The Misinformation Age

Do you remember 10 years ago when people said, “don’t trust everything you read on the Internet?” It seems that statement has almost come full circle as uninformed politicians and news commentators tackle subjects like SOPA and Google’s new consolidated privacy policy.

We now live in an age where our country’s (and world’s) economic engine runs on the ability for people to easily connect around the globe. This is not done with wireless telegraph, overseas phone transmissions or airmail, but by a network of computers connected through a series of switches, routers and other transmission devices.

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My Question to the President for the January 30 Google+ Hangout with the White House

The President is holding a Google+ Hangout on January 30th and is seeking people with great questions to participate. I wanted to echo my thoughts in my last post about talking to a brick wall. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Music is “The Second World War” by Sabate used under Creative Commons 3.0

Effective Social Media Demands Two-Way Conversation

photo by Grant MacDonald on Flickr

Thousands of people, businesses, brands, products and services create a social media presence every day. Whether its a Twitter account, Facebook page or Google+ page, they want to make sure that you can find their product in all corners of the web.

Creating a social media campaign requires commitment, communication and most importantly, listening.

Have you ever tried having a conversation with a brick wall? Not so much fun, huh? In fact, if you tried talking to a brick wall in front of your friends, people might think you’re crazy.

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How to use Hangouts to Promote Your Brand

NFL Safety Chris Harris using Hangouts On Air
NFL Safety Chris Harris using Hangouts On Air

The playoff season in American football is a great time for sports fans. The number of teams left in competition has been whittled down and fans must choose another team to advance. Since there are left teams left in the mix, there is more common conversation to be had amongst co-workers and friends.

A safety from one of the teams that didn’t make it this year, Chris Harris, of the Detroit Lions, decided to use his downtime as an opportunity to engage his followers and help create a positive image for his brand.

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How to Do Almost Anything on Google+

Over the last several months I have spent a lot of time coming up with ways to use Google+ for your business, organization or personal brand. There are lots of things that I have shared and some that many people have had helpful.

From using the Hangout feature, to developing your own page or determining how people enjoy using certain features through the research I have conducted. There is a list that I have maintained on my profile page that contains most of the important information I have shared with the community. I have offered all of this information and follow-up conversation with anyone that was interested at absolutely no cost.

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How to Get Comments on Your Blog

There is no secret sauce to getting more interactivity on your blog. Blogging simply takes time and effort (T&E). You are only going to get as much out of your blog as you put into it. It’s simple math really.

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How to use Google+ Hangouts for Business

There is nothing more personal than having a face-to-face conversation. Exchanging e-mails is impersonal, speaking on the phone is a step up, but having a face-to-face conversation allows you to see people’s reactions and non-verbal communication.

Anyone that has had to interview someone for a job knows that body language indicates a lot about a prospective candidate’s persona. The same came be said when it comes to sales. Does your potential customer have his arms cross? Are they paying attention to what you’re saying? Are they smiling every time you mention their name?

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The Day the Internet Stood Still

In this video, I talk about SOPA (H.R. 3261), PIPA (S.R. 968) and the websites that went dark today including Reddit, Wikipedia, WordPress and many many others.

How to Get an Avatar in WordPress

If you have ever left a comment on a WordPress blog, you may have noticed that by default, there is no picture (or avatar) next to your name after the comment is published. Furthermore, if you have ever started your own WordPress blog, you will notice that there is nowhere to upload a profile picture under the Users section. So how do you get an avatar to appear? Continue reading How to Get an Avatar in WordPress