Margie Clayman

1. This post by Jay Baer really got me thinking. If you don’t trust your employees or your sales force to talk online, are you sure you should be depending on them offline? That’s why trust is not a 4-letter word in Social Media. In fact, trust is 100% necessary. Check out this fantastic post.

2. Have you ever tried to explain Social Media or what you do online to someone who has no idea what you’re talking about? Whether it’s your spouse, your parents, or your friends, I’d bet this article by Mark Schaefer will resonate with you. Check out How to Explain Social Media to Your Spouse.

3. Sam Fiorella tweeted out this post by Chris Westfall. The article is called What CEOs Really Want, and it focuses on a study IBM conducted about, well, what CEOs really want. The top quality CEOs are looking for is creativity, above all else. This resonated with me – recently I’ve been blogging here about how traditional media could explode in effectiveness if people just thought about it more creatively. Very interesting study. Check it out and voice your opinions!

4. Mitch Joel raised quite a ruckus with his post called The Truth Behind A Massive Audience. Is less really more? Is more really more? What’s your opinion?

5. Dawn Westerberg and I must be drinking from the same punch bowl. Last week I wrote a post about how to increase your engagement via direct mail campaigns. I’m happy to report that Dawn confirms a lot of the stuff I said about direct mail in that post! Check out Why I still love direct mail – she has some great ideas for you there!

6. Too often, when we think things should be done a certain way, we assume rather quickly that any other way of doing it is completely wrong. Clay Forsberg tackles this topic in his post, Are you smart enough…to know you might not be that smart? Great story to illustrate the point. A must-read.

7. So you want proof that Social Media works? Check out this post by Louise Findlay-Wilson called How Twitter Can Drive Sales – a Tale of Marsha and Me. The Marsha in the story is Marsha Collier, and the story is how Louise ended up buying one of Marsha’s books after following Marsha for a few months on Twitter.

8. Jason Sokol always finds the most interesting comparisons to make his point. He wrote a post about how preparing to do the deadlift was very similar to preparing to blog – both efforts require caution, spotters (to see if you are doing things in the best way possible), and patience (plus maybe a touch of endurance). Check out Deadlifting Your Way To Blogging Success (and I’m not including this just because I was very kindly mentioned!)

9. Extremely powerful post from Ms. Nancy Davis. She confesses that she thinks of herself as an emotional chicken. Do you suffer from the same problem? Read her post for hope and support.

10. Carol Verity does an excellent breakdown regarding whether businesses *need* Social Media Marketing. Some good pros and cons to think about. Share your thoughts with Ms. Carol!

11. Speaking of great women named Carol, Carol Roth wrote a fabulous post, pointed and true, called When You Want Something Built, You Don’t Start With the Guy With the Hammer. This post is a reflection on the now famous Gary Vaynerchuk exclamation that 99.5% of Social Media experts are clowns. Food for thought, ladies and gents 🙂

12. In my opinion, Ingrid really could have published this post as an e-book. This is one of the most thorough break-downs of a company’s use of Social Media that I have seen, and I’ve been researching in this space for about 4 years now. Check out British Airways “gets” Social Media, and you are guaranteed to learn something!

13. I saw this article tweeted out and it caught my attention. Maybe it caught yours as well, because it was called 7 Mistakes of Social Media Wimps. Written by Sally Hogshead, the post (per the name) suggests 7 mistakes that might be watering down your online presence. Do you agree with this advice?

14. The number 7 was big this week. Justin Goldsborough wrote a post lining up 7 reasons why he blogs. I like his goose bumps reason best. What do you think? And why do you blog?

15. Do you trust your customers? Sam Fiorella argues that your customers will probably find it difficult to trust you if you don’t establish how much you trust them first.  That means listening, researching what your customers want, and…well, read Sam’s post to hear the rest!

16. Anorexia and bulimia are often thought of as diseases that afflict young Caucasian women. Like most diseases, these two disorders do not carry prejudices. They will affect anyone, including women in their 50s and 60s. This touching post by Laura Fenamore tells the story of one such woman and how art helped her recover her soul and her life. A must read!

17. Would you pay money for a transcript of a chat like #blogchat? Mack Collier poses this very interesting question on his blog. Weigh in!

18. Judy Helfand got inspired just like I did by Jay Baer’s post on trust. Her perspective spans different times and different working environments, which serves to make her perspective rich and fascinating. Check out her post called Social Media Trust is like wearing a lapel pin, and voice your opinions!

19. My friends Ian Rountree and Nic Wirtz have started a cool new project called Hard Refresh. Aimed at folks who might be suffering from Social Media fatigue, Hard Refresh will offer you companionship and ideas as you strive to get your groove back. The better explanation was written by Ian over at the site. Check it out! 🙂 (and I happen to have a post over there too).

20. It’s always a treat to read Debra Ellis’ blog posts. This particular one takes her immense knowledge and breaks it down into 10 Social Networking Do’s and Don’ts. Check this post out and read it carefully, because each point is significant!

21. You may not agree with every single one of these tips from Jeff Bullas, but with 50 Social Media Marketing tips and tactics to choose from, you’re bound to find quite a few great ideas in there. Give it a read!

22. I love this post by Rufus the Dog (He types so durned well for a puppy, don’t you think?) about the definitive difference between a journalist and a blogger. Do you agree? Voice your opinions!

23. There is a beautiful, powerful message buried within this post by Mary Biever. In Treasure in Weeds Behind the Barn, Mary describes how some of the best strawberries can be found in areas most people don’t bother to look. How can you apply this to your life? Yeah, it got me thinking, too.

24. I am so excited about Razoo, an organization for NPOs that includes John Haydon, Geoff Livingston, Estrella Rosenberg, and Alexandra Bornkessel. The group aims to help social causes promote themselves in stronger, more effective ways, and you can tell they’re off to a great start with this post by John Haydon, 11 benefits of blogging for your nonprofit. Check out the post, check out the group!

25. This post by Alban for SavvySexySocial.com is a fabulous list of resources if you are interested in exploring some new Social Media sites. There were a lot on this list I hadn’t heard of. Have you heard of all 30? Let your voice be heard!

26. Geoff Livingston asks the question that has been rolling around in my head for quite some time now. Infographics. Art or Porn? Funny take on the sensation that, along with Bieber Fever, is taking over the internet. What do you think about these colorful little pie charts?

27. Another awesome post for social good from Gini Dietrich – 5 ways you can help Joplin, Missouri. We had an extremely bad storm here in my neck of the woods last night that was not a tornado, but sure scared the heck out of me. It’s hard to imagine what those folks are going through.

28. Like Molly Campbell, I’m pretty sure I have 2 right brains. How about you? Hilarious, charming post, as per usual.

29. Ever wonder why your  boss always seems impatient with you? Kate Nasser has an answer – fear. Or as she would say in her post – don’t scare the bejeebers out of them 🙂 A hilarious yet extremely thoughtful post!

30. For post number 30, I give you the number 60. Or rather, Heidi Cohen does. This post of hers, Blog Checklist: 60 Must-Have Items, is absolutely killer, stellar, and in every way awesome. Check it out!

Image by Michal Zacharzewski. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mzacha

The Civil War understandably overshadows a lot of Abraham Lincoln’s political prowess, which is unfortunate, because studying his methodologies and strategies can not only teach us a lot about leadership, but it can also teach us a lot about how to be a human being. The way that Lincoln formed his cabinet, which is one of the core stories of Team of Rivals, illustrates what kind of leader Lincoln really was.

[Read more…] about Would you promote a rival?

I confess, I’m a little confused.

I know, that’s not much of a news flash. Confusion perpetually haunts me, making me adopt the pose of “the thinker.” It’s a chronic problem. No laughing matter.

Here’s the thing I’m confused about lately. Is there anything in the world of Social Media that could happen to you that would make you really happy?

[Read more…] about what do YOU want?