Most industry watchers agreed that big umbrella sites like MySpace and Facebook have lost some sizzle to smaller niche players, which can offer advertisers more precisely targeted audiences because the sites cater to specific interests.

FORBES: Facebook Falters In Europe

It is nowhere big enough to provide an umbrella for a country as big as Italy if that country needs rescuing.

BBC: Deadlock in the eurozone

But German leaders accept that this umbrella is not big enough to help countries as big as Italy.

BBC: German bailout vote: Merkel's authority survives

Remember wondering what it would be like to fly a kite big enough to lift you off the ground, like Mary Poppins and her umbrella?

FORBES: Wing and a Prayer