What we have here is yet another exercise on how to make great user-generated content that fits the general theme of the public, and since we’re less than a week away from Christmas Day, this video is a fantastic example of fitting web content. In fact, I’d much rather watch something like this instead of Best Buy’s mean spirited “Game on, Santa” commercials. If they would create something like this, instead of “daddy don’t want no cologne” commercials, it might have a much more positive impact.

Or maybe I just like YouTube videos of puppies tearing through presents.

Best Buy, in particular, is running a terribly callous series of commercials called “Game On, Santa,” in which obsessed female shoppers purchase the gifts that their loved ones really want at Best Buy and then wait up on Christmas Eve to accost Santa Claus in their living rooms and gloat that they’ve already beat him to the punch. In your face, you outdated fat man with your outdated presents! [Emphasis mine]

Would the WaPo’s reaction be anywhere near as harsh if Best Buy dumped those ads and used puppies ripping into wrapped mobile devices instead? Of course not.

In other news, for all you web entrepreneurs out there who are wondering about effective methods to advertise your web site’s services in time for the Holidays, use the video as a step-by-step tutorial, adding whatever branding materials you deem necessary. Just don’t overdo with the brand placement.

It’s funny, these companies spend millions of dollars on their Holiday season ad campaigns when something much more simple like puppies and Christmas trees is much more effective, not to mention, probably a lot cheaper. At least the production costs.

Sure, Black Friday seems utterly atrocious when thinking about it. I mean you got long lines, rabid shoppers, insane traffic, and bitterly cold weather. Mix that with sleep deprivation and you get a very lethal cocktail of insanity. So why do people put themselves through this monotony?

Well the answer to that is quite easy: It’s the deals.

Although Black Friday got its start sometime during the 1960s, online deals didn’t come into play until around 2000. The reasoning for this was that most people had very slow dial-up connections at home, which made online purchases more of an annoyance, then a convenience. Most people would wait until the following Monday, when they returned to work, to do there online shopping. Utilizing the faster connection of the workplace, people would do their online shopping, thus creating Cyber Monday (often referred to as the busiest online shopping day of the year).

Have you found any good deals online this week? Let us know.

One thing some people might not realize is that you don’t have to brave the crowds to find great deals for your Holiday shopping. Did you know that numerous stores are currently offering Black Friday deals online? That’s right, you could do most of your shopping from the comfort of your own home. Unlike the traditional Black Friday sales, the online deals tend to be more of a "one deal per day" sort of thing. Black-Friday.net offers the following info about this…

"During the entire month of November, stores such as Amazon.com, Walmart, and even eBay will be offering a "Deal of the Day". These deals are just as good as their Black Friday deals, except they are only good for one day! Be sure to check out the stores below to find out what they are offering today."

The site also lists online deals for 16 total stores (with more being added daily it seems), they are: Amazon.com, eBay, Walmart, onSale, Target, Kohl’s, MacMall, Best Buy, HP, Dell, Meijer, Sears, NewEgg.com, Buy.com, Kmart and 6th Ave.

Online Holiday sales might be "old hat" to Amazon, but they’re becoming known for the deals they have during the week of Thanksgiving. The site offers the following description of the weeklong sale…

You shouldn’t have to stand in a long line to get a great deal. We’re searching for the best Black Friday deals everywhere–including deals other stores are planning–so we can meet or beat their prices and bring them to you even earlier. These limited-supply offers will go quickly but we’ll add new ones throughout the day, every day this week, so you can skip the long lines and still save a bundle.

One company that is getting in on the Black Friday goodness is Apple, as they’ve announced a  “one-day shopping event” which will surely make it a happy Friday for some shoppers. Apple posted the following teaser to get shoppers stirring…

"Come back to the Apple Online Store this Friday for a special one-day-only shopping event. You’ll find lots of great iPod, iPhone and Mac gift ideas – all with free shipping."

Like we said before, shoppers will go to great lengths to save some money, some more so than others. So, what are some of the best deals that will be taking place on Black Friday 2009 in stores? We’ve scoured through the Black Friday advertisements and have listed the best prices for what surely will be the best selling items.

Televisions
[Target] Westinghouse 32" Class 720p LCD HDTV – $246.00
[Walmart] Emerson 32" LCD 720p HDTV – $248.00
[Best Buy] Dynex 32" 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV – $299.99
[Sears] Vizio 32" Class 720p LCD HDTV – $349.99

Desktop Computers
[Best Buy] eMachines Desktop: 18.5" LCD, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD – $299.97
[Dell Home] Dell Inspiron 537s: 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD – $349.00
[Walmart] HP Pavilion Desktop: 20" LCD, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD – $398.00

Laptops / Netbooks
[Walmart] eMachines 15.6" Laptop: 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD – $198.00
[Best Buy] Compaq Netbook: 1GB RAM, 160GB HD – $179.99
[Kmart] Delstar 7" Wireless Netbook – $119.99
[Radio Shack] Acer Aspire One Netbook – 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD – $249.99

MP3 Players – 4GB and under
[Kmart] Sylvania 4GB MP3/Video Player – $19.99
[Kohl's] 2GB MP3 Player with Video – $24.99
[Walmart] Philips 4GB MP3/Video Player – $29.00
[Best Buy] SanDisk: Sansa Fuze 4GB – $44.99

MP3 Players – 4GB and up
[Costco] Apple 8GB iPod Nano – $129.99
[Target] Apple 5th Gen. 8GB iPod Nano 2/ $15 Target Gift Card – $145.00
[Walmart] Apple 8GB iPod Touch w/ $50 iTunes Gift Card – $195.00

Digital Cameras
[Toys R Us] Vivitar 8.1MP Digital Camera – $39.99
[Best Buy] Insignia Digital Camera – $49.99
[Walmart] Kodak CD82: 12MP, 3x Optical Zoom, 3" LCD – $69.00
[Sears] GE A1250 12MP Black Digital Camera – $69.99

Will you be doing any shopping on Black Friday? Online or In Store? Tell us

Other Black Friday Resources:

Black Friday Websites
Two of the more popular Black Friday sites are BFAds.net and BlackFriday.info. Both are relatively the same, as they both feature scans, lists by store, and the ability to save to a shopping/wish list.

Black Friday & Facebook
Black-Friday.net runs a Facebook page, which lists the various Black Friday deals. The great thing about the Facebook page is that users can see the likes and comments, which could aid in the Black Friday planning for Facebook users.

Black Friday & Twitter
CheapTweet.com, a site that lists various deals, runs a very popular Twitter account, which tweets out Black Friday deals.

iPhone Apps
Black Friday? Yeah, there’s an app for that. With TGI Black Friday (iTunes link) you’re never without the latest Black Friday deal news. The best part about the app… it’s Free.

What are you going after this year on Black Friday? Have any good Black Friday stories? Tell us.

More than half (53%) of consumers say price is the reason to buy online, compared to 46 percent last year. Convenience is also a major factor for shopping online with 76 percent of consumers citing the ability to shop 24 hours a day and 74 percent saying it saves them time when they shop online.

Other reasons consumers are shopping online this holiday season include avoiding crowds (65%), saving gas (59%) and sales/discounts (55%).

Respondents said that they would spend an increased percent of their holiday budget online, an average of 41 percent compared to 39 percent last year. More consumers also said they would spend the majority of their holiday gift budgets online, up to 36 percent from 32 percent last year.

More consumers plan to make purchases in the "Toys & Video Games" and "Books" categories this holiday season than last. The top three retailers where consumers plan on shopping were Amazon.com, Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble.

"Based on our survey findings, we believe holiday online sales will grow from 2007, but likely at a single-digit rate and representing the smallest increase we’ve seen since the online commerce market was born," said Ken Cassar, vice president of industry insights, Nielsen Online.

"If there is a silver lining in these results, it is that consumers continue to view the online channel’s principal value proposition as convenience, more than price, allowing retailers the opportunity to differentiate on service and selection. We expect consumers will be comparison shopping, particularly in categories where goods are high-priced. However, in moderate and low-priced categories, retailers may be able to offer prices that are simply competitive, potentially preserving some of the margin that might otherwise be lost this year."