CNN has introduced a new measuring stick for what’s hot on social media called CNN Trends.

Fueled by Zute, a technology company CNN purchased last year, the dashboard tracks the top 10 biggest stories. It pairs the top story with CNN content, then provides up to 10 links to other stories on the same topic from other primary sources.(There’s an app, too, for iPads, iPhones and Android-compatible smartphones.)

“A healthy media diet consists of news, analysis and perspectives from more than one source,” said KC Estenson, SVP CNN Digital, in a press release. “CNN Trends embraces that concept and expands on it by allowing the social Web to determine which stories are featured. It’s the perfect place to discover new content and advance the narrative of a trending headline. ”

As the news cycle progresses, CNN Trends unearths new content and analysis to complement the evolving storyline.

It’s a cool way to track news. As I write this, the 10 hottest trending topics are a mix of silly and serious with an eye toward technology-related stories, even if the story could have been archived from 1999. (See #10)

1) The end of the print edition of Newsweek

2) The Federal Reserve bomb plot

3) CNN’s own Candy Crowley and her moderating work on Tuesday night during the Presidential debate

4) Mitt Romney’s oldest son joking he’d like to “take a swing” at Pres. Barack Obama.

5) Lance Armstrong and the doping fall out.

6) Google earnings leaked out early

7) Flavor Flav arrested for assault

8: Twitter blocks a hate group

9) Verizon sold a relatively modest 651K iPhone 5’s last month

10) AOL unveils a new mail service.

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