There’s been quite a bit of discussion about the reliability of online information that is compiled by individual users (think Wikipedia). Others scrutinize sites that allow users to share/upload files, music and videos freely. But who can really define whether these sites are doing right or wrong?

The Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) is an effort to regulate all content online. It has been creating buzz because, if passed, the Act “…makes the streaming of unauthorized content a felony,” reported MSNBC.com.

The reactions to this proposed law are definitely being heard. Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare are just a few of the online sites that are threatening to “…take a ‘nuclear option’ and ‘go simultaneously dark’ in protest of the bill,” MSNBC.com published earlier this week.

There are those who support the bill and would like to see unauthorized content removed from all websites. Others rely on shared information from internet users on a daily basis. How about if you’re a student writing a research paper – can you cite Wikipedia as a credible resource for your information? Educational institutions and their professors/instructors have a wide range of policies for students using these crowd-sourced encyclopedias as a reliable source in coursework. Since users can change the content, who’s to say that what you’re reading on those sites is factual?

Try asking followers of The Colbert Report with Steven Colbert on Comedy Central. In 2006 he encouraged viewers to change the Wikipedia entries on elephants to state that their population had tripled in the last six months. So what happened? Roughly 20 Wikipedia articles on elephants were vandalized by numerous users stating exactly what Colbert had suggested – until Wikipedia administrators caught wind of what had actually happened, locked the pages and blocked Colbert from the site. According to Colbert, a made up thing or idea becomes true reality if enough people agree with you. He coined it as “wikiality,” and he was proving it.

Does SOPA silent free speech? Or does it help regulate false information on the infinite Internet?

Social media is an incredibly convenient communication vehicle and a powerful business tool as well. One of its greatest features is its accessibility. You can Tweet, text or post from just about anywhere – at home, at the mall, in the car – as long as you’re not driving! As the Star Tribune reported today, law enforcement is taking distracted drivers seriously in a one-day crackdown as part of a statewide campaign in Minnesota to stress the dangers and reduce crashes for drivers.

Reporter Tim Harlow points out that texting while driving will make you eight times more likely to be involved in a  crash than a driver who is not texting.

“According to the Department of Public Safety, driver distractions account for 20 percent of all crashes and result in 70 deaths and 350 injuries statewide each year,” reported Harlow.

If jeopardizing the safety of yourself and others isn’t enough, how about having to cough up $300 for being a “distracted driver”? This fine isn’t just for texting – eating, applying makeup, reading a newspaper or magazine are all reasons for law enforcement to pull you over and give you a ticket for being a distracted driver. Even talking on your cell phone, while it is still legal in Minnesota, can result in a ticket if you are driving dangerously (swerving into another lane, etc.) or are distracted from driving.

Read the article.

If it is an emergency and you need to use your phone or do another task that would distract you, find the nearest place to safely pull your car over.

Are you willing to risk your life and the safety of others just to send a text?

Social media is more than just a hobby or form of communication – it has become a valuable PR & marketing tool for companies of all sizes to increase return on investment (ROI). But for all businesses, it’s important to keep in mind that not all social media sites are right for every company. Why? The answer is because first you must find the right sites to reach your target market and cannot simply aim at the general public.

The more strategic you are with social media, the better your ROI will be.

Some might say, “I don’t know what to say or post on social media sites – I’m not a blogger.” In order to use social media as a business tool, you first must use your expertise, in whatever area it may be, to educate and engage your audience in a discussion. Presenting yourself as an expert in your field is key to increasing your social authority.

Are you strategically engaging your audience in a discussion to increase your ROI?

When is the last time that an advertisement or marketer interrupted what you were doing? Think about your initial reaction – did you immediately brush off the message or person, or did you wait to see if it would be worth your time to hear more? According to Caroline Melberg,  the well-known marketing writer Seth Godin is known for coining the term “interruption marketing.” Whether you get a call from a telemarketer or you’re approached by a salesperson at a department store, interruption marketing seems to be all over.

But what if more businesses utilized social media to get to know their target markets instead of using a generalized approach? Social media sites are excellent business tools that allow people, businesses and brands to establish relationships with one another on a permission basis – not an interruption basis.

For example, getting more followers on sites like Twitter or fans on your Facebook page gives you another vehicle for marketing to your target audience – who all choose to opt in to hear what you have to say! You can feature new products or offers to keep your audience up to date without getting the annoying sales stigma, and you can build upon those relationships to make those people life-long customers.

Taking the time to learn more about your target market can really pay off. Are you taking advantage of social media business tools?

In this time of ever-changing social media tools, most of us wonder how we can keep up with it.  Every day the question  “how does social media really help my business?” is asked. Like all marketing tools, it should continue to be reassessed and updated.  Here’s what I know for sure… social media is not a hobby (at least not for those of us busy running companies.)  It IS an effective business tool when managed and implemented strategically. (Of course, there are those fortunate few who happen to hit it right on the mark without planning or integrating their social media efforts with other marketing.)   For those skeptics of social media, ask yourself, “Are my customers and prospective customers finding me when they “Google”?  If you’re not on the first page of the search, you’re missing an incredible opportunity …and social media is the answer.

The Bronx Zoo has reported a missing cobra earlier this week – who just happens to be an avid “tweeter.”  A report by the Star Tribune explains that an unnamed individual has been posting on a Twitter account by the name of “BronxZoosCobra,” and is sharing quite a few slithering travel tales. The tweets have included posts such as “On top of the Empire State Building! All the people look like little mice down there. Delicious little mice.”

The cobra has yet to be found, but at least there are over 140,000 followers who are interested in hearing whatssssss next!

Ask geriatric care expert Deborah Dolan (advocateonaging.com) and she’ll tell you that social media has expanded her areas of influence.  Her mission of getting information and resources to families is happening beyond her dreams.  She has become an online authority for elder care…in a real, genuine and credible manner.  Social media reached audiences that, in the past, would have required much more of her effort and time three years ago.

I asked Deborah what’s next for this geriatric social authority …and she said it’s reaching the corporate market with employee training that will help decrease time away from work. We’ll follow her progress and influence in the corporate market.  In the meantime, share your stories of social authority success with us.

Earlier this week the Star Tribune released an article that online users and bloggers should take into careful consideration. The article titled “In social media, why let the facts get in the way?” points out the fact that many people use the internet as a forum to post or share things that would never be appropriate, politically correct, or respectful if said in public or face-to-face. So why does posting it on the internet make it acceptable?

The article highlighted numerous examples why posting libelous statements online borders internet laws. Minnesota examples of these tricky lawsuits were used in the article:

“In Minnesota, only a handful of people have been sued for comments they made online and even fewer cases go to trial. Reasons for this, experts say, include:
•Attorneys can’t sue Internet companies — who have the deep pockets — for what individual users say because of protection from the federal Communications Decency Act.
•A blurring between fact and fiction continues unabated on Internet sites.
•Many states have no laws to address the endless ways people fabricate information.
•Many online postings are never seen in the first place. Unlike permanent comments in newspapers, postings can slide past without being noticed — but whether they ever disappear from databases remains in dispute.
•Online postings, depending on how they’re delivered, can have narrow audiences.
Ordinary folks are held to the same legal standards as news reporters and anyone else who makes written statements in public, but few seem to know that — or care.”

It’s almost as if the internet is a mask for many to use as a shield or a way to hide after spewing written words – a way to defy consequences.

As Marketing Maverick Caroline Melberg says, “If you wouldn’t be willing to put your statement on the front page of the New York Times with your name on it, don’t post it online.” In other words, posting online is releasing a statement publicly.

Do you think we need to enact stricter laws that hold online users accountable? Or do you see the internet as a place of deserved freedom?

In my role as a Social Media Strategist, I often speak to groups of business owners from a variety of different industries, as well as one-on-one with clients who wish to consult with me regarding putting social media to use in their business.

Invariably when I’m out speaking about social media, I will have someone make a statement such as: “This all sounds great, Caroline, but I’m in the ________________________ industry; my customers aren’t on social media!”

Now I’m not going to tell you that I’ve researched every possible industry out there, but I’ve looked at a lot of them.  With Facebook having over 500,000,000 members, it’s likely that there’s someone from every industry imaginable out there.

One day I was meeting with a director of marketing for a large commercial construction firm, and he told me that his customers “were old guys with white hair who don’t hang out on social media.”  I asked him if they did hang out on Google, to which he replied, “of course!”  I explained the connection between social media and search engine optimization, which helped him understand the importance of getting a strategic social media plan in place.

I wish I’d had this video from AARP to share with him about the participation of people 50 years of age and older on social media sites – they’ve done a great job of explaining how customers of every age and every industry are using social media to find the products and services they are looking for:

It’s not about the technology; social media represents a fundamental shift in the way people are communicating, learning, referring, sharing and making buying decisions. If you think your customers aren’t on social media – think again.

Caroline Melberg, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization & Social Media Strategist

On this past Sunday morning at 5a.m. Fox Sports was testing their cameras in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN, to prepare for the Vikings game scheduled for noon that day. After noticing some unusual activity at the top of the Teflon dome, Fox Sports employees decided to keep the cameras rolling – and it’s a good thing they did. The cameras captured the collapse of the Metrodome as the weight of the heavy snow (from a major storm on Saturday) overwhelmingly crashed onto the field, tearing the Teflon fabric of the roof in several areas.

The footage has been all over television since Sunday morning, and even the front page of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune reads “DOWN IT CAME” with a photo of the snow-covered field. However, newspapers and TV newscasts are not the only way that people are seeing the footage;  a few million people have already watched videos of the collapse on YouTube. In just over 24 hours, there are already more than 20 videos posted that show the cave-in on the social media site. Those videos have several million views already, and the numbers are constantly growing. What does this say about social media as a major news source?

“Social media sites, such as YouTube and Facebook, allow online users to instantly find breaking news and important information,” said Chelsea Janke of the Social Media Incubator. “There’s no longer a need to wait to hear the latest headlines because smart phones and similar devices provide immediate answers via the internet. Social media provides real-time information that is effectively changing the way we communicate, and you should definitely use it to your advantage.”