It seems like every time I turn around this year, Facebook is announcing another new feature. First it was Graph Search in January. Then in March, Facebook began announcing three features that directly impact brand and business pages: a News Feed redesign, threaded Facebook Page comments and partner categories for the Facebook advertising platform. News [...]
Early in the morning on March 6, 2012, the news poured into the online world from MSNBC.com’s Red Tape section. Government agencies and colleges demand applicants’ Facebook passwords, the headline reads. It seems that SOPA and PIPA aren’t enough; it seems the social arena is one area the government, colleges and employers just can’t leave alone.
There’s a notable difference between the outlook of those in the internet marketing industry and those who aren’t. This difference became very noticeable to us when Google Plus came out. It seemed that everyone was talking about Google’s new social platform. G+ news, opinions and how-to’s were everywhere. 
I don’t know about you, but I’m busy, very busy. While I was away, as we all know, Google decided to throw their hat into the social circle with 
After all the Google Plus hoopla (and a few posts of our own), it seemed only right, fair and equal to spend a little time on Facebook. Of course, it helps that we had a specific request for this article. A pro pos to this post, the request came from a Facebook fan – can’t beat that for on topic! Before getting deep into lead generation facts here, I’d like to mention a fantastic Facebook page to inspire you and show you what’s possible. Facebook isn’t just about posting status updates; you can do that anywhere. In fact, some businesses use FB as their only place of online business.
So, Google comes up with this fancy “Plus” thing. Everybody rushed to take a look-see, only to be locked out as the big G slammed the doors on the masses to slow the flood to a trickle. The first week was like a Black Friday rush on sales. For the first time, iPhone users frowned at their fancy gadgets and longed for an Android just so they could use the brand spankin’ new Google + app (Apple, by the way, allowed the iGoogle app to go through Tuesday). G+ invites were being sold on eBay for a paltry $25 – $100 (depending on the seller), guaranteed immediate delivery*.
Many people spend time talking about what you say when you’re using social media. This isn’t one of those posts. This is a post about what you use for your social media. Most of the ways to talk with people are right in front of you, in this little electronic box; we’ve all embraced social networks in one way or another. I’ve been chatting away with virtual strangers for years, whether in chat rooms, through instant messages and even with AOL. In fact, people have been communicating virtually with others now for more than two decades.
I’ve been asked by several companies to speak to their PR department about their respective social media presences. As much as I’d love to take them up on the offers, though, I thought I’d at least take the time to figure out the problems they’re having. 
