Twitter was declared the most popular word in the English language for 2009, according to the Global Language Monitor. If you haven’t heard of this social networking and microblogging site by now, you are probably living under a rock in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Even those people who have heard of it are skeptical of this "time-wasting trap", as I’ve heard it referred to. And while yes, it does take up a significant amount of time daily, it’s also an amazing tool.

It allows networking in a way previously unheard of. For instance, I’ve landed a number of small freelancing gigs as a result of people following me. I’ve also become friends with several amazing fashion bloggers and am slowly getting to know literary agents.

It also gives answers faster than even a Google search can. Not sure of the best restaurant to visit in a… click here to read whole article and make comments

Let’s get one thing straight. Leggings are not pants. They aren’t meant to be pants. They should not be worn as pants (no matter what the fashion mags are saying). They are not pants.

Yesterday I was at the mall and ended up walking behind a handful of girls. Each one had on a pair of leggings, and each mistakenly was under the impression they had on pants. It’s not a pretty site to be stuck behind a group like that.

Don’t get me wrong - I love leggings. But they are meant to be an outfit accent not a main article of clothing.

Leggings, pants and tights are all different fashion pieces. As such, they each have a specific use and while the lines can tend to blur occasionally on these items it’s important to keep these clothing items separate.

Leggings go great under skirts… click here to read whole article and make comments

Tuesday marked the start of the 9th season of American Idol. This new season is starting on a different footing than the previous years. First: Paula Abdul has left the show. Second: talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been brought on as a fourth judge. Thankfully Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are still sitting in the judges’ seats. Kara DioGuardi, who joined the show last year, will also be returning.

I admit to an obsession with the show. There’s something exciting about the start of a new season. Something thrilling about watching person after person audition to be the new, big music sensation. Over the years, audiences everywhere have watched the talent show launch a number of average people to instant stardom, including Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Because of shows like American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent we get to watch the average girl or… click here to read whole article and make comments

Thanks to text messages, Facebook and Twitter the tween and teen population is developing an entirely new lingo. They combine word, shorten phrases and delete vowels. The letters may look like secret code to those outside the social media circle; making the generation gap glaringly obvious. For instance, my dad used to sign all his e-mails LOL. After months of this I asked why he was Laughing Out Loud every time he wrote me. He thought LOL meant Lots of Love. Oops. Fail.

Confused by what you're seeing out there? Here's an alphabetical list of some of the most popular new terms:

AKF - Away from Keyboard
ASL - Age, Sex, Location
AYS? - Are You Serious?
B4 - Before
BCNUL8R - Be Seeing You Later
BF - Boy Friend
BFF - Best Friend Forever
BFN - Bye For Nowclick here to read whole article and make comments

Were you like the millions of other people worldwide who made a resolution to lose weight this year? How many times have you set that goal for yourself? And of those times how many have you been successful? Not too many, probably.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say, the goal of losing the extra pounds is the wrong way of looking at the issue. Why not focus instead on improving your health and personal fitness? That way, weight loss becomes a positive side effect but not the main impetus for actions.

When you focus on cutting pounds you are constantly viewing yourself as not good enough. On the other hand, when you look to improve your health the focus shifts to betterment and small positive milestones; such as running a half mile further, doing an extra rep of weights at the… click here to read whole article and make comments

Welcome Trend Setters, Fashionistas and Style Gurus. After months of anticipation, mostly on my part, Tiger Print has launched. This blog is likely to be a catch-all. We’ll discuss the fashion, street style, lifestyle trends, entertainment, new media and anything else that adds flavor to life. As Carolyn mentioned, if you’d like to contribute or simply have a topic you’d like to see covered by Tiger Print send me an e-mail at katie.hinderer@mercatornet.com... So let’s get to it.

Each year since 2007, Pantone, which bills itself as the global authority on color, identifies a color of the year. The shade it labels as the it-color shows up everywhere. It’s in shirts, skirts, pants, dresses. Designers work it into fashion shows, retailers stock the shelves with it. Get ready. For 2010 the color is turquoise.

… click here to read whole article and make comments

Hi there, culture vultures, slaves of fashion, connoisseurs of cool, Gen Y, Z, whoever… Today MercatorNet launches the long-awaited trends and style blog. We’ve called it Tiger Print -- mainly to avoid calling it something else that might narrow the field of vision too much and exclude potential readers. Guys and gals should be equally interested in our dignitarian take on the latest style.

I am delighted to introduce Katie Hinderer as editor of Tiger Print. Katie is a very talented young woman, a graduate of Marquette University and an experienced journalist who has published on a wide range of subjects including business, real estate, higher education, fashion and pop culture, and in publications ranging from The New York Times to hip-hop website Crunk Certified. Her current freelance portfolio includes RelateMag.com, an inspirational teen magazine for which she edits the web content and… click here to read whole article and make comments