• Money for nothing, and the tweets for a fee.  A salary of $100K to schmooze with artists and engage, educate, and entertain using Twitter? Where do I sign up? MTV hires its first TJ (Twitter Jockey).
• I’m as mad as hell, and I not going to take it anymore. A fed up  flight attendant grabs a couple beers and takes a stroll down an airport runway. Jet Blue’s response to Slater’s rant? Silence.
• I need help … now! When facing an emergency situation call 9-1-1 (Duh!). But what if that option is unavailable? People are using social media when they’ve fallen and can’t get up.
• Women begin  planning their wedding the day from the moment they say yes. I’m certain most don’t envision a social media proposal of epic geekdom.
• Going for the gold. Increased focus on the acquisition of companies that will form Google’s social initiatives continues to… umm increase (I guess). Google buys Jambool.
• Travel the world. Delta Air Lines opens a social commerce channel. You can go anywhere, but the journey starts on Facebook.

• Is the “Torch” being passed, or passed by? RIM releases the Blackberry Torch 9800 and it’s full of new features. Will it rival the iPhone?
• Could someone please turn on a light? Whether you are looking for bright ideas or are just afraid of being left in the dark, social media can be challenging and &%!@ing scary.
• What costs the British $22 billion a year? No, not extensive dental work. I’m talking about loss of productivity due to social media.
• What goes up, must continue to go up? Time spent social networking is up 7% from a year ago and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing. The same can’t be said for e-mail.
• I’ll take one of those. Two of those. And a couple of those. Zuckerberg goes shopping for social media dominance. Facebook purchases the rights to 18 patents from Friendster.
• Good bye, I never want to see you most of you again. Google Wave is no longer, but its memory lives on. Google Me to incorporate best features from lessons learned?

• The Explorer’s new clothes. Ford Motor Company uses Facebook to reveal the newest edition of one of its most iconic models. The Ford Explorer is reinvented.
• Time to grow up and play some big-boy games. Google and Disney are entering the social gaming market. Big business antes up.
• A picture is worth 140 characters. No longer willing to maintain self restraint, Twitter begins testing inline photos and videos.
• In case you didn’t hear me the first time, I’d recommend checking your Facebook privacy settings. Grabbing private information from 170 million people is not as hard to get as you might think.
• “Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think ‘interesting’ would suffice.” — Spock. James T. Kirk leaves Star Fleet and joins… Twitter? William Shatner set to star in social media inspired “$#*! My Dad Says.”
• Why do feet smell and noses run? What was the best thing prior to sliced bread? Why does rain drop and snow fall? If you got a question, Facebook has the answer (potentially).
• Help take a bite out of crime. The FBI outlines the most serious “cyber” crimes and tries to take down social networking’s scam syndicate.
• 140 at 104. After composing more than 1,000 tweets and amassing some 56,000 followers, Twitter’s oldest Tweeter passes away. R.I.P. Ivey Bean.

• Hello ladies. How are you? Fantastic. Does your man look like me? No. Can he smell like me? Yes. Old Spice sets the social standard.
• It’s social… if you can pay. And it certainly won’t be anonymous.  The Sun Chronicle is now charging to comment.
• The @earlybird gets the worm. Or does it? Twitter tries to monetizing their growing traffic numbers by tweeting out deals. Will it work?
• Mobile users of Facebook are taking it to the street. Facebook has 150 million mobile users, up 50% from 3 months ago.
• I always feel like somebody’s watching me (but it’s my fault). Friends (and criminals, I suppose) can know your every move, but only if you let them. Geolocation is causing growing  concern about security in a mobile world.
• This land is your land. This land my land. However, it’s only your land if you have the proper documentation to prove you are a citizen. Despite the public’s willingness to blame immigrants for the nonexistent Arizona crime wave, most Americans are embarrassed by the nation’s “political class.”
• Looking for a job? Get ready to compete with recent college grads, over-qualified applicants, and an aging population on the verge of retirement (or so they thought). Get you and your resume through the virtual front door to the person doing the hiring.

• Most of us get it, but apparently there are some people who don’t understand the difference between social networks and social media.  There’s more to it than Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. No duh.
• 800 million reasons to believe. In a year filled with bad press, Facebook has some good news. Does a higher-than-expected 2009 revenue have Facebook heading toward an IPO?
• Temporarily unavailable. The World Cup is wreaking havoc on Twitter’s servers and forcing them to adjust quickly.
• I need a vacation, please tell me where I should go. Friends can share their travel experiences, wisdom, and  advice using TripAdvisor’s Facebook integration.
• Being connected comes with a hefty price.  Technology has brought the world closer together, but has it pushed the closest ones away? Parents struggle with today’s social lifestyles.
• Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff tweets the go-ahead to execute Ronnie Lee Gardner.

I don’t trust you. I want a divorce.

• Consumers have a severe lack of faith in financial institutions (and for good reason). Banks look to improve their “loyalty rates” through social media.
• Careful what you write on your girlfriend’s wall, your wife might read it. Divorce attorneys build their case on Facebook.

Small businesses, big opportunities. Big problem, little conversation.

• Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. Five companies that are capitalizing right now.
• Mainstream media is focused on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, while social-media conversations are aimed elsewhere. Technology news grabs online headlines away from natural disaster.

The best defense is a good offense. He shoots. He scores.

• The NBA gets the social-media ball rolling as the Celtics and Lakers take center stage. The starting lineup is filled with social-media superstars.
• The World Cup is only days away, and citizens across the globe will be tuning in. The biggest sporting event in the world and big brands are along for the ride.

Smart. Very smart… Stupid.

• In three-month span, 73 million people used mobile browsers, and 30 million accessed a social network. Smartphone users are getting more social.
• After a  security fiasco, a PR nightmare, and privacy settings that would make even the most confident man blush, Facebook is at is again.

I consider myself more of a dog person. Teaching an old dog new tricks.

• Sometimes words can’t adequately describe the mind of a cat lover, but Sony has taken the obsession to a whole new level. A little bird told me about Tweeting cat collars.
• Ever the trend-setter (?!?), George W. Bush has joined Twitter and Facebook. Get anex-president to join 21st century – Mission Accomplished!

• You don’t know the power of the Dark (chocolate) Side. Nestle used products grown on illegally deforested lands to create its chocolaty confections, but no longer. Greenpeace gets social to save the planet.
• Wow! That’s a low price! The benefits of being a contradiction: stinginess and impulsive buying. Airline travel deals target the Twitter generation.
• Peaks and valleys. The heights of social-media popularity aren’t being matched by advertising budgets. Razorfish report reveals social ad spend is low.
• On the other hand, maybe “it’s a pretty big deal.”  Ford’s focus on social media seems to have started a movement. The launch of the new Fiesta represents a paradigm shift.
• Let the games begin. ESPN signs a lucrative two-year deal with social gaming company Playdom.
• Changing disposable diapers. Despite the lingering odor from the their Dry Max diaper launch, Pampers steps up its social-media efforts.
• Use it, or lose it. To find the next big thing or for research, promotion, and analysis, venture capitalists get results with social media.

• I think someone is following me. A couple 100 someones. And I made them do it.  Twitter’s “auto-follow” bug is real.
• How quickly we forget. Social media’s contribution to the Obama campaign was undeniable. Now, the President has labeled the very devices that facilitated his social election as a “distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment.” Is Barack being hypocritical?
• Evidence of the latest musical savant spreads like a social-media infection and lands him a spot on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Greyson Michael Chance, dude you rock!
• A geek, a dweeb, a nerd, and a dork walk into a computer lab… (insert punchline here). Facebook took away your privacy. “Four talented young nerds” aim to give it back (for free). Diaspora claims it will give users control.
• Preaching by the converted. TV networks, hotels, airlines and restaurants are all using social media to improve CRM and reward their loyal followers. Social media is turning fans into brand evangelists.
• An 88-year-old Golden Girl hosts a 35-year-old TV show, helping it grab its highest ratings in 18 months. 500,000+ Facebook users love Betty White.

• Ever the trendsetter, Mr. Obama’s successful social-media strategies have crossed the pond. The first British election in the social media age is upon us.
• The wind beneath my wings. A child designs an airplane and instead of crushing an 8 year old’s dreams, a big corporation becomes a little more human. After a false start, Boeing approaches intellectual-property law with a more age-appropriate response.
• Did you remember Mother’s Day this year? Next year, use social media to get your mom something nice. E-Trade, Teleflora and iVillage are in the Mother’s Day marketing mix.
• For the good of all mankind. Social networks have become a valuable fund-raising method for many causes, some more successful than others. Help #EndMalaria with Twitter’s Hope140.
• The anti-social side of social. Facebook is the darling of social media, but many users don’t really consider it a social network. Is Facebook really more of a public phone book or search engine?
• Everybody’s a critic. Social media has established a new generation of film review. It use to be Ebert and Roeper — now it’s entire online movie communities. Are audiences really the movie experts?
• Part of a healthy lifestyle is being social. The health-care community has merged with social media and the effects are revolutionary. The Health 2.0 movement has arrived.
• What do you think? Should I buy these?  Bing Shopping integrates with Facebook and Twitter.

• Lock your doors, close your windows, and adjust your privacy settings. Facebook takes on the government.
• An F in school administration? A middle-school principal all but accuses parents child abuse if they don’t put a stop to their childrens’ social networking.
• Social socialist. Known for his historically long-winded speeches, can the Venezuelan President limit himself to 140 characters? Hugo Chavez joins Twitter.
• Papers please. The draconian Arizona immigration law has sparked a social-media boycott but the Office of Tourism remains silent.
• Tweevolution. Twitter was once simply a means to update your status, but no longer. Twitter becomes a news-media outlet.
• Nice pants. Facebook’s Social Plugins tool allows you to make sure you dont get caught with your pants down. Let’s go shopping for Levi’s on Facebook.
• What is social media worth? Short answer: alot. No longer solely part of “young and fashionable” brands, social media has gone global.

• Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love(-ing social media). A new study released by the University of Maryland reveals that students are obsessed with social networking.
• A media-savvy campaign may have won him the presidency; now he’s focusing a on financial reform. President Obama takes on Goldman Sachs with a multi-week search-engine-marketing campaign.
• Lost prototype. Illegal purchase. Police probe. A lost iPhone 4G that was purchased by a technology blog may have violated  laws and has launched a criminal investigation. Is Gizmodo in trouble?
• Not surprisingly, tech company employees use  a lot of social networks. A new survey now proves it. Amazon.com and eBay  were up there, but Microsoft tops the NetProspex Social Index.
• Here is my credit card information, could you please rob me? Identity theft  appears to be the cornerstone of  social sharing service Blippy’s social blunder of epic proportions.
• What are you listening to right now? Your social networks are recommending what tracks should be included in your playlists. Pandora and Facebook capture the social nature of music listening.
• Location-based makes it’s case. Mobile users are more likely to respond to ads with location-based targeting than regular ads. Mobile coupons business expected to reach $57 billion by 2014.

• Crowd sourcing the extraterrestrial. Networked Insights headquarters was practically  front row to a social/meteoric phenomenon. Reporters plead via Twitter for photos  of the Midwest meteor shower.
• Still supersizing. Amid skepticism and mommy bloggers, McDonald’s hires its first-ever director of social media.
• Just got back from a run. While Google’s searches Twitter in real time,  The Library of Congress now catalogs these historical and relevant conversations.
• “Social is the DNA of this phone.” Really? Isn’t every phone inherently social? Isn’t that the reason they were invented? Microsoft takes a regular phone, and makes it social. Whoa! Stop the presses.
• There is no “I” in tablet, but there’s a “we” in awesome. WE’RE not even sure what that means… The WePad tries to add in all the things  Apple left out of the iPad.
• Google Adwords meets Twitter? At the Chirp developer conference,  Twitter announces the arrival of promoted tweets. Will it work?
• One ring to rule them all. Sick of hearing about Facebook already?  Apparently,  the next ten years will belong to Facebook.

• You Have 0 Friends. The latest episode of  South Park mocks Facebook even while the marketing team exploits it.
• The glass is half full. Approximately 48% of Americans over the age of eleven have a social networking profile and usage has doubled in just two  years. Social networking has become a part of mainstream media behavior.
• Political participation by apathetic younger generations has historically been low, but Democracy UK aims to change that. Even before the polls open, social media will have played a crucial role in UK election results.
• It’s a small world. When tragedy hit a small coal mining town in West Virginia, social media provided an avenue for a world-wide outpouring of support.
• In war, there are no unwounded soldiers; they continue to fight the demons of battle. The Department of Veteran Affairs attempts to use social media to provide support.
• Better safe than sorry. Companies and IT departments are struggling to find the right balance when dealing with employee use of social-networking sites. Acceptable use policies should address these five questions.

• Now you’ve gone and done it. Congress isn’t very happy with Google. So much so, in fact, that they’ve called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into privacy concerns about Google Buzz.
• I like you. You like me. We’re a happy Facebook family. Should brands really expect users to become “fans”?  Maybe Facebook should allow users to simply “like” social-savvy companies?
• And you can take that to the bank… After a  government bailout, Wells Fargo was forced to get creative and think smarter about social media. The financial institution has  invested heavily in its Stagecoach Island trying to connect with customers.
• Apple plants a fresh crop of social-media possibilities with the iPad. How will this transform the  industry?  Bulgaria is already affected by cultural imperialism run amok.
• Conclusive evidence on which social-media ad format is most effective? It depends — there’s no magic formula.  A new study concludes that context wins.
• Marketing 101: social media is not a toy. Lessons abound about the blunders of companies who have botched social media in their marketing strategies.  Business schools are now starting to offer courses on social-media tactics and strategy.
• “No one alive can always be an angel.” Lil Wayne is many things: a celebrity, a musician , a sports fan, a blogger, and now an inmate. Social media lets him connect with fans despite being behind bars.

• TMI? Celebrity tweets and status updates are creating a new breed of paparazzi and stalkers.
• How do you work this thing? Kentucky basketball coach Jon Calipari appears to be a social-media savant, but his philanthropic ventures and fan transparency are largely orchestrated by his assistant.
• Life is like a box of chocolates…  An on-line assault on the Nestle brand organized Greenpeace is made FAR worse by the company’s response. The lesson? Don’t insult the public, especially when our brand is in crisis.
• What do @THHEE_JAY and @Solly_Forrel have in common? They’re both Twitter users who hate the new healthcare legislation. Both of them have expressed that dislike by calling for the assassination of President Obama. And both of them are under investigation by the Secret Service.
• Big Brother is watching you. Well, at least the HR department might be. A new service assists companies in monitoring employees’ social-networking activities.
• First, the “King of Rock n’ Roll.” Then, the “King of Pop.” Now, the “Boy Prince of Social Media?” Justin Bieber has taken over the pop music world by taking social media to new heights (or depths) on his way to super-stardom.

• There’s gold in them thar hills. Mobile apps were initially projected to bring in approximately $537 million in revenue this year. Not anymore. Looks like app sales will total $1.6 billion!
• There’s enough room for the both of us. Contrary to popular belief, web video isn’t killing television. Old and new media are coexisting quite nicely, thank you.
• And down the stretch they come! Dozens of companies have released location-based services. But in the race to win the location crown, Foursquare and Gowalla are neck and neck.
• Now the moment you have all been waiting for… Psych! It looked like Twitter was going to release detailed information about their new advertising platform at SxSW.  Instead, Twitter introduces @anywhere and opens themselves up to controversy.
• Salvador Dali said, ”There is more madness to my method than method to my madness.”  The method for March Madness seems to be social media. People are feeding their basketball fever using all manner of social and mobile apps.
• Is it a want or a need? A new study breaks down the genres of sites that receive traffic from social networks.
• Dude, you’re getting a Dell. Dell is taking customers (and the social web) seriously.
• One of these days Alice… Pow! Straight to the moon. That day is today for social media. NASA is tweeting from space!

• An oldie, but a goodie. Using time-tested demographic targeting companies are developing successful campaigns in the online, mobile, and gaming platforms. See 11 brands that are doing it right.
• No lifeguard on duty — swim at your own risk! Traditional media continues to doggy paddle its way through the deepening sea of technology. Magazines and newspapers navigate the treacherous waters of new media.
• I can’t get no satisfaction. Get Satisfaction partners with Facebook and proves Mick Jagger wrong.
• Anything you can do, I can do better. Ford has a healthy bottom line and a firm grasp on social media. GM has government assistance and an nascent social-media plan.  GM tries to catch up by partnering  with Gowalla for a location-based amazing race at SXSW.
• I like SPAM. I hate spam. The abuse of electronic messaging systems and websites by some mainstream media outlets is causing a great deal of controversy. Is this a growing trend for traditional media?
• Music to our ears. Musicians, both mainstream and indie, have plugged into social media. See how bands are connecting with fans and reaping the rewards.
• Shame, shame I know your name. After being awarded patents for location-based and news-feed technologies, Google and Facebook may have thought they were on the brink of world domination. Not so fast. Both companies are being sued by Winksite for patent infringement.
• Champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Bollywood early adopters have India going wild for a touch of the bubbly. Bubble Motion releases Bubbly, a voice-based Twitter.

• Patents are going like hotcakes. A week after Facebook received a patent for “a method for displaying a news feed in a social network environment,” Google is awarded its own patent for location-based mobile-advertisement technology.
• Fighting an epidemic. In an attempt to raise awareness about the spread of HIV/AIDS, the CDC begins a five-year $45 million social-media campaign.
• I’m too old for this sort of thing. Apparently this statement doesn’t apply in all cases, as Baby Boomers begin to experiment with social media.  It’s a seismic shift as the older generation emerges as mavens of new media.
• The Pareto Principal for Social Media? In five years, nearly 20% of marketing dollars will go to social-media budgets. Will this result in 80% of returns as the 80/20 rule suggests? We’ll have to wait and see.
• Getting back to the fundamentals. In creating a remarkable customer experience, the tools and landscape can change, but the essentials are the same. Businesses need to get back to the basics before adopting the latest fads.
• The balance sheet of on-line and real-world conduct. How are companies and individuals investing in the social economy? Contributions to social capital will be rewarded with ROI in the form of new opportunities and lucrative relationships.

• Turn left, left again, and repeat about 300 times. Inside the garage and out on the track, NASCAR embraces the digital age as drivers relate to fans via Twitter.
• Remember when the Internet was supposed to kill off television? TV execs now think “the Internet is our friend, not our enemy.”  Television is experiencing a ratings revival with the help of social media.
• Marines will  now be able to enjoy Facebook and YouTube just like the rest of us. The Department of Defense has issued new policy guidelines regulating the military’s use of social networking.
• State of the internet: 1.73 billion users worldwide can’t be wrong. The internet continues to grow, and we found an amazing infographic video to prove it.
• Where the wild things are. Whether it’s being where your customers are already active or creating an opportunity for them to engage, businesses have to be flexible and committed to a strategy with the right mix.
• Patent no longer pending. Almost four years after they applied, Facebook has secured a patent for News Feed. What does this mean for the future of the of the social media giant?
• He’s back and more popular than ever. Well, at least twice as popular as the man who replaced him. Conan O’Brien interviews a squirrel and 458,768 people want to hear all about it. The former late night host joins Twitter and there’s nothing Mr. Leno or NBC can do about it.

• From ancient Greece, to Chamonix, France, to the internet. The Olympics have evolved from humble  the “Cultural Olympiad”.  Harvard Business Review dubs the 2010 Winter Olympics the world’s largest social-media experiment.
• Excuse me sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave. Director Kevin Smith was ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight for being too big (fat).  Southwest apologizes in the wake of a social-media stink.
• The end of the glass ceiling and the start of something big. The social web presents an “unprecedented opportunity” for women. See how social media is opening doors for women to influence, advance, and innovate.
• Build the home of your dreams. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Yelp are putting “a human face on real estate so that it becomes a conversation.” The real estate industry tries to recover with help from social media.
• The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s a powerful idea with endless possibilities, but maybe Google should have asked first. Privacy problems, lawsuits, and controversy surround Google Buzz.
• Do we really want to know everything about our pop stars? Is social-media overexposure killing music careers?