Digital Retail Tours
Based on your shopping habits or preferences your phone can guide you from store to store and product to product, on a journey to discover and explore items that are based off your budget and taste. (Clay Nutting)

Ready-and-Waiting App
Program your order into an app, once you enter a zone close to the retail environment, your order will be ready and paid for, all you have to do is pick it up! (Clay Nutting)

Enhanced Brand Experiences with QR
QR codes have been a buzz word for the last year or two, but brands are finally figuring them out. Forget snapping them and being sent to a website, the next phase of QR will involve snapping a QR at a museum and hearing the artist talk about the work you are looking at, or snapping one on a street sign for reporting potholes, accidents or even crimes to the local authorities. (Angela Criser)

Textbook Gamification
Learning has never been so fun! You achieve an epic win for completing a difficult chapter, points for improving your test scores from month-to-month, and recognition for top scores – pitting you against the brightest minds in the class, state, country or even the world! It is a virtual competition against yourself and fellow students with incentives provided by some of the top educational foundations. (Clay Nutting)

Facebook Teen Tracker
Facebook will release an enhanced timeline feature for parents interested in better monitoring their growing kids’ activities. A special feature will notify parents when their children mention activities that cost money, automatically calculate the value of that activity and provide a running total at the top of each parents profile.  Parents will then have a better understanding of whether their kids really need money for more books in college, or whether “book fees” are just supplementing a pizza party or “gotta-have-that-new-top-at-Abercrombie” run. Warning – May be thwarted with “Damn It, My Mom Is On Facebook” app unless advanced controls are activated — for an additional fee of course! (Gordon Fowler)

The Year of Pinterest
Social bookmarking upstart Pinterest will get bigger and better as a social bookmarking tool in 2012. Besides being fun and refreshing, it’s a great space for inspiration and bookmarking the things you love. (Alicia Allen)

Social TV
This one is starting to become a reality, from social networks like GetGlue to the just-announced MySpaceTV to custom TV show apps – TV is getting social. Only problem is, these apps still won’t solve tape delaying shows and events. (Brian Blank)

Mining the Mobile Stream
While paid apps, freemium services and social advertising can generate revenue through mobile devices, it will be the companies that create interesting ways to mine the endless data stream mobile device users generate that will create the real value (and hopefully revenue). Scary Big Brother issues aside, the basic bits of data (location, travel, age, gender, etc.) our phones provide could be useful in other areas beyond augmented reality and location based services. (Brian Blank)

What are your thoughts? Do you see any of these coming through in the next year? Even better yet, what are your predictions?

To save you some time, here is a closer look at some of these changes and what they could mean for your business:

Facebook Timeline

Timeline is here. Initially rolling out for personal pages, it’s safe to assume that branded pages will be right around the corner. As a business, the present Facebook brand page doesn’t provide many opportunities to differentiate your page from others, but that will not be the case with Timeline, the brand benefits of Timeline’s unique features will be huge.

With a large “cover” image spanning the top of your profile, brands will be able to tell a more visually impactful story. Of course conversations are still key, and with a few slick features Timeline will highlight your efforts more prominently than ever. It will be important for your business to know what stories you want to tell and to use this new real estate effectively to draw your audience in for more.

Facebook’s Acquisition of Location-Based Service Gowalla

Location-based services allow businesses to push information to a potential consumer when they are in or near their business. While Facebook abandoned their Facebook Places application this past year, the news about the company’s acquisition of Gowalla indicates a recommitment to the Facebook geo-location experience. Expect Facebook to take location-based services to a new level, not only hoping to rival Foursquare but integrate more features making Facebook even more mobile friendly. Also, with the continuing proliferation of smartphones mixed with retailers’ desire to drive traffic in a tough economy, geo-location will be even bigger in 2012 with Facebook poised to make an impact.

Twitter Brand Pages

Like Google+ and Facebook, Twitter has launched its own version of brand pages to help businesses create and present a stronger brand presence on their platform. The Twitter brand page will include a large customizable banner, which can include bio information, graphics and links. Business will also be able to freeze any tweet at the top of the timeline providing the opportunity to present strategic messaging on your page. At the moment, Twitter brand pages are only currently available to a few select partners. However, we anticipate a full rollout sometime in 2012. How will your businesses take advantage of this new look to enhance your brand presence?

Regardless of the changes, one thing remains constant — social media is never static. If your business is not taking advantage of the opportunities social media presents, you risk falling behind. We are in a competitive market, getting in front of a large targeted audience in a strategic way helps get your business positioned for success. Think ahead with your plan, then dedicate the time and resources upfront to keep yourself ahead of the competition.

Clay Nutting heads up 3fold’s Social Media Management services, www.3foldSocial.com. His team helps clients develop custom, strategic social media plans designed to work for their industries and their target audiences.

Charity: Water (www.charitywater.org) — Bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations … AND 100% of public donations directly fund water projects (including the credit card fees from your donation). Why are they innovative? They use the digital space in a clever and unique way to very clearly outline, promote and report the progress on their goals (in numbers we can all understand, plus you can check Google maps to see where every completed water project is located).

-Gordon Fowler, President & CEO

826 Valencia (www.826valencia.org) — They help kids become better writers while helping over-burdened public schools and teachers provide the one-on-one attention that budgets no longer allow. But why are they innovative? They also run a pirate supply store which pays the lease, and how cool is that? At first, 826 Valencia started as just the address for a San Francisco publication to house its offices. However, looking at the education need in their own community, they decided they should add a free tutoring program for local kids. Running a publication in the morning, then when school ended, offering up staff as tutors. Because the building was zoned for retail, though, they needed to sell something to stay in their location. They created the Pirate Store, which turned out to be the perfect connection for 826 to the very community they wanted to help, as curious neighbors and visitors stopped in to see the unique store, and more often than not became new clients, donors and volunteers. Far from being part-time now, they have a volunteer roster of more than 1,700 local creative professionals and serve more than 6,000 students in San Francisco alone…and they have even opened seven more chapters across the country.

-Angela Criser, Director of Digital Strategy

Francis House Center (www.francishousecenter.org) — They serve as a triage center for newly homeless individuals and families, providing great emergency assistance, referrals, and case management. Why are they innovative? Francis House Center is the only organization in Sacramento that helps homeless people obtain State-issued identification, which is critical to enrolling in programs, obtaining health benefits, getting a job.

- Kim Tucker, VP Nonprofit Division

Project 7 (www.project7.com) — Simply put, You buy, they give. They are a cause-related company that makes everyday consumer goods like bio-bottled water, gum, mints and coffee. However, they aren’t asking you to buy more stuff, just change the products that you already buy in order to help others. Why are they innovative? Project 7 uses hardcore cause marketing (like retail space at the cash wrap in Walmart) following a hard-nosed, straightforward brand …”Buy this and do that.” Brilliant.

- Steve Alfano, Creative Director

These Numbers Have Faces (www.thesenumbers.org) — TNHF educates and empowers South African youth to ignite community transformation. Why are they innovative? They’re a pretty well-rounded and great organization. They are active on Twitter – and I especially love the quotes and statistics they push out. They also utilize pretty much every major social network and even have an iPhone app — it’s impressive to say the least for a nonprofit to truly understand technologies connection to new audiences.

- Alicia Allen, Social Media Coordinator

Cottage Housing, Inc. (www.cottagehousing.org) — A solution-focused, participant-driven and strength-based organization where homeless people help themselves — and each other — through their transition from the streets to self-sustainability. Why are they innovative? Cottage Housing, Inc. is not the patient type.  They were not interested in sitting around waiting for the economy to improve so they could find their formerly-homeless graduates jobs.  Instead, they started creating jobs by starting businesses.  Take Finishing Touch. This is a mobile detailing business that employs a formerly homeless workforce who graduated from Cottage Housing’s program.  Job skills, employment readiness, a living wage, a self-esteem boost…and a shiny, clean car. And that is just one of many.

- Scott Moak, Director of Nonprofit Services

TED (www.ted.com) — TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Since then, its scope has become ever broader. Why is it innovative? They believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. The TED website offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with those ideas and each other.

- Clay Nutting, Account Manager Social Media Services

Doctors without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org) — Doctors Without Borders began in 1971 as Medecins Sans Frontieres by a group of French doctors and Journalists in the wake of the war and accompanying famine in Biafra and Nigeria. Why are they innovative? In light of them being an organization that has been around for more than 30 years, they continue to grow and change, now utilizing social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Tumblr to spread the information regarding their great body of work.  Their webpage is designed to show everything from current events affecting the world to ways to donate, from how to work with them to annual reports spanning the last decade.  They currently have 435,738 followers on Facebook and 155,208 followers on Twitter!

- Curtis Ebo, Operations Coordinator, Nonprofit Services

Center for Land Based Learning (www.landbasedlearning.org) — They teach California’s urban youth about the importance of agriculture and watershed conservation. CLBL exposes these kids to farms and ranches — a world they typical do not interface with. Why are they innovative? They work with youth to help them develop leadership skills and learn how sustainable agriculture practices contribute to a healthier ecosystem and create connections to agricultural, environmental, and food system careers. They also use channels like Facebook and YouTube to share these hands-on experiences, hoping to connect those not able to participate first hand with their mission. Besides, who wouldn’t love this video of kids rapping in a field about what they learn.

- Andi Justice, Account Manager

Special Olympics (www.sonc.org) — Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Programs give athletes continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skill, and friendship with their families, other athletes and the community. Why they are innovative? Beyond their incredible use of social networks to spread the message, they have partnered with pop culture media, including the TV show Glee and the Not Acceptable R-word PSA. In their social networks, the positive messages, incredible images and dynamic stories always bring a smile to my face.

- Brian Blank, PR and Social Media Manager

Kind Campaign (www.kindcampaign.com) — An internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the belief in KINDness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl “crime.” Why are they innovative? They use a very “real” documentary to reach out to victims (and perpetrators) of adolescent girl-against-girl violence and then provide an immediate outlet for girls to gain support and empower themselves with their tagline “We’ve all been a victim. Unfortunately, we’re also the cause. Help us change.” They also have support from stars such as Lady Gaga.

- Elise Crispen, Account Assistant

Girls on the Run (www.gotrsac.org) –  The nonprofit is geared to girls from the 3rd to 8th grade and they teach them the value of eating right, having a healthy body image and ultimately showing them the joy of running.  Why are they innovative? With so many obese boys and girls in our country, it is great to see a program like Girls on the Run.  At the end of each session, each of the girls ends up running in a local 5K race.  Also, depending on the financial need of the school district the program is instituted in, the organization outfits the girls with new running shoes from New Balance.

- Ross Villegas, Account Manager

Granted the study wasn’t long term and focused on just 13 outlets but the team poured through over 3,600 tweets posted between February 14-20. Although there is a variety in both the number of Tweets posted and the number of channels or feeds used, each outlet averaged around 33 Tweets a day. The more surprising number was that 93% of all the postings during that week was on a  story from that outlet and included a link back to the organization’s own website.

The study could give the impression that media outlets fear sending readers to another website even though there is something to be said for gaining loyalty for a strong referral. Are media outlets assuming people are just on Twitter to browse for news and will not organically visit the website — in essence using Twitter as an RSS feed? While news aggregation is one main reason people use Twitter, the engagement and discussion is what makes the platform more versatile and appealing than a simple news aggregate.

As the research team points out, Twitter mimics the early days of the web where outlets were too worried about losing an audience, rather than gaining the respect of being a trusted resource — even if it means steering traffic away from your own site. As the platform matures, it will be interesting to see how the use evolves and if media agencies find providing the next level of engagement can grow and enlighten readers enough to build into a profitable model.

One component the study didn’t examine is how individuals and organizations using Twitter to gauge public sentiment, mining for sources, reading Tweets on air or other interaction with the platform. Another area they didn’t study is individual journalists use of Twitter and their interaction with followers. Many journalists are using Twitter to not only find news stories and sources, but are connecting with readers on a new level.

Media outlets may be using Twitter as a one-way conversation and way to drive traffic to the web where the story resides but as the conversation is happening around the news, maybe a savvy news organization can revolutionize the way information is not only consumed but engaged with as well. Going beyond pulling tweets into the comment stream, there is a powerful and disruptive communication tool that is not being tapped into. From first impression, the interaction between journalist and reader is where most of the engagement may reside off the media outlets twitter channel creating added value to the story but losing some ability to engage around the main channel.

Some can argue people use Twitter to glean news and it’s in the best interest to steer traffic to their main website and the deeper interaction should happen between the reader and individual journalist and there is truth to this. Just as innovative brands blossomed from doing something unique around social media platforms, early adopter media outlets could gain mindshare with some creative moves utilizing the platform in a unique way.

Here are the specific findings highlighted by the research team:

• The news outlets studied varied widely in the number of Twitter feeds or channels offered and in how frequently they posted. On average, the news organizations offered 41 different organizational feeds. The Washington Post, at the top of the list, offered 98, more than twice the average. The Daily Caller, on the other hand, offered a single Twitter feed. The level of activity also ranged widely. While as a group the outlets in the sample averaged 33 tweets a day on their main organizational Twitter feed, that number ranged from close to 100 a day to fewer than 10.
• The news organizations were much more similar in the focus of their Twitter activity. The vast majority of the postings promoted the organizations’ own work and sent users back to their websites. On the main news feeds studied, fully 93% of the postings over the course of the week offered a link to a news story on the organization’s own website.
• News organizations were far less likely to use Twitter as a reporting tool or to curate or recommend information that originated elsewhere. Just 2% of the tweets from the main news feed analyzed were information-gathering in nature-seeking views or first-hand accounts from readers. And only 1% of tweets studied were “retweets” that were reposted from a Twitter feed outside the organization.
• The news agenda these organizations promoted on Twitter closely matches that of their legacy platforms. A comparison of the top stories across these Twitter feeds and across the same mix of legacy outlets reveals four out of the top five news stories were the same on Twitter as in the legacy outlets. For the week studied, February 14-20, 2011, unrest in Middle East and the U.S. economy topped both lists.
• Individual reporters were not much more likely than the news institutions to use Twitter as a reporting tool or as a way to share information produced by those outside their own news organization. An examination of the Twitter feeds of 13 individual journalists-the most followed at each outlet studied-found that 3% of the tweets solicited information, a similar rate as the institutions overall. And 6% of their tweets were retweets of postings from outside entities (compared with 1% on the institutional Twitter feeds).
• Researchers also examined the Twitter feeds of one particular news beat-health reporters. These reporters made more use of the reportorial ability of Twitter, though they still produced far more tweets that disseminated their own material. On average, 6% of the health reporters’ postings over the course of the week studied solicited information. That is twice that of the most-followed journalists (3%).

Many nonprofits are finding social media to be an effective way to engage current supporters and reach new ones.  At your organization, you may already have asked where tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other social media channels fit within your long list of priorities.

The tools you should use depend on what you want to accomplish, and who you want to reach. That being said, once you choose the platforms that are right for your organization, here are a few tips that can help you on your way to social media success:

1. Define goals and audience. It is often not enough to merely have presence. Think about what you are trying to accomplish and who you are trying to reach.
2. Engage with your supporters. Don’t just use your profiles as a sounding board, engage your supporters, pose questions, and collect thoughts and insight. If someone asks a question, respond. If someone shares feedback, thank them and ask for more insight. When people take the time to reach out and share, return the favor with a friendly response.
3. Drive traffic to your website. Post links to drive traffic to your website where information about fundraising, volunteering and advocacy opportunities can be found.
4. Make connections. Search and follow people with common interests, hobbies or professions. Identify your most influential supporters and get them active on your page. Engaging other profiles of like minded people or organizations is the fastest way to build an audience for you and your organization.
5. Show, don’t tell. Bring your communication to life with photos and videos. Use photos of staff or your organization in action, a video of you thanking your customers, clients, donors, or volunteers for their support, or given the season, share holiday wishes from your organization.

Joining the right social networks for your organization is half the battle! Once you’ve joined there are many great resources online to help guide you through social media management. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to 3fold by visiting www.3foldsocial.com.

New media, social media, mobile technology and other disruptive technologies have really changed the way business is done. The connected consumer has changed business and knowing we are a part of how brands need to adapt their business models to succeed is incredible. We are at a point where quick and powerful communications tools have given rise to this new type of consumer and how businesses embrace the change is examined.

Hot off the heels of the highly-successful “Engage,” Solis differentiates this book as not being about social media. Rather this book examines how the need to change your business practices goes beyond just participating and connecting to your customers on social networks.

“The book examines how leading companies are finding success with connected customers. The lessons, case studies and best practices contained within will help readers earn the support of organizational leaders by identifying growth opportunities and prioritizing where to invest time and resources,” says Solis in a recent interview on The Next Web. “The end result is creating an adaptive foundation for businesses to not only build relationships with connected customers, but improve customer and employee relationships overall.”

Working in marketing and public relations a large part of our business does involve bringing businesses up to speed on social media creating awareness and building that online community. But the real value is providing guidance to change and evolve business practices for the next generation of success.

For example, building customer service into the social media plan goes beyond throwing an offer to someone on Twitter to appease them and quiet the storm — it involves taking a look at your business and examining if things, do in fact, need to change.

Frank Eliason, the guy behind @Comcastcares (now with Citibank), was one of those who paved the way for doing customer service right on social media. We’ve all felt there are times where a company doesn’t want to listen to the customer and this shows. Calling customer service on the phone won’t always gain you the answer you want and turning to social networks seems like the next choice but Eliason says don’t expect anything more than some companies just wanting to shut you up in a broken system.

“The other day someone tweeted me asking about current costs of phone calls versus the cost per Tweet for customer service,” Frank writes in a post about the book on Solis’ website. “Ugh! This is new media and yet we’re already focusing on old metrics. The truth is that the service world has been broken for years because of the emphasis of handle time or calls per hour. Companies do not want to talk to you, and it shows. The fact is most do not want to Tweet with you either.”

At the end of the day we are talking about relationships and we need to build these with trust. The old way of doing business was all about the bottom line and that will only work so far. We need to build relationships based on trust, connect in a human way, and not just treat our customers as a metric.

If you are wondering what’s next in the digital age to move your business forward, listen to your customers and pick up a copy of “The End of Business As Usual.”

Some are citing deal fatigue with customers becoming weary of the plethora of emails plaguing their inbox and business tired of heavy-handed salespeople and negative experiences from deal redemption. In Facebook’s case — coupled with recent privacy improvements — the death of both its Facebook Deals and Facebook Places in the last week may just be the social network getting lean and mean for a heavyweight bout with Google+.

Bloomberg released a story that appeared on AdAge today citing the clutter of the market and thinning of margins as two of the main factors in the shift of strategy for Yelp and Facebook. It only makes sense as these two companies are taking into consideration the overall perception of its respective brands and not getting those tainted further by negative feedback or perception as consumer attitudes mature around this new market.

The numbers are pretty staggering with 52% of people feeling overwhelmed by the amount of emails they receive and 60% feel the deals market is just too crowded. With this much competition, the quality of the deals for the consumer can dwindle along with margins for both the companies brokering the deals and the businesses offering the deals — main reasons why many companies might be backing out of the market.

Despite this shift the deal market is still vibrant offering plenty of value for a business and a good option to showcase your business. A well-executed deals promotion will bring new and existing customers through the door and a tighter market can mean more benefits in the long term. Less noise also can be a gain in visibility for your business for the promotion, even if a customer decides not to partake in the deal.

Whatever company you chose to use, just make sure you feel comfortable with the scope and terms of deal or promotion before you sign the contract. Here are some things to consider when using a deal to gain exposure for your business:

• A coupon or deal won’t fix bad customer service — Take a look at your business and fix customer service issues in advance. Why bring in an influx of new customers that are only going to experience a subpar cusomer experience? Once they are there, give them a reason to come back.
• Remove as many limits as possible — Coupon not valid Thursday through Saturday? Only valid on full moons and when the tides are low? Remove the limitation of using the coupon or deal. Remember it’s about getting the customer in your business when they are ready.
• It’s not about making money right then and there — Sure you have people that will come in for the deal only with no plans on returning but for those that aren’t, this is the perfect time to build a new, loyal customer. That relationship is much more valuable over time.
• Prepare your staff — There is always likely going to be some confusion and issues behind the deal or coupon, prepare your staff on how to handle this and remember flexibility is key in conflict resolution.
• Work with the deal company to get the best deal for you — They usually have minimums in the guidelines but don’t be afraid to negotiate for the best deal for you. Also if you are a non-profit, the margin is greater so make sure to tell them that up front. Next, keep in consideration your products or services — if your average transaction is under $10, it makes no sense to offer $40 of services for $20.
• Don’t be afraid of being social — Social media and social networks are most likely the reason these people have heard about the deal. Don’t be afraid to share your deal with your existing network plus once the customer is in the door don’t be afraid to ask people to share their experiences on Facebook, Twitter or Yelp!

Whether you are a marketer looking to create your own spot in the social media landscape or being the social voice for your business, you need to realize even with the infusion of short-term interest from a high-profile personality online, what you do long term is more important. You can still follow and learn from these people but don’t be afraid of striking out on and building a community and sphere of influence of your own.

As Margie point out, “The number of followers doesn’t matter. The number of subscribers doesn’t matter. Even the number of comments you get doesn’t matter. They’re nice benchmarks, but there’s a lot more to strive for. And that objective – that point where you will feel successful – that is what really matters.”

So what is this point? A solid social media plan will map out your objectives and help you drive your efforts down the road to success. Remember to have an objective and set goals. Without objectives and goals your experience with social media may not be fruitful or what you are expecting. Don’t get discouraged and build a plan to be successful. Set your objectives before you dive in. Following the A-Listers, mavens, gurus, etc., is good to gain advice and learn from but its going to take yourself to put the lessons in action. Also look for others who are talking about things that interest you and you will find engagement can be easier, deeper conversations can develop and it is a smart way to build a strong group of like-minded individuals.

Jay Baer pointed out in an interview he did for the Klout Stars Series, “Social media happens fast, but success is accrued very slowly. If you think you’re going to be able to get involved in social media and have massive influence in two months, you’re kidding yourself.”

Clayman said it best, “I have worked hard to be a positive influence on those who engage with me. I have worked hard to learn enough so that I could pass on my knowledge to others.”

This simple bit of advice will go a long way. So what next? Now that you set your goals and objectives listen and follow along until you are comfortable joining the conversation and be active! Are you searching for ways to discover new people and conversations, try these out:

• Twitter Lists — Twitter launched “Lists” back in 2009 as a way to create lists of users under a variety of topics. Find a few lists in areas that interest you and subscribe.
• Twitter Chats — Twitter chats are typically hashtag driven around a specific topic like #pr20chat or #blogchat over a specified time (typically an hour) and have a variety of users from large to small. Its a great way to hone skills, gain knowledge and build a network.
• LinkedIn Groups — LinkedIn Groups are a great way to interact around a variety of professional topics and interests. You can learn and participate in conversations, ask questions and network with other professionals.
• Meetup — Looking for a way to network and connect with people in your local area in person? Meetup is a great way to find events going on in a variety of categories from business and social media to entertainment and other interests.

What are some of your favorite ways to find people new people to connect with in social media?

As marketers we see the service as a great way to connect a brand to its customers but in order to do that, Google+ needs to reach a critical mass of active users engaging and perusing content. Social media has been a great way for consumers to have unfettered access to companies and products like never before and you can expect that to extend to Google+ as well. As we take our initial look at Google’s new social network we do realize there are definitely risks and opportunities at hand.

For those of you who have held a Gmail account over the years, this is your entry into Google+. Unlike other networks that may close your account and give you the “boot” for violating their terms of service, mess around on Google+ and not only risk losing your identity on the network but you could lose access to your entire Google portfolio under that email address. Now common sense can probably help preventing this from happening but you just never know in this digital age.

Edd Dumbill examines Google+ going beyond just a Facebook killer in his post on the O’Reilly Radar. Dumbill sees Google+ plus as the social backbone finally uniting a scattered social graph. Taking a crack at breaking down the “walled garden” approach of many current social networks, Google+ could be that backbone that could be applied to new networks, groups and communities allowing for a central hub that connects your friends, family and followers — and the associated information you’ve created and shared — to other third party sites and services. In essence, taking what Facebook Connect was doing but adding a more robust network behind it.

AOL’s Social Media & Marketing Director, Matthew Knell is anxiously awaiting Google to greenlight the use of Google+ for brands. There are plenty of brands chomping at the bit to get in and play around. Google has asked companies to refrain from establishing footholds in the new network until they launch its services specifically for businesses. Some brands like Ford took the risk and started a presence on Google+ but for smaller business without the clout Ford has, becoming victim to an early denial of use by Google may do more harm than good. Sure taking a cowboy risk and doing something innovative may pay off but you just have to take into account the possible risk. Either way, just like with other social networks, its about taking risks and chances to learn how best to connect with your audience.

Google+ is still new and we’re kicking the tires and revving the engine and ready to take it out on the track for a couple laps. After we put it through the paces, we’ll be able to come back with more insight but until then, Mashable’s Ben Parr put together this great online manual Google+: The Complete Guide that is worth checking out.

So you might be asking yourself who is this Brian Blank guy? Well as of last week I joined the team as public relations and social media manager to help our existing and future clients navigate the ever-changing realm of communications in this digital society.

My background is with technology and sports PR, having worked in and around the Silicon Valley tech scene from the late 1990s to today – seeing a dynamic shift in the way we communicate. The recent growth of social networking and social media has changed the way consumers and brands interact and it can be daunting for companies to shift their communication strategies when it seems like there is a new tool or network popping up every day.

The key thing to remember is many of these networks and gadgets are just tools to use to communicate, and to be most effective you must have a solid communications strategy as a backbone. Strategy will help set the game plan and road map to make your overall public relations efforts and social media tactics easier to grasp and understand.

We are in an exciting time. Great things are on the horizon for the agency and I am excited to be on the team. Our CEO and founder Gordon Fowler has put together an incredible lineup of rock stars here, and we all look forward to meeting your needs and going beyond expectations.

You can read more about me here over as I’ll be a regular contributor on key topics here on the 3fold Blog or you can also follow me on Twitter @brian3fold. So whether you have a question or are looking for a top-notch integrated marketing agency to help you cut through the noise and make a positive impact, give us a call and stay tuned for more great things ahead!

Last week I got a chance to learn more about our Navy’s use of social media as part of their Leaders to Sea Program on the USS Makin Island. I was connected to the program through meeting Dennis Hall at the Avere Group. Dennis works directly with Guy Kawasaki to set up embarks that “take bloggers-podcasters-journalists as small and large groups together on extraordinary adventures to fascinating, mysterious places where they meet leaders and learn perspectives.”

The day long experience was fascinating and life changing. While I got to learn a lot about the Navy’s use of social media, I was also able to personally meet the hardworking heroes who protect our country. Few people get to see the inner workings of a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. Trust me, it was as cool as it sounds! (To see pictures, click here.)

The Navy does their best work far away from US soil, but unfortunately that means taxpaying Americans don’t have an opportunity to really understand the great work our men and women in uniform do. My hope is that you read this post and learn something you didn’t know before.

Here’s a brief overview of what I learned about how the Navy is using social media:

• Lt. Alec Zirkenbach currently assists CNSP Public Affairs Officer, Jason Salata, to manage social media efforts for the Naval Surface Force. They’re working to create Facebook pages for all of the US Pacific Fleet ships. Take a look at the USS Makin Island page on Facebook. You’ll see lots of conversation, especially from family members of those on the ship who use the page to stay informed. This is the power of social media—that family members at home can stay up-to-date on their loved ones.
• To get a large scale picture of the most important Navy news, you can follow @navynews on Twitter. Just this week they provided great information about how the USS Enterprise, the USS Bulkeley and the USS Leyte Gulf and Carrier Air Wing One have been involved in supporting efforts to rescue four American citizens aboard a pirated yacht.
• Just like any corporation or small business, the Navy also struggles to decide how to deal with negative comments and feedback on their social sites. Jason Salata recalled a story about a Navy wife who was given a hard time publicly on one of their Facebook pages, and the tough decision he had to make about handling the online conversation.
• Of course, I believe one of the most powerful things the Navy is doing online are their Blogger Embarks. By inviting writers, photographers and storytellers to sea, millions of people across America get to see a firsthand look at how our Navy works.

Besides learning about social media efforts, here are highlights of my day on the ship:

• My first trip on a helicopter! Let me tell you, it’s nothing like flying commercial.  When you’re strapped in tight, wearing a helmet and ear protectors, there’s little opportunity to talk to anyone. That half hour flight allowed me to really soak in the experience. When was the last time you were forced to sit quietly and think?
• We were welcomed to the ship with a cake cutting ceremony. Besides the fact that the cake was delicious, it reminded me that despite being at a place so different from my office, food still unites people.
• I really enjoyed seeing the teamwork, planning and calculation that go into Navy operations—particularly as we watching the Harrier take-off and landings. I wish the corporate world had more opportunities to practice first before executing.

Navy boys on USS Makin Island

I have so much more I could say. To learn more about what our day on the USS Makin looked like, I’ll direct you to a few other sources. You can incredible pictures of the USS Makin Island on Cara Renee’s blog. I was also fortunate to meet Will Mayall, co-founder of Alltop, and Joanna Clark of AT&T, who blogs about her experience here. I particularly love her reflections on the Navy as a career. Kim Merill of Merill Marketing and Communications in San Diego also provides an in-depth look at the day.

Lastly, become a fan of the Surface Warriors or if you’re on Twitter, make sure to follow @navynews. Doing so will keep you better informed and engaged with military operations here and worldwide.

To the great men and women on the USS Makin Island, and the Naval Base in Coronado–thank you so much for planning an incredible day, and for the great work you do for our country.

Helicopter view of USS Makin Island

According to AllFacebook, an email sent out by Facebook sales representatives outlines the new rules.  In contrast to the old guidelines where promotions needed to be explicitly approved, promotions will no longer need prior written approval from Facebook. Basically, in regards to promotions, sweepstakes and contests on Facebook:

• They no longer require prior written Facebook approval to administer a promotion on Facebook.
• They no longer require a minimum media spend investment to support the promotion.
• This means you are not required to have a media campaign on Facebook to run a promotion, nor do you need to ask for approval on the contest terms and conditions from the Facebook team.
• However, all promotions are still subject to Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines and Facebook Platform Policies, and brands are responsible for ensuring that all contests fall within those guidelines. (The changes have not yet been reflected in those guidelines)

In 2009, Facebook first announced changes to the promotions guidelines, requiring any company to get explicit approval from Facebook first. This updates, however, does not mean that promotions which were previously rejected can now operate. As such, the following types of promotions are still not allowed:

• Photo contests which require profile photo manipulation
• Status update contests which require posting status updates for entry
• Contest entries once a user has become a fan

It is unclear when these changes will take place, but we assume it will be soon. Good news for businesses who’ve run into roadblocks in their Facebook promotion strategies.

First, if you’re unfamiliar with Facebook Insights, the tool is a great feature included on “Like” pages. (Like pages, or fan pages, are typically used for business marketing). I always recommend companies and nonprofits build a Like page because of all the capabilities that come with it, including Insights.

Insights allows the page owner to not only see their total number of fans but also a breakdown on age and location of fans, how many page views they receive, picture views, daily new likes, monthly active user numbers, and daily comments. 3fold provides our clients with a copy of their Insights each month, and we call out important statistics that show either growth or opportunities for improvement. But, even if you’re not a 3fold client you can learn how to do this for your own page. It takes time each month, but it’s certainly worthwhile to better target your audience.

Now, back to today’s added feature- Impression tracking. Here’s what Facebook has to say about a new addition to Insights:

“Facebook Pages are a great way for admins to learn about their audience and view Facebook Insights about people connected to your Page. We are launching a new feature for all Facebook Page owners and Facebook Platform developers that will provide additional metrics around your Page content. All Page admins will now be able to see per post impression counts for each story posted on your Page after June 25, 2010. Per post impressions will be collected in raw format and all impressions will be counted toward the impression total. Unique impressions are not available at this time.”

If you click here to Facebook, you’ll see a screen shot that better demonstrates the new feature. Because I manage several Facebook pages, I’ve already seen the tool implemented on some of our client’s pages. For example, I know now that B Street Theatre’s announcement last week about free tickets netted over 2,000 impressions but only .15% of those people left feedback in the form of a comment. That’s okay though- because the impression numbers were quite high. As long as tickets disappeared, and they did, the Facebook post did its job, right?

I am looking forward to seeing how Facebook’s latest update to Insights will help our clients understand which content performs best on their page.  Please leave us a comment with your thoughts on this new tracking tool.

So, Facebook’s reinventing email.

Big deal or no? Although Zuckerberg says this isn’t aimed to be an email killer, some are wondering if this could be the future of “email”. We’ll have to wait and see.

Here’s the important highlights:

1. Puts all your messaging in one place: It’s modeled after chat, not old-school email, and incorporates all the ways you are (or are not) communicating–texts, SMS, IMs and chat, email and Facebook messages. It will take all your messaging (should you choose to allow Facebook access) and compile it in one thread organized by your social connections. According to Facebook, it will be simple, personal, minimal and immediate.

2. Keeps your conversation history: Theoretically, you can now have the entire history of your social relationships archived in one place. For those of us who want direct quotes to use as ammo in arguments, but hate going through a dozen different devices and systems, this is great news!

3. Makes the inbox about the people in your life, not the obligations: The default setting for the Facebook inbox will only show messages from your friends and their friends. The rest go into a general “other” box, allowing you to completely ignore the downers (i.e. bills) in life while keeping up on the happenings within your social circle.

Because privacy issues generally go hand in hand with Facebook, I tend to look at their developments with highly skeptical eyes. However, there is something to be said about cutting down the number of places I have to check for messages on a daily basis.

Facebook’s system will begin as invite-only and be rolled out over the next few months.

According to Sysomos, a maker of social media analysis tools who looked at 1.2 billion tweets over a two-month period, 71% of all tweets produce no reaction in the form of replies or retweets. In fact, most replies and retweets happen in the first hour after a tweet has been published — 96.9% of replies and 92.4% of retweets happen within those first 60 minutes. There’s only a 5.97% chance for getting a retweet in or after the third hour, and just a 2.22% likelihood you’ll garner a reply in that time.

Sysomos’ findings also show that retweets are an especially rare commodity: only 6% of all tweets produce a retweet. And, even if you’re lucky enough to get a response, 85% of tweets only get one.

Of course, the more influence and followers a user has, the more these numbers change, but, in general, this low level of interaction indicates there’s a lot of conversation not happening in the Twittersphere. Some may argue this proves tweets are little more than e-babble.

I’m not so sure.

I personally find Twitter incredibly valuable for the amount of news, event information, community updates, and general industry tips and learning opportunities that come through my follower stream. While I perhaps retweet and reply less than I should, it certainly doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention.

Twitter is the king of the instant update, a place that celebrates the “now.” Retweets and replies inherently look at the past, reacting to old information. Yes, spreading your message has great value, but maybe it’s not everything. Perhaps the lack of response is more indicative of the platform’s strength than a weakness to be concerned about.

That said, it’s always nice to see someone resend one of your tweets out into the world.

What do you think? Is Twitter about conversation or information…or both? What do you find most valuable?

(Image from Sysomos)

In the past several months, the 3fold team has helped two national  restaurant chains with their local marketing efforts. While there have been all sorts of fun things we’ve done for these brands (including working with fabulous food bloggers), one social tool stands out. Setting up, promoting and managing Yelp accounts has been incredibly fun, fascinating and frustrating all at the same time.

Here are a few things we’ve learned about Yelp as it relates to national restaurant chains:

Appetizer: Identify goals

Yelp’s power will affect every business differently, of course, but chains in particular must navigate the waters with even more strategy than a business with one or two locations. Yelp can be used to market a new location, reach a new type of consumer, push a particular product and/or gage customer experience.

For our clients, we used Yelp primarily to market a new location opening; inviting Elite Yelpers to try the product before opening, or stop by for a special Yelp event. Using the Yelp Business Account, we also make sure to highlight the restaurant’s catering line which is a specific product the location is pushing. While identifying goals first is ideal, sometimes goals will change as restaurants begin to see customer reviews. If a new location has 1 or 2 stars, the restaurant must make it a priority to improve the star rating.

Main Course: Look for themes

Chains who monitor their brand daily begin to notice positive and negative themes emerging in their reviews. In fact, once a location has enough people mentioning the same words in their review, Yelp will actually begin to pull out “highlights” about the restaurant. For example, at Mulvaney’s in Sacramento, I can tell you that 37 reviewers mention the amazing ding dongs, 34 mentioned the pork chop, and 21 wrote about the fois gras. If I was Mulvaney’s owner, I’d have a sense of what should be on my menu every night. In contrast, if many people were complaining about the same menu item or service, those highlights would also be visible. Chains need to look for themes before Yelp does.

If everyone is commenting on the great service, but complaining about the dry burger buns, you’ll know what type of conversation to have with store managers or chefs.

Dessert: Sweet Tips for Success

In our experience, we’ve tried not to get too hung up on reviews that say things about competition. For example, last week our client received several reviews that said things like, “I will never come back here again. Burger King is much better!”  Other reviews said, “Your burgers put Burger King’s to shame.”  These reviews might make you feel good or angry- but they shouldn’t- because they don’t tell you anything. Everyone’s got different taste buds, right? Right.

Reviews are subjective, and everyone has bad days. Some people are always going to be negative, and Yelp is their forum to vent. Others have actually had a horrible experience and need it corrected.  Make it a priority to respond to any 1 or 2 star review with a simple, “We’re sorry you had a bad experience.” Some businesses might consider (depending on how bad the review is) responding with a coupon or free meal. By doing so, people have time to cool down. Maybe they will come back and give the restaurant a higher review, or they’ll offer valuable feedback so the same mistake isn’t made again.

We’d love to hear your experience with Yelp, as a reviewer or a business. Do tell!

I am a big supporter of innovation and filling a need in a brilliant way. I have personally found major benefits using Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and FourSquare, and marginally enjoy using Facebook and LinkedIn. But, let’s be honest, that is a lot.

Trying to keep up with those mainstream platforms takes time. An amazing amount of it. And social media is part of my job–for myself and for our clients. I can only imagine how people in other industries cope with the time management.

The past two years have simultaneously proven the incredible value of social media participation and monitoring for people and brands. They have also seen almost every major tech brand, and countless start ups, go absolutely bonkers trying to create the next big things in social media. Just this week, Apple even announced their own addition–Ping–built into their latest update of iTunes, where users can follow their favorite artists and friends, see what they’re listening to and downloading, post opinions and thoughts on music, and browse concert listings.

To this I say, enough already. Seriously. Calm it down.

The ideas are fine. It’s the participation expectations that are daunting.

This problem was hinted at with the launch of Google’s now defunct Wave, then Buzz; the fun potential of Foursquare spawned countless location check-in knock-offs — Gowalla, My Town, Facebook Places, and Glue (where you check into things like TV shows, movies, books, and websites instead of physical locations); and Twitter’s crazy growth inspired tons of “killers” set to take it down.

Honestly, I don’t really need 4 different social sites to manage my photos. Choosing between Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo to load my videos makes my head hurt.

I realize, to find the next big thing, a whole lot of “not-its” needs to be tried. However, I can’t help but think I’d rather see innovations for creating better conversation and service within the current major platforms then the constant dilution of  true “social media” potential created by the ever-expanding list of sites. Or maybe re-thinking the idea of the “next big thing” altogether…in, say, another type of media or technology.

What do you think? What platforms do you love? What innovations would you like to see?

A short (and not complete, I’m sure) list of social sites from Traffikd.com:

ARTS:

ArtSlant
deviantART
Humble Voice
imeem
MyArtInfo
PhotographyVoter
Virb

BOOKMARKING:

AllMyFavorites
Backflip
Blinkbits
Blinklist
Blogmarks
Blummy
BuddyMarks
BookmarkTracker
ChangeToLink
Chipmark
del.icio.us
De.lirio.us
Diigo
Dogear
Favoritoo
Feedmarker
Foxmarks
FreeLink
Furl
GiveALink
Hyperlinkomatic
iKeepBookmarks
Jack of All Links
Lilisto
LinkaGoGo
Linkatopia
Linkroll
List Mixer
Lycos iQ
Mister Wong
Mobilicio.us
MyBookmarks
MyHq
Mylinkvault
MyPip
My Stuff
MyVmarks
Namakkal
Netvouz
Online Bookmark Manager
OnlyWire
Oyax
Shadows
Simpy
SiteBar
SiteJot
Snipit
Socializer
StartAid
Stufflinker
Sync2it
SyncOne
Turboclip
Windows Live Favorites
WireFan
Zurpy

CARS AND AUTO:

AutoSpies
Boompa
Car Community
CarDomain
Motorpulse

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS:

Classmates
ConnectU
Friends Reunited
Graduates
Meetup
MyYearbook
Reunion
SKOUT

CONSUMER REVIEWS:

Cork’d
Chowhound
Epinions
RateItAll
Yelp

COOKING/FOOD

All Recipes Barmano
Bake Space
Epicurious Community
Family Oven
FohBoh
Kitchen Bug
MyDish
Nibbledish
Recipe Key
Recipezaar
Sharecipe
Tasty Planner
We Eatt
WineLifeToday

CULTURES/FOREIGN LANGUAGES:

Acelerame – Spanish (cars)
Amina – Chechen Republic
Black Planet – African American
ClubGh – Ghana
Hyves – Dutch
IRC Galleria – Finland
iWiW – Hungary
IndianPad
LunarStorm – Sweden
MiGente – Latino
Mixi – Japan
Nexopia – Canada
Playahead – Sweden
Scoopeo – French
StudiVZ – German students
Wamba – Spanish social network
Yigg – German

DATING:

Bachelor Place
Chemistry
Crush or Flush
Cupid’s Lab
Flirtomatic
LoveandFriends
OkCupid
SpeedDate
WooMe

EDUCATION/BOOKS:

BookCrossing
Bookins
BookMooch
BookSwim
Carmun
Citeulike
Connect via Books
Curriki
Good Reads
LibraryThing
PaperBackSwap
qoolsqool
Read It Swap It
Shelfari
We The Teachers

EVENT PLANNING

Socializr
Zoji

FAMILY:

Amiglia
Babbiz
CafeMom
Eons
Family 2.0
Family Den
Famiva
Geni
Genoom
GreatSchools
Kinzin
MomJunction
MothersClick
Moxie Moms
MyFamily.com
Parentography
TheFamilyPost
WebBiographies

FASHION/CLOTHING:

2Threads
Chictini
Fashionising
Fashion Network
Metro Friendly
Movmnt
My Kids Fashion
Springleap
StyleCaster Community
Stylehive
StyleHop
StyleMob
Threadless – T-shirts
Us Trendy

FINANCE:

Tip’d

GAMES:

Gaia
Game Diggity
GuildCafe
WeeWorld

GENERAL NETWORKING:

AIM Pages
Badoo
Bebo
CyWorld
EarthFrisk
ECpod
Facebook
Faves
Friendster
Grono
Hi5
iBritz
LiveJournal
Lovento
Multiply
MySpace
MyWebProfile
NetFriendships
Netlog
Orkut
Passado
Plaxo
Skyrock
Tagged
Tribe
Trig
Windows Live Spaces
Yahoo! 360
Zaadz

HEALTH/MEDICAL:

DailyStrength
DrConnected
Health Ranker
icarecafe
MyPharmaNote
Sanewire
Sermo
Walker Tracker
Who is Sick?

KIDS:

imbee
KidLinks

INTERNET MARKETING:

Gooruze
PlugIM
Sphinn

LINK/WEBSITE SHARING:

Ensiting
Faves
StumbleUpon
TagTooga
Trailfire

LOCATION CHECKINS:

Foursquare
Gowalla
My Town
Scavngr

MICROBLOGGING/IM/MOBILE:

BeeMood
Feecle – Japanese 
FlickIM
Frazr – German and French
Google Buzz
IMified
Jaiku
Komoo – Chinese 
loopt
mbuzzy
Numpa – Dutch
Pownce
Radar
Robisz – Polish
Rummble
Twitter
Zannel

MOVIES:

Filmcrave
Reelempire

MUSIC:

10Tune
Buzznet
Fuzz
JamNow
Jango
Last.fm
MOG
Ping
Purevolume
Soundpedia
thesixtyone

NEWS:

Blog Engage
Blogg-Buzz
BloggingZoom
BlogsVine
BookmarkUs.net
BuzzFlash
Content Pop
Digg
Fark
Hubdub
Mad or Love
Mixx
NewsCloud
NewsHeat
Newsvine
NowPublic
Plime
Propeller
RawSugar
Reddit
Shoutwire
Stirr’d Up
Tagza
Wobblog
Zoomit (Canada)

PETS:

Catster
Dogster
Fuzzster
MyCatSpace
MyDogSpace
PetSide
PetZume
Pikapet
UnitedDogs

PHOTO SHARING:

eSnips
Flickr
Fotki
Fotolog
Linkinn
My Opera
Photbucket
Picli
Tagmee
Text America
Zoomr

PHOTOGRAPHY:

MyShutterspace
Photography Mentor
Photography Network
Picture Social
Shutterate
Shutter Social

POLITICS:

Carnival of Politics

POP CULTURE:

Lipstick
Showhype

PROFESSIONAL:

APSense
Biznik
CitiAlly
Cofoundr
CompanyLoop
DoMyStuff
Doostang
Ecademy
Fast Pitch
JASEzone
KillerStartups
Konnects
Lawyrs
LinkedIn
MeetIn
MyCareer.ge
Naymes
NetHooks
Ryze
Small Business Brief
StartupNation
Startupping
Synergy Street
Tapped In
Upspring
Venture Capital Network
Xing
Ziggs

REAL ESTATE:

Puurple
Trulia
Zillow

RELIGIOUS:

Blessedit
GospelShout
MyChurch
Tangle
Xianz

SHOPPING:

AgentB
BiddingBuddies
Deal Comet
Dealigg
Iliketotallyloveit
Judy’s Book
OSoYou
ThisNext
Yub
Zebo

SOCIAL ACTION:

Care2
Hugg
Planet Change
TakingITGlobal

SPORTS:

Armchair GM
Ballhype
eFans
FanNation
Fanspot
GymMeet
KeeCricket
Joga
Prep Champs
ScoreGuru
SportsFlip
Sportsvite
Takkle
SportsCast
Strands

TECHNOLOGY:

Design Bump
Design Float
DesignRelated
DevelopersNiche
DNHour
DotNetKicks
Dzone
Earner’s Club
Hacker News
Hosting Bookmarks
Pixel Groovy
Slashdot
Tweako
SWiK
WPscoop

TEEN:

eCRUSH
eSpintheBottle
Piczo
Profile Heaven
Sconex
Student.com
Stardoll
Teenwag

TRAVEL:

Couch Surfing
EveryTrail
GeckoGo
Groople
Gusto
TravBuddy
Travellerspoint
TrekCafe
Trip Advisor
TripUp
WAYN
Woophy

VIDEO SHARING:

Broadcaster
Panjea
Revver
Tubearoo
Ustream
Viddler
Video Bomb
Video Sift
Vimeo
Vimby
Xillian TV
YouTube

WOMEN:

Kirtsy
PNN
SurgarLoving

MISCELLANEOUS:

9rules
43 Things
Beautiful Society
Clip Clip
ChickAdvisor
Clipmarks
Clipstar
Clubnet UK
Consumating
Dandelife
Dawdle
Daytipper
Digglicious
DigStock
DontStayIn
EnergyPeopleConnect
Experience Project
Faceparty
Fazed
Faqqly
Ficlets
Flixster
Freagle
Gather
Global Voices
GoLark
GreekStrength
Hypediss
I Am Bored
Jambo
JetEye
LinkFilter
Listible
Match A Dream
Neighborrow
Ning
Outside.in
Product Clash
Prosper
Recruiting.com
Scoop.at
Searchles
SEO Tagg
Shared Confession
Spout
Squidoo
StoryLink
Sydney Networkers
Tipstrs
Tribe
Truemors
Value Investing News
Vampire Freaks
Velospace
WeGame
Wists

But is the number good for the social site…or detrimental?

As more people join, the numbers also show Facebook activity is on the decline. In fact, the blog Inside Facebook recently reported a decline in the number of 18- to 44-year-old active users in the U.S. in June — particularly 26 to 34 year olds. And it doesn’t look like a fluke. The blog’s guess for the decline: privacy. For sure an issue Facebook has gotten battered by of late, and one the declining age groups care about. But is it really the driving factor?

As a member of Facebook’s biggest declining age group, and someone who has significantly downed my Facebook usage of late, privacy is absolutely a factor. But, at least for me, it’s not nearly as influential as a loss of having good old fashioned fun on the site.

Facebook is a job now. Updating is an effort, keeping in touch with friends’ updates is more difficult, and my streams are choked with ads, games, and information that has veered from Facebook’s original charm: enjoying the happenings in friends’ and family members’ lives.

With the flood of apps and fan pages joining the community – looking to connect where their users are of course – Facebook has become more commercial than conversation. And this is a dilemma for marketers.

An audience of 500 million people is impossible to ignore, but as more and more brands enter the arena, the conversation becomes less and less relevant to personal users. In fact, the latest annual ACSI e-business report gave Facebook a score of 64 out of 100, one of the lowest levels of customer satisfaction among all businesses measured and on par with airlines and cable companies.

People want a Facebook that no longer exists — a pure, simple way of keeping up with friends. Marketers want Facebook to help them connect with people in more meaningful ways. Can the two find common ground? They have to if Facebook is to survive.

The first step is for brands using the site to learn to respect the idea of Facebook from a user’s perspective. It’s a whole new ballgame for marketing strategy, because the old rules don’t apply in this social setting. It’s time to come up with some new ideas…which, unlike Facebook of late, can be quite fun!

Here’s the deal. I love Facebook. And, I hate Facebook. This once small site has grown to be a constant presence in my daily life; from checking up on my family (cute pictures of my cousin’s new baby duck!) to realizing people from high school do change (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse) to networking with new friends I’ve met around town. I use the site personally, and professionally. That’s the problem. Facebook has a whole lot of information about me. Until now, I’ve perhaps given “them” more trust than deserved.

Oh, sure-I’m no dummy. I’ve had strict privacy settings on my profile since day one. (What millennial doesn’t?!) But, with Facebook making changes to the site  all the time, how can we be sure information is secure from third party sites? The answer, in my opinion: We can’t.

While I won’t be deleting my account, I am taking more precautions. I’ve deleted some personal information (including my birth year), and I plan to delete a few photo albums too. I’ve also removed all third party applications, changed my password, and deleted five friends who I only knew virtually. While I’ve always been cautious about accepting friend requests, I haven’t been cautious enough.

Facebook’s vice president for public policy has a great article in today’s New York Times about many of these concerns. His comments help alleviate some of my fears, but not all of them. Facebook is one of the most powerful sites that exists on the internet, and it’s purpose is to make money. Money and power always have the potential for trouble. I’d like to stay out of that trouble if and when it happens.

I’d love to hear what you’ve done to make your Facebook profile secure. Anyone out there going to delete their page all together? Do tell!

Image: Ludovic Toinel

For better or worse, the next big thing online is the anonymous overshare, and Formspring.me fits the bill. While the site is gaining in popularity amongst businesses, bloggers, media, and nonprofits (yes, we have one), where it’s really finding a stride is with teens, notorious for turning their backs on the biggest names in social media, and they love it.

“Evil, fun and addictive.” That’s what the media analysis site Gawker calls it. And they’re apparently not wrong, because there are more than 27 million people currently using Formspring.me. Basically, Formspring.me allows you to create a profile and then people can anonymously ask you questions.

For the people asking the questions, it’s an anonymous comment box that they can fill with pointed interrogation. For the people answering the questions, it meets countless narcissistic desires, allowing users to revel in their interests, wax poetic on a variety of topics, and bask in the feeling of being desired as some kind of authority on something. Beyond its confessional qualities, it also feeds that shout-from-the-rooftops desire, tying into your Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook accounts. Every time you answer a question, it will post to your feed. However, this will mostly annoy people on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, though, so try to avoid that.

While Formspring.me grows in popularity, it also gains in notoriety, being used as a place to randomly insult people without consequences, find out answers to the questions you don’t have the guts to ask in real life, and so on. In fact, recently, seven Pennsylvania teens were arrested for allegedly planning a “near riot” at their high school using Formspring.me, leading to the site being banned by local schools officials.

Of course, Formspring.me can be used to ask important questions and give meaningful answers…but, so far, it’s more fun than brawn. Want to try it out? Ask us a question!