Within milliseconds of the explosions, #BostonMarathon and #PrayForBoston were trending topics on Twitter. This is today's reality when it comes to tragedy. We live in a day and age where news finds us, we don't need to even look for it. Online, in the midst of tragedy, it's easy to spot those who care... those who don't... and those who would and do dare to make some sort of joke or cast blame before all of the facts have been sorted. While this online always-connected life exposes us to tragedy faster and with more detail and impact than ever before... it also allows us to feel connected, to reach out and support one another like never before.

Is it any surprise that flashy headlines and fake celebrity death memes on Twitter get so much attention? In this era of digital narcissism, where our gateway to content is through the lens of the people we like and admire most, traditional and digital publishers must now grasp for attention in an even flashier way.

When someone jumps from the edge of space back to earth and it's all supported by one brand, you know you are staring at a winner. Felix Baumgartner's supersonic freefall from 120,000 feet not only broke the speed of sound and a world record to go along with it, it practically broke YouTube as millions upon millions of people watched the drop from space online. And with that event, Red Bull also captured the hearts and minds of marketers all over the world.

Janne Makkonen, a YouTube maestro and editing wunderkind, who splices together the best of CBC's montages and Sportsnet's not-used-enough in-game footage, has released his newest tour de force, titled "NHL - Together We Can". Congratulations, Janne Makkonen, and thank you for finally taking side with the one thing we all really care about: hockey.

Like many of you, this week I watched a YouTube video featuring the Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, founder of The Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, or BOND. The 12-minute film, entitled, "How Liberal Women are Building a Shameless Society," is a vehicle for Peterson's, shall we say, "unique" take on life.

For teenage boys and lonely men everywhere it's the answer to the nag: "Why don't you stop playing all those damn video games and actually learn something by watching the news instead?"