• The One-Percenters Of Recommendations
    Save money. Eat better. Become more popular. All this is possible for the lucky "haves" who distance themselves from the "have-nots" by joining a class of people shaping their lives and the lives of others through digitally shared recommendations. There's no membership card or initiation test. It's totally opt-in. But the tangible benefits can add up, and the intangible benefits can be far more substantial.Consider these three examples:
  • What I'm Thankful For (In Social Media)
    This being the day before Thanksgiving, I'm not thankful for much. Not yet, when there are still errands to run, pies to finish baking, columns to write and hundreds of miles to drive before we get to our destination -- which, as it turns out, is indeed grandmother's house. Still, when I take a step back, I'm thankful for a lot, and so, just as my colleague David Berkowitz wrote yesterday about who he's thankful for, I'm going to write about what I'm thankful for, at least when it comes to social media.
  • Who I'm Thankful For
    A great philosopher, Dr. Meredith Grey of "Grey's Anatomy," once said, "Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human." And then there are the timeless words of Spock, who reflected on "Star Trek": "Oh yes, you humans have that emotional need to express gratitude. 'You're welcome,' I believe is the correct response." Whether you're human or half-human, you can probably appreciate the timelessness of gratitude. For those in the United States, it's especially timely. While I'm feeling that Thanksgiving spirit, I wanted to do …
  • To Tweet, Or Not To Tweet? Maybe That's NOT The Question
    Something tells me I’m not alone in this: but, lately, I haven’t been thinking about Twitter all that much, even though I use it every day. Maybe it’s the constant buzz about the advertising potential of Facebook, drowning out everything else. Or maybe it’s that Twitter, even though it is building an advertising-based revenue model, continues to do so at such a slow pace that it’s like watching paint dry. It’s been a long time since brands being on Twitter -- and using it as a customer-service platform, or as a promotional one -- was news. But the most likely …
  • Ten Mobile Social Trends For 2012
    How prepared are you for the mobile social tidal wave, tsunami, hurricane, and Bieberquake that will hit us in 2012? You'd better get ready. Gartner forecasts that there will be 7.4 billion mobile connections in 2015, when the earth's population is expected to be a mere 7.2 billion. And you know what everyone's going to be doing with their 1.03 mobile connections per person? They'll be undressing catalog models with augmented reality apps. But when they're not doing that, they'll probably be engaging with some kind of social media.
  • What This World Needs Is a Few Social Media Spin Doctors
    As lucky as I am to have ongoing work, I am vexed by the ongoing high unemployment in our country and around the world. But I'm sensing an opportunity for those well-versed in etiquette and facts: Social Media Spin Doctor!
  • What You Won't Like about Google+ Pages
    If you haven't set up a Google+ Page for your brand yet, you're missing out on the Internet's new favorite pastime: complaining about Google+ Pages. Brands should have a lot to complain about. Google took a few months to release Pages, and what went live is a scaled-back version that will satisfy some smaller businesses but will underwhelm large brands accustomed to other social platforms.
  • Sure, Big Brands Don't Like Paying for Facebook, But Most of Them Have To
    So far, the most intriguing social media story of the week is this one from The Wall Street Journal, the headline of which might send marketers straight to their budgetary spreadsheets: "Big Brands Like Facebook, But They Don't Like to Pay." The deeper truth The Wall Street Journal is trying to get at is that "Big Brands Like Facebook, But They Don't Have to Pay." In other words, only chumps pay for their exposure on Facebook. But that conclusion, while sexy, is also a bit specious.
  • Checking In On The Check-In Class Of 2010
    Remember when check-ins were the future of social media? Remember when Foursquare was the next Facebook, Gowalla was the next Foursquare, and Whrrl was the next Gowalla? Yeah, I'm glad we've moved on, too.
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