#30Thursday Number Eight (Keep ’em straight)

Another varied rainbow of topics this week. I am very happy that one of the recommendations I received was from a new Twitter user recommending a first-time post. That is what the giving spirit of Social Media is all about. All of these posts are insightful, thought-provoking, and rich like the best chocolate fudge. I hope you enjoy!

1. If you don’t get riled up and excited by this post, you need to check your pulse! Recommended by Amber Cleveland, Lou Imbriano’s post, “Believe in you and success will come.” What a great read!

2. Jessica Faye Carter wrote a really interesting article for Mashable called Why Twitter Influences Cross-Cultural Engagement. I saw this in a tweet from Kay Whitaker. The article points out that Twitter not only gathers people together culturally, but it also reveals in the open information about those cultures. Very interesting!

3. This post by @ajleon called Rise of the Cubicle Farmer is awe-inspiring in so many different ways that I can’t list them all here. Take my word for it. Read this post.

4. My friend @galactic tweeted out this article from Ad Age noting what agencies can learn about branding from Mad Men. There is some icy cold truth in those there parts!

5. @markwschaefer did a post that got me and a lot of other people thinking: What is Social Media’s Next Big Thing. Do you agree? Even if you don’t, what a great approach and post!

6. Dan Rockwell (@Leadershipfreak) wrote an important reminder called You Not Them. It’s probably not what you think. Give it a read!

7. Brian Solis offers another great read, this one regarding Twitter and its new (and building) ad network. Take a look at Twitter promoted to ad network. My friend @galactic tweeted out this post.

8. Jason Mikula (@Mikulaja) wrote a great post about what could have been a bad experience. In Customer Service in the Social Media Era,” Jason exposes the ultimate truth – if you know how to do customer service right, it doesn’t matter what tool you use.

9. Beth Harte tweeted out this post by William C Taylor, which was posted for Harvard Business Review. Why is it so hard to be kind? This post will make you think hard about business today.

10. Dan Zarrella recently told AMP Summit that content may not be the whole story. Jesse Stanchak reported for Smartblogs.com (@SBoSM)

11. My friend @wilsonellis pointed me in the direction of the Twitter Blog, of all places. Seems the designers of Twitter are going out amongst the people, @Ontheroad

12. One of the many reasons I want to be Beth Harte when I grow up is that she always manages to turn a point in such a way that you think, “Man, of COURSE!” Having read a post about how to send information out, Beth wrote a post of her own called Is Your Message Understood.” This is how you go from the “me” perspective to the “you.”

13. CateTV suggested I read this post by Kim Randall. Turns out, it’s a topic that has become near and dear to my heart. In the world is cruel, but we don’t have to be, Kim makes a poignant point for ending cyber-bullying, and bullying in general.

14. Reading The Referral Engine, by John Jantsch, was a great experience. I was so happy to find this great post, How Ducttape Marketing Legend John Jantsch Uses Social Media,  by Trey Pennington. The interview and post are about how John integrates Social Media into his approach. I like especially how Trey does a video interview but then adds his own content. Too often people let a video do all of the talking for them.

15. The people of Sterling Hope write 5 reasons they do not follow/follow back (otherwise known as automatically following back) on Twitter.

16. Few things are more fun than seeing 2 friends connect with each other on Twitter. Such is the case in this post by my friend Jeff the Sensei, wherein he is sparked to write a post by another friend, Tommy Walker. Check out A Sensei Perspective on Facebook. It’s a humdinger of a homerun!

17. Speaking of which, if you want a really fresh, new and brilliant take on Facebook, check out Tommy’s post about his new e-book, Hack the Social Network. I’ve read it. It’s fantastic. Read more! 🙂

18. I really enjoyed the mixture of humor and information in this post by @oneJillian: “5 words you should definitely always never say.” She always makes great points 🙂

19. My good friend @SMSJoe wrote a great post regarding What A Chilean Mine Disaster Can Teach Us About Leadership. Extending beyond the event, Joe pulls out some lessons for us to learn.

20. Matt Shaw talks about habits, and how creating habits can line the path to success, no matter what you want that end destination to be!

21. My friend Peter Osborne finds that sometimes, as a consultant, he runs into “problem clients.” Here’s some great advice on how to deal with those tricky situations!

22. @gagasgarden recommended this debut post from Sebastian St. George (@YogaArmy) regarding the Gap branding fiasco. Show some support to a brand new blogger!

23. Ever heard of the Oui Theory? I hadn’t either, but Gaga has us covered in this very interesting post!

24. @pushingsocial’s jewel of the week is on how to get your Tweets noticed. A must read. As usual!

25. Suzanne Vara once again does an outstanding job of not just updating her readers about what’s new on LinkedIn but also walking through how to make the most of new customization options in the profile. A great read, complete with screen captures!

26. This post by Amber Naslund (ambercadabra) got a lot of buzz on Twitter, and rightfully so! Social Media is more than a campaign. An important reminder!

27. My friend Heidi Cohen wrote a great post covering 5 tactics for improved trade show marketing. A great and thorough post!

28. Wondering what BlipTV is all about? My friends at eMentorMarketing have you covered!

29. Megan Knight, an intern for my friend Dawn Westerberg, wrote a truly amazing post about how Social Media can help nonprofits. Very well done!

30. Finally, a great post by @MayaREguru. Tool or Technique? Or said another way, does it matter which tool is better, or does it matter what you can do with the tools you have?