[1] [2] Trendio is a stock exchange of a different kind. It lists current events, news and popular word (tags) as stocks where the value is calculated according to their presence in the media.

Therefore, the more talked about it is, the higher it the “price” would be on the stock exchange. It is a fun way to visualize trends in the media, predict its price and learn about how real stocks are traded. For example, all the talk about Mike Tyson and his potential 4 year jail sentence raised his stock price 103.7% to T15.62 (T being the general currency being traded). Stocks are grouped into 6 sections to include news, politics, business, technology, entertainment and sport.

Designed by a 21 year old of Swedish and French nationality, it originally started as a side project but word got around and popularity rose. It has been around for almost a year but it has come along way since then, with upgraded features and playability like community contests, portfolio ranking and more. The developer states it simply … “I wanted to design Trendio as a funny and addictive game, but also as a futuristic news site concept and as a (cynical and provocative, but also significant) metaphor of the media.”

Since it is free and no real money currencies are exchanged, the risk factor is taken out of the equation and you can participate without fear of losing anything (except your pride). Believe me, it’s addictive! It has already gained quite a following and has been reported in Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal.