of auditory torture.

The Best Albums

1. Mountains - Biffy Clyro
Technically a single, it still deserves a place up here for giving fans what they want and introducing many to a relatively unknown band for the first time. Not many things live up to hype as well as this track does.

2. Songs for You, Truths for Me – James Morrison
Beautiful mix of soothing and heartbreaking songs, perfect for almost anybody. I feel it deserves a place here.

3. Viva La Vida – Coldplay
Good album from the home country that continues to be popular worldwide. Good to see some of our music still has lasting power.

4. Memory and Humanity – Funeral For A Friend
A very good album that holds up well compared to previous works, with new singles like "Hours," which far surpasses the generally disliked "Tales Don't Tell Themselves" from earlier. It is good to see a band improving so vastly on a solid base, however, maybe more coverage of the album in the music media prior to release would have helped raise awareness.

The Worst Albums

1. iTunes Gifts
There are enough of these to make an album, and they definitely deserve a mention here. The people in control at Apple seem to delight in picking boring and uninteresting songs for us here in the UK and give away very good freebies in the U.S. store. For example, the Lovers in Japan – Coldplay video. Free in the USA for a week, but expensive in the song’s homeland.

2. Singles 2001-2005 – Biffy Clyro
Despite the name, this was in fact released this year, and I wish it hadn’t been. I’m not dismissing the songs on this album, but rather the idea behind it. This is just a way to cash in on a band's success as they move labels. Sadly, this is not the only time this has happened, and really, the reason this is here is to say STOP to the record labels.

3. One of the Boys – Katy Perry
This album seems to be simply about stirring up controversy with "I Kissed A Girl." But, Perry further confuses matters with another song called "Ur So Gay," where "Gay" is meant in the derogatory sense meaning "bad" or "annoying." Not cool, Katy. There is no need.

4. Chinese Democracy – Guns n' Roses
An album that has been in the making for almost as long as I have been talking sadly delivers no memorable songs to add to the GnR repertoire. Equally, this could never live up to hype that has been building up for 15 years.

About Akanksha

By the time she got to the much-dreaded, self-esteem destroying wasteland also known as high-school, Akanksha began to develop an interest in writing. Suddenly, all the words she ever knew began to creep into her dreams, and discover all her darkest thoughts and feelings, before silently but permanently immersing themselves within her soul and transforming themselves into fiction. In addition to that, the French language is her drug and acne is her worst enemy. She laughs a little too much and is a romantic in the extreme sense

About George

Classic private school educated, tea adoring, dry-humored Brit. George enjoys school, more for the people than the work, but has a genuine interest in his chosen subject, even if he isn’t the brightest pupil. Having not been to America, and keeping away youth culture that is designed by adults and preferring to stick to true youth culture, he foresees an interesting future here. However the general insanity of day to day life and the crushing work load thrown upon his shoulders will certainly destroy his feeble mind at certain points and therefore he apologizes in advance.