One of the trendiest refrains in social marketing today is the command to "join the conversation." Sure, this command is trite and generalized. After all, it is marketing speak. But, it's also subjective and relative. As marketers, our definition of "conversation" - what counts for participation, what constitutes a conversation at all, let alone a quality one -- matters. It certainly matters within the human relationship, doesn't it?

During my recent vacation, while setting up my Evo smartphone's WiFi hotspot so I could connect my MacBook to the Internet, I asked myself: "What is my most valuable workplace productivity tool?" It is not my smartphone or laptop. It's my paper notebook.

It's that time again when a lot of folks are hoping to trade their years of sweat and investment into big multiples of cash or stock. I am very excited for those who will make it and find their "pot of gold." However, many won't. Unfortunately, I am afraid that many folks who today think that they are at the "end of the rainbow" are in for a wake-up call: they still have a long, long way to go. Here is my thinking:

Being an entrepreneur is fun, if you're crazy. When you're an entrepreneur, you get to make your own hours, push your ideas forward, and attempt to solve problems from a new and unique point of view.

There is a natural flow to how marketers should engage consumers both in digital and traditional marketing. How many commercials start with "call now!" What am I calling for? If you want likes/fans, give people a reason to connect with you. You want people to click to your Web site, tell them what they are going to find. Want people to download your coupons -- well, why should they? Want people to register for your program -- better give them a lot more information.

During those times when you can barely handle another "Will I see you at 'Super Essential Industry Event' tonight and tomorrow night and the next night?" or when the thought of a string of industry lunches has you panicked over the projects staring you in the face back at the office, I would offer a few approaches that are not so black-and-white to help get your sanity back.

How many followers do you have on Twitter? How many followers should you have?While Twitter follower count is the most cited metric of Twitter profile importance, I really don't care about that number. With some exceptions, I've found little correlation between the value of a Twitter profile and the number of followers. Some people with high follower counts are interesting, and some aren't. Some people with low follower counts are interesting, and some aren't.

Many in the industry have been taking a lot of reactive -- and appropriate - steps to deal with privacy issues as they surface. Most important, the industry, through its trade associations -- including the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the 4As, the ANA and the DMA -- have begun implementing self-regulatory principles to ensure that companies provide a basic level of privacy protection to users. But all this is not enough. It's time for online companies to get out in front of the privacy issue, and the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission has provided some great guidance.

Numerous articles have been written about how the music industry is dying, but that's not what I'm here to write about. Instead, I want to raise awareness of the fact that the business is potentially better than ever. From my perspective, the music industry is now set to experience a rebirth and a reinvigoration because the stars have aligned -- the industry part is getting cut out, and the artists are the ones to make the money!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I almost never run for exercise. So running 26.2 miles certainly wasn't on my to-do list this month. But then I got an email from social connector, social do-gooder and good friend, Toby Daniels. Toby was reaching out to a group of social media "influencers" (I know what you're thinking, and I'm also not sure how I made the list) to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7 in order to raise money for Camp Interactive. So later that day, after convincing myself I wasn't going to die, I told Toby …