Today’s guest post (and video) is by Lisa Gerber.

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

Today’s question comes from Barry Silver. Barry is a long-time Spin Sucks reader, the inventor of the name Gin and Topics, and a good friend.

He also is a Chicagoan (sort of – if you count Rockford as part of greater Chicagoland) and he blogs at A Life Well Lived Concludes with a Smile, where he discusses social media, happiness, life-affirmation, marketing, and some search. Continue Reading »

This post is running concurrently on Future Comms.

On Facebook just after the first of the year, Paul Sutton posted something about not understanding what the big deal is about Pinterest.

It won’t be a surprise to you that I commented. I said something about how he was off his rocker (except I think I was a bit more nice than that).

So he challenged me to a duel.

I’m not at all competitive (hahahaha!!) so I accepted.

See what you think! Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by John Fitzgerald. 

A recent study revealed 79 percent of college students have no idea how to scan a QR code.

Let that sink in for a second.

Four out of five 18- to 22-year-olds don’t know what to do when they see an ugly barcode slapped on a print ad targeted at them.

If college kids can’t grasp a new technology at the crossroads of social and mobile, it must be a bust. Right?

Well, not exactly. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Molli Megasko.

I’m sure you’re as overwhelmed as I am with all Google+ search and looming FTC investigation stuff, but as marketers, it’s our jobs to stay on top of what is happening and how it can affect our clients or our companies.

If we break it down, I see two different debates going on:

1) Fairness (for corporations and businesses); and

2) Privacy (on the individual side).

Let’s dig into each one. Continue Reading »

GUESS WHAT?!? It is snowing again! This makes me so happy!

Jack Bauer and I will be out cross-country skiing at lunchtime. Well, I’ll be skiing. He’ll be marking every tree along the lakefront as his.

This week’s Gin and Topics turned into all videos. You know what happens? People send me links and videos or post them on my Facebook wall. Which I love (makes my job a lot easier). And this week they all happen to be videos.

So, happy viewing! Some of these are downright hilarious. Continue Reading »

Many of you may not know Kristine Simpson.

She stalks Spin Sucks, but she doesn’t comment often so you wouldn’t recognize her name from there. But she’s someone you need to know!

Other than being an account coordinator at Thornley Fallis, she is the producer of Inside PR, the weekly podcast Joe Thornley, Martin Waxman, and I record. And she freaking rocks!

She got engaged a few months ago and blogged the experience, from her point-of-view…and then had her fiance do the same. Completely innovative and extremely touching, you get a special glimpse into her personal life. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Tyler Orchard. 

The popularization of social media has created two very different environments.

On one hand, social media has produced a world of vast connectivity. Consumers and professionals are linked without boundary. Barriers that once limited engagement are overcome with new ways to network.

Social media has offered people unconfined opportunities to tap into conversations that were once hidden.

On the other hand, the technology simultaneously provides others with a shrouded veil behind which they can hide. Social media has offered more power in the form of selection, engagement, and response.

It is possible to seamlessly transition between both of these worlds at our convenience. We can operate in two elements that contrast one another so vigorously it almost seems impossible they were borne from the same revolutionary technology. Continue Reading »

And we’re back! I’m not sure our being dark yesterday had any effect, but we made a statement darn it!

Plus, I got a day off of writing. Which, I have to admit, made me a little off kilter. No Spin Sucks to check multiple times a day. No crazies commenting. No getting my own personal writing accomplished the day. I expected to enjoy having the day off. I was wrong.

With that, I have a special treat for you today!

During the Facebook question of the week, Jennifer MacDonald asked: Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Jay Dolan. 

I was trying to think of the most influential social media campaigns of 2011 the other day, and I couldn’t think of one.

I honestly can’t think of one social media promotion that was so innovative, I had to tell people about it.

Much of what I read these days is all about failures. Blogger outreach failures. Twitter failures. Facebook failures. Even Pinterest failures (Ok, not yet, but give it a month).

Haven’t we heard enough about failure? We’re not even four weeks into the new year, and I can already think of four examples of a social media disaster.

Ouch. Continue Reading »

Let’s talk Facebook today, shall we?

Sorry, Howie. I know you’re not a fan so you can go read another blog today.

I’m going to make a pretty big assumption most of you have at least checked out the new timeline. Even if you hate it, if you’re using social media for work, it’s important to understand how these most recent changes affect your business pages.

You’re going to become pretty creative in how you use Facebook now. I’m going to give you some tips. Continue Reading »