Top 5 Signs Your Business Should Not Be Using Social Media...

Social media is all the rage. All the cool kids are using it; at least, that's what the cool kids on the internet are telling us. The number of businesses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube is mind-boggling, but the real question is how many of them are using the tools wisely?

How to Find and Ban Members in Facebook Groups...

Today's post is written specifically for those responsible for managing a Group on Facebook. Facebook Groups don't get as much buzz as Facebook Profiles (soon to be known as Timelines) and Facebook Pages. Still, there are many wonderful uses for Groups. I belong to many, including some business, community or family related. Serving as an Admin of a Facebook Group can be incredibly easy or a huge time commitment, depending on the size of the group and how closely the group's content is moderated.

The ROI of Respect, Listening and Hugs...

I spend way too much time online, most of it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. While you may not spend the hours online as I do, admit it, you are online a lot. My question to you is a simple one: How well do you really know your virtual connections?

How Old is the Perfect Social Media Expert?...

So, there I was. Listening in on an fascinating conversation online with one of the business world's most well known thought-leaders*, some of his most famous books on the shelf above my desk as I soaked in his words coming through the speakers of my computer.

8 Tips for Using Social Media for Political Campaigns...

By now, most candidates for public office have figured out that incorporating social media into their campaigns is a critically important step. It's the how to do this that escapes most of them. That's perfectly understandable. The last couple of election cycles, much of this social media business was new. That was then, this is now.

LinkedIn Adds 3 Fun Ways to Remember Your Connections...

LinkedIn doesn't get much love in the "I can't wait to go online and have fun with my friends" category of social networking sites, but make no mistake - for professionals, wannabe professionals, businesses or non-profits, LinkedIn is where the real action is. While you may be getting benefit out of Twitter or Facebook, LinkedIn is probably where I'll find you first when I google you and where I'll look to get an early sense of your reputation.

How To Manage Your Online Reputation By Using Google Alerts...

In addition to the wonderful feedback to my post last week about 3 Mistakes You're Making Online, I also received questions about my third point - using Google Alerts to monitor your reputation online. While I know throngs of hyper-connected people for whom using Google Alerts is second nature, the fact is that this is a new tool for many people.

Facebook Friend Requests: Accept or Ignore?...

Everybody uses Facebook differently. Just like all of social media, there is no one right way to use it. Still, I'm often asked how I use it. One of the common questions about Facebook concerns friend requests. How to choose which to accept and which to ignore?

Twitter Etiquette: Outside Voices, Inside Voices and Whisper...

If you grew up with a mother anything like mine, many of your childhood memories include being shushed and reminded to use your inside voice. We had three voices, but the one we heard the most about was our inside voice. Heaven forbid we might say something too loudly and the neighbors would hear! Little did I know these voices would come in handy when thinking about Twitter.

Disconnected in a Hyper-Connected World...

It had been nagging me for months, though I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. Things with my work have been going well and keeping me busy, but something didn't feel quite right. I know a lot of people, more than I've ever known at any other time in my life. I spend much of my day connecting with them in one way or another.