She also proudly recounts how quickly a flattering chart about job creation that the campaign disseminated online found its way to the inboxes and Facebook walls of apolitical relatives.

ECONOMIST: The Obama campaign

To get the sleek lines of a sheath dress, how about the always flattering empire dress?

WSJ: Ask Teri: Dresses for Older Figures

"It was flattering at first, but that's how I used to pay the bills, " says Katz.

CNN: Books on tape, on the Web

Paul Emsley was asked how he felt about some art critics' less than flattering comments about his work.

BBC: Kate portrait: First painting gets mixed reviews

"It's flattering, because you see the waist and how small that is when the peplum goes out, " says Thakoon Panichgul, of the label Thakoon.

WSJ: The Peplum: A Fashion Trend That Goes Straight to the Hips

This is funny and flattering all at once, but it also underscores how new media has changed old media, and how the emerging social web is changing the once-autonomous search-based internet.

FORBES: Games Were Social Media Before It Was Cool