Here I go again: Klout does not equal Clout. And while it may in the future, it certainly does not right now. Yesterday Klout introduced “the new Klout.com.&#. saw a tweet about it, and I can’t remember whose stream it was in, so I went across to check it out. My initial reaction (and it’s also in the comment that I left over on the Klout blog post, since I didn’t think it fair to simply write about it here and not comment there as well) is … that it’s very pretty. But this is important, which is why I’m saying it again. Klout. It’s ridiculous. MORE >>

'A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on the five productivity tools I found myself using frequently. Since times change, and apps/platforms come and go, I thought I’d take a fresh look at how my daily toolkit has changed, and share that with you. Image: gothick_matt via Flickr, CC 2.0. Note that I use Gmail almost exclusively, so if that’s you, you’re in luck. If not, well, you’ll have to see if they work for your particular set up. Without further ado, here are 20 tools to help you grow your business, by keeping you efficient, productive, and in the know. MORE >>

'“Would you like to hang out with me this evening?” ” Indeed, all of you may have been asked this question by your friends and family. But But Google has completely changed the way we “hang out” with our near and dear ones. With the advent of Google+ (G+) multi-party video chats or Hangouts, not only can we now hang out with our friends and family, but, if we like, with the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, or the President of the country. Image:  SatishAcharya  via Google,  CC 3.0. Interesting, isn’t it? And Indian politicians aren’t being left behind. MORE >>

Guest post by Jim Delaney. The sheer volume of social intelligence on the Internet is exploding. Public relations professionals must sift through the millions of status updates, photos, videos, check-ins and other digital breadcrumbs to uncover meaningful, valuable insights and then decipher the best ways to act upon that data. Image: The IBM Curiosity Shop via Flickr, CC 2.0. This year, PR professionals need to learn how to harness the power of big data to listen and engage, or face being left behind. It is surely becoming part of your daily PR research function. So, what is big data ? MORE >>

For the past few months, my friend Ryan has been managing a boutique in a nearby shopping center called Apricot Lane. know 80-90% of the stores in this area are out of my price range and, because they are so expensive, their typical customers are more likely to be women in my mom’s age group. assumed that Apricot Lane was another boutique with clothes for women older than myself. That is… until Ryan started an Instagram for the boutique. She posted photos of the clothes, jewelry, and new items on Instagram. She even posted photos of people I knew modeling the clothes. Please share! MORE >>