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"As 2008 draws to a close, we thought we\u2019d take a look back at some of Mashable\u2019s most popular stories.  These aren\u2019t necessarily the most important pieces of news we reported this year, but simply the posts drawing the most attention from our readers.  \nPerhaps indicative of the influence that social media is having on mainstream culture, one of the more apparent trends in our list is how many of our top posts relate to current events \u2013 the economy, celebrities and entertainment, and the Olympics are all represented.  \nWithout further ado, here are 20 of our most-read items in 2008:\nTiger Woods\u2019 Jesus Walk Not a Glitch \u2013 When a glitch in EA Sports' popular video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 made it seemingly possible to \u201Cwalk on water,\u201D Electronic Arts and the world\u2019s greatest golfer responded by creating a hilarious real-life parody of it:\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJanuary 30th is International Delete Your MySpace Account Day \u2013 Although it probably wasn\u2019t the main reason that MySpace fell to #2 worldwide in social networking, a well-organized protest urging users to delete their accounts because of the site\u2019s continued spam and technical errors gained at least a few minutes of Internet fame.  \nGeorge Carlin: A YouTube Obituary \u2013 When one of the world\u2019s most well-known comedians passed away, we paid tribute with a compilation of his funniest and definitely NSFW videos.\n18 Smaller Olympic Countries to Root For \u2013 Michael Phelps might have been the biggest story from this year\u2019s Beijing Olympics, but our list of tiny countries sending only 1 athlete in some cases gave fans of the underdog someone to root for.  \n\n\n\n\nYmail And Rocketmail? Sorry, Yahoo, But That\u2019s Not Enough to Thwart Gmail \u2013 Yahoo Mail tried to build some excitement by adding a couple new domain name options.  I think it\u2019s safe to say, as Stan predicted, that this didn\u2019t accomplish much.\n19-Year-Old Lifecaster Commits Suicide on Justin.TV \u2013 In one of the more bizarre and tragic stories in the social media space this year, a teenager committed suicide live on the Internet.  \nPractice What You Preach: Nine Inch Nails Gives Away New Album \u2013 Free music was everywhere in 2008, and Nine Inch Nails, a long-time advocate of digital tunes, was no exception, offering up much of their album for free over the Web.  \n11 iPhone Apps That Will Clean Out Your Junk Drawer \u2013 With the advent of the App Store, there is a lot you can do on your phone.  This list included apps for everyday tasks like your shopping list, a tape measure, and a tea timer.\nWhen an Interview with Zuckerberg Turns into a Revolt \u2013 Sarah Lacy\u2019s interview of Mark Zuckerberg turned into one of the most-widely discussed events of the year as audience members took issue with the BusinessWeek reporter\u2019s style of questioning.  \n\n\n\n\nThe Top 20 Firefox 3.0 Compatible Themes Worth Upgrading For \u2013 One of the year\u2019s most anticipated software releases \u2013 Firefox 3 \u2013 quickly spawned tons of new add-ons and customizations.  Early on, we put together a list of 20 of the best themes for the new browser.\nGoogle Reader Gets a Major Makeover; It Rocks \u2013 Perhaps the most important tool we use internally at Mashable, Google Reader recently underwent a major re-design.  I was immediately a big fan of the changes, though it took some others a bit more getting used to.  \n25+ Celebrity Twitter Users \u2013 Perhaps the most talked about startup of 2008, by the end of the year, real celebrities were sharing their thoughts and activities on Twitter.  And now, with Christmas just days away, even Santa is using the microblogging tool.  \nYou Really Can\u2019t Hide From Google Street View Anymore \u2013 Google\u2019s street-level imagery for Maps now includes much of the continental United States following a doubling of coverage earlier this month.  While our international audience was quick to point it\u2019s not nearly as prevalent around the world yet, this is one Google project that seems to be a mainstay.\nChickipedia.  For Guys That Never Get Laid. \u2013 Pictures of scantily-clad women are still a proven way to get traffic on the Internet.  Our article about Chickipedia was no exception.  Go figure.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLike It Or Not, Here Comes the New Facebook \u2013 Facebook\u2019s re-design was one of the more drawn out and controversial subjects this year.  As the rollover of all users to the new Facebook neared, readers hit up our coverage of the impending changes in droves.\nTop 5 Tech \u201CKillers\u201D That Weren\u2019t \u2013 The term \u201Ckiller\u201D gets thrown around far more than it should in tech reporting to describe what new products might do to entrenched competitors.  In this article, we featured five such high profile sites that ultimately didn\u2019t kill anything \u2013 other than a few investors' bank accounts.  \nCheck Gas Prices Online: 11 Handy Tools \u2013 Until the economy imploded, gas prices were out of control in the US, surging to more than $4 per gallon at the peak.  Here, we put together a list of 11 tools to help you find the best prices in your area.\n18 iPhone Drinking Apps to Get the Party Started \u2013 Keep track of the number of drinks you\u2019ve had, measure your projected blood alcohol level, and take a sobriety test \u2013 all from your iPhone.\nMakeMeBabies Predicts What You and Your Lover\u2019s Kid Will Look Like \u2013 We cover a lot of startups; some of which become essential products we use every day (like Summize aka Twitter search), others of which are downright bizarre.  MakeMeBabies falls into the latter, but was nonetheless entertaining, providing a virtual version of Conan O\u2019Brien's \u201CIf They Mated\u201D segment.  \n10 of the Best Social Media Tools for PR Professionals and Journalists \u2013 There are a lot of great tools to help bloggers, journalists, and PR people work better together.  In this list, we review 10 of the most useful.  \nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, Rellas\nLacy / Zuckerberg images courtesy of Brian Solis"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/12/22/2008-biggest-stories/>