My favorite Keyword Research tools at the moment (which I very rarely see anyone talking about) are from Microsoft...

Yea I said it... ya wanna fight about it??? (Family Guy reference... )

Keyword Research: Microsoft adCenter Labs :: Advertising and Data Mining Tools: Microsoft adCenter Labs

Keyword Forecast :: Keyword Forecast: Keyword Research: adCenter Labs

This tool forecasts the impression count and predicts demographic...

I was just doing some research and put together a list of resources to keep your ear to the ground of the Twitter Hot Trends pulse...

Twitter Search :: Twitter Search
The simplest way to see trends on Twitter is on their official search page. Hot trends on Twitter appear on the search page and on the Twitter homepage, and clicking any will bring up a feed of the public conversation.

Twithority :: twithority (twithority) on Twitter
Twithority...

Here’s a simple yet powerful article niche research tool I put together over the weekend:

What it does is use google’s advanced search strings and let’s you search for the most viewed, latest hot articles. You can search by date, views, and more… I’ve added 10 of the Top Article Directories to the search function so far:

...

I hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as the "Best Niche".

I see so many people asking the question "What's the Best Niche to start with/get involved with" and so many others give the quick answer of "Weight Loss" or "How To Make Money Online" etc.

Next you see that same person that took the advice on the "Best Niche" is begging for help, because they have done everything right, and after a year of struggling...

OK, I was reluctant to share this tactic, but it's so obvious that I figured there is nothing to hide with this secret.

Do you remember early computer programs/games/movies where someone asked the computer a question, and it gave the answer?

Well, that's no different today with search engines, and people use these search engines in the same ways...

People ask search engines their questions.

How to... what's the best... where to find... etc. etc....