Twenty million people received a flattering e-mail from LinkedIn the other day telling them they had one of the most viewed profiles in 2012 (either Top 5 percent or Top 10 percent). Hurrah, you're special. Pat yourself on the back. Tweet it out again. Are we done...
One colleague is frustrated because the forums on her membership site are getting little traction. She's set up "pull" options for people to get e-mail alerts to new conversations. She's posted notices to her LinkedIn group. She's reminded people at in-person...
Does your business need a social media checkup? We've had this conversation before: You don't want surprises and "gotcha!" moments. Instead, you want that first (in person and online) impression to be the right one. Whether you call it brand management, reputation, or...
You have my permission to play with shiny objects. The hottest “it” platform (e.g., Pinterest). The newest options (e.g., Google+ Communities). And, yes, the toys (e.g., social badges). Each might have its place in your social strategy–but they shouldn't be the...
Scheduled tweets are tricky. No, not the scheduling part (that's easy), but the part where brands (and sometimes people) tweet at hours when they're clearly not online. I understand why companies do it--especially when the goal is to pass along deals and information...
Facebook might have started out as a destination platform. But it and all social media are becoming increasingly integrated into our lives. Consider this example (from my election night experience). It's a little after 11:00 p.m., and the television talking heads are...
Vick tells his brother to 'shut off the Twitter' buff.ly/VI82gB via @espn Another athlete screw up. — Geoff Livingston (@geoffliving) November 9, 2012 Geoff Livingston raised an interesting question with this tweet. When are you responsible for what someone...
I have a problem with long-term contracts. If you have to lure customers into sticking around, what does that say about your confidence in your product, service, and/or value? Okay, I get it. You spent a lot of effort bringing people in. And you want to incentivize...
Wrapped in the Chick-fil-A controversy is a warning to small business owners. It's not about free speech (you can say whatever you want). Nor is it about the wisdom of a dose of self-censorship (just because you can say it doesn't mean you should). And I'm certainly...
Minnesota Public Radio has a fascinating article on Best Buy at a crossroads. At one point, a Best Buy worker tells the interviewer: "Executives ... focus on issues that are not crucial to Best Buy's competitiveness or survival. For instance, he argues Best Buy has...