#30Thursday, Five Means we're staying alive! :)

I can hardly wait to pull the trigger on this week’s #30Thursday. The reception I get to this project continues to be warm and enthusiastic, but what really makes me happy is that people are starting to catch the fever of sending me posts that they’ve enjoyed reading and writing. Some amazing posts are gathered here. It’s been a privilege to read all of them. I hope you enjoy them, think about them, and learn from them as much as I did!

1. Recommended by @SuzanneVara, and I’m so glad she did: What is the cost of being too efficient or being inefficient? Are we missing good experiences because we’re so hurried? Jason Sokol covers these questions and more. A truly great read!

2. @SueYoungMedia suggests that getting ready to join a chat is comparable to being a helicopter parent. Great post, especially if you are new to chats!

3. @ellenbrown wrote a beautiful post that I’m hoping you can’t relate to on a personal basis. How to keep moving, and why to keep moving, after a major loss. Recommended by @SteinbrecherInc

4. @ar_turnbull wrote a great piece called “Why Marketing.” I dig his perspective. Do you?

5. @jonathanfields wrote a great post about how to target your marketing efforts. “If you talk to the world, you’re talking to no one.” Recommended by @SuzanneVara

6. Showing why everyone loves her, @SuzanneVara also recommended this post by @markwschaefer. What is a friend these days? What is a “friend?” Poignant and powerful.

7. @briansrice of B2C Marketing Insider put together a great post featuring Twitter resources. Take a look and read on!

8. Suzanne Vara left a fantastic comment on post about Klout last weekend. In fact, her comment was so good I told her she should turn it into a blog. That’s just what she did with this mighty fine post about Influence and math. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

9. My friend @MayaREGuru hit on something big when she tied the Pareto Principle, SEO, and Real Estate together. Check it out!

10. My buddy and #Tweetdiner co-founder @pushingsocial hit it out of the ballpark with this post about why you shouldn’t (and maybe can’t) just blog for yourself. Talk about passion in a post!

11. New friend @cristianisdaman wrote about honesty in PR this past week. I think it’s more about honest listening. Great story with a great perspective!

12. @cristianisdaman also suggested that I head on over to a post by Brian Solis. So I did. Now I’m recommending you head over and read about the Eco System versus the Ego System. Warning: Reading this post will raise your IQ by 17 points.

13. @PamMktgNut wrote a great post about how blaming a Social Media platform for your failings is really not appropriate. I couldn’t agree more. Another recommendation from Suzanne Vara!

14. I really enjoyed this post from @sterlinghope this week. A lot of people say that they are “afraid of this Social Media stuff.” Sterling Hope asks you to use your voice and Be Heard. Great post full of passion.

15. My friend @dwesterberg has been working on a series in her blog called PR 101. I found a post from April about professional photography and why it’s still a good investment. Check it out!

16. My friend @rockinrobync wrote a really stunning post about life, loss, and why we all need to make sure we give a little of ourselves every day. Words to live by and to let guide us.

17. My lovely friend from Montreal, @ExoPoirier,  wrote an excellent post regarding whether or not marketing should be outsourced. He makes a great case for using an agency, don’t you think? 🙂

18. @thevintagemama wrote a lovely guest post for my friend @tommyismyname this week. Remember Mr. Rogers? His advice is so good that it can transcend childhood and older technology to still be relevant in Social Media.

19. @tilakp thought this post from The New Yorker, “Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted,” was worth mentioning this week. I have to say, I couldn’t agree more.

20. New friend @ashleighblatt wrote a great post about filtering distractions and getting productive. If you struggle with focus, this great post is for you!

21. My new friend @j2_whittington wrote a post about getting through that 1st semester of law school – this is what Social Media can be used for at its best – helping other people along.

21. I loved this post by @cspenn. When you ask someone to read your content, you are asking them to spend their time with you. That’s why creating content is a great responsibility. You won’t regret spending time with this post.

22. @BethHarte did a post that captures something that has been on my mind for quite some time (I’m going to blog about it in my own peculiar way sometime soon). Even though Social Media is a brand new tool in a brand new toolbox, a lot of PR and Marketing people are still pushing. Time to update the tactics, folks!

23. @Julien’s post that I enjoyed this week is another thought that has been rattling around in my skull. We are all going into ourselves or, as Julien writes, culturally privatizing. We are no longer sharing technology or sharing in real life. Is that the way humanity is supposed to evolve?

24. My friend @knowledgebishop is co-hosting a new chat! #TCChat (TechComm). Here is the info!

25. The sensational @salamicat wrote a great post about something she (and many of us) are missing. Metabolism! Where did it go?

26. My pal @SMSJoe has a great post about mobile marketing. 12 questions to ask before you dive in. Great stuff!

27. Richard Guha wrote a thought-provoking post over at the MENGOnline blog. How Social is Social Networking? Check out the comic he posted with it!

28. @MackCollier (king of #blogchat) has a very thought provoking post up about how Twiter is growing like a weed thanks to the iPad and smart phones. Interesting 1:1 ratio there, non?

29. This post is from August 19 and I only just saw it now! But @CASUDI, who is my often-times chat friend, really nailed how to get going on chats (and how to end up being an addict like me). If this is something you are interested in, read this post right away!

30. Finally, last but not least, Chris Brogan wrote a fantastic post on how to create a personal brand. Only he could write a post about such a complex journey and make it seem like you could figure it out in five hours. If you’re interested in more information on how to plan and implement personal branding, this is the post for you.