So, LinkedIn Says You’re Not a Thought Leader?

With hundreds of definitions swarming around the phrase “thought leader” it can be hard to define for some. Thought leader is typically defined as a person (or business) who is an authority or expert in a specific field. This individual can be seen as the “go-to” person for opinions, expert commentary, future predictions, etc. Though if you ask some PR people, they may define thought leader as any of their clients. With that said, the title of thought leader can be pretty easily thrown around in our industry, especially when everyone wants their client to be forward-thinking or, excuse my language, “groundbreaking.” Unfortunately, last month, LinkedIn gave most of us a wake-up call by releasing a new thought leader feature. The verdict? You’re probably not one.

Why LinkedIn and Twitter’s Break Up Is Better For Your Business

As most of us know, LinkedIn and Twitter had a very public falling out this past June, ending a two-year relationship. Like many of the flings I’ve seen fall apart, when rumors spread and the going got tough (or LinkedIn faced a massive password breach) Twitter dropped the professional networking site like a hot potato…poor thing.

Now, months later, the drama continues. At last week’s TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman discussed the sudden removal of Twitter feeds from LinkedIn. So how is he faring after the split? Better than ever. Hoffman declared that the networking platform “got better” after Twitter cut off the site. Are these the harsh words of a scorned lover, or an accurate assessment of the site’s well-being post-breakup? I say, it’s pretty accurate.

Social Media Etiquette from the Ghost of Emily Post

According to a recent report from DOMO, 70 percent of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies have no social media presence.

I find myself asking how can this possibly be a real statistic? In her piece for Forbes, Victoria Barret writes that social media isn’t a passing fad—one of the major reasons to utilize social media is because that’s where your customers are.

Barret is right. Social media has been changing the game for businesses on a global level for several years, allowing them to share their products, brand and point of view everywhere from Canada to Australia. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google + allow businesses the opportunity to not only sell a product, but to have real personality and engage with the audience that matters most to their business—their customers, clients, potential new hires and even existing employees.

The Interest in Pinterest: Why Marketers Should Take Notice

Pinterest is taking the social Web by storm. For those who haven’t received an invitation, Pinterest is an online, free form of scrapbooking that allows users to “pin” photos of admirable fashions, creative crafts or virtually anything of usual interest from around the Web. Recently awarded the Crunchies Best New Start Up of 2011 Award, it’s no secret that Pinterest is gaining traction.

I know what you’re thinking – “another time suck.” I have fallen victim to this obsession of “pinning,” like many other Pinterest users, creating boards with images of things I love.

But Pinterest can be – and is becoming – so much more, because of its “social curation” model and incredibly simple user interface.

10 PR Predictions for 2012

2011 was a good year for PR. It’s growing and changing for the better, as I wrote back in June. While it’s harder to break through the streams of tweets and updates that fly at us each day, PR has an unprecedented opportunity to tell stories through new vehicles. The stakes are higher though, so we have to be smarter and more creative. I used to tell clients not to worry too much about negative coverage because Google’s memory is short. Well, it’s gotten a lot longer this year with archive searches, so you can Google this post next December and call me prescient or just plain wrong.

Social Media as a Ubiquitous Force? Not Quite

I came across a Mashable article the other day that stopped me in my tracks. Shockingly, only 50 percent of adults in the U.S. use social media, according to a new survey by Pew Internet. Being entrenched for so long in a field where social media is ubiquitous (in fact, it’s a primary job requirement), I had a hard time believing that this could really be true. That is, until I got a call from my parents the other night.

I live states away from my family, and while it’s always great to catch up with them, when it comes to discussing my job, or any form of Web activity – social or otherwise – I know I can count on some laughs (after I hang up, of course). Just for fun, here’s a quick 60-second “take” from our recent chat:

Desperate for a Google+ Cross-posting Solution

In its first month, Google+ reached 20 million users. I am impressed. Brian Solis notes that to reach 10 million users, it took Twitter 780 days and Facebook 852 days. It took Google+ 16 days.

I like Google+ for the same reasons everyone else does: I can segment my contacts for better content sharing and it’s intuitive. Like everyone else in the social media world, I am also entrenched in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and have to constantly remind myself to update Google+.