Last week, I took social media to task for making us less social. This week, I'm in Palm Springs for TED Active -- and on day one, saw three very real examples of how the Internet is also connecting us in ways we never imagined before. They provided a compelling counterpoint to my original argument.

Back in late 2006 I wrote a column for Search Insider describing how the link graph is symbolic of both what we say about ourselves as companies, and also externally what others think about our companies. it doesn't take too much of a leap to understand that the same is true in networks in terms of the conversations around a brand, and for the Web as a whole. Now more than ever, the identity of a brand is largely reflected in these areas of both search and social media.

After last year's Google Caffeine update, blogs have seen an increased boost in Google organic search rankings. Whether you're new to blogging or trying to improve your blog post rankings, where can you get started? First and foremost, if you're not using a self-hosted WordPress, consider making the switch. I've found WordPress to be the most SEO-friendly blogging platform, and with its many fantastic plugins, WordPress goes a long way to making your blog SEO efforts more efficient. Here are my four favorite WordPress plugins for SEO: