A few weeks ago I promised my web and social media predictions for 2012, here they are. I realize these predictions are somewhat narrow and focus, and if I had more time, and perhaps, more of my thoughts written down as they came to me, earlier this year, I could have expanded out my predictions [.]. Predictions 2012 2012 predictions Recorded Future MORE >>

Provide quality content Provide useful content Update your website often Ask questions Use keywords Share on social networking sites Offer a free newsletter to your visitors Submit articles to directories Answer comments and visit other websites/blogs Add a link to your website in your signature Be patient Related Posts: How do you measure the success. Branding For Independent Artists Great Resources Tips advice marketing Promotion tips traffic website MORE >>

My colleague and brilliant marketer, Tara Coomans, created an open playlist on the music sharing service Spotify, and has invited anyone to help beef up the party mix for our annual Hawaii Social Media Year in Review partee. Yes, of course you are invited! But about the Spotify Playlist: Great idea! thought. But it is easier said than done. So here is a quick cheat sheet. Of course, you will require a Spotify account before you can add any songs to the playlist. Visit Spotify and set up your account. Then navigate to Tara’s playlist. Subscribe to the SMCHI Playlist. Share/Bookmark. MORE >>

What does the evolution of a successful community look like?    Lets use the  East Dulwich online community  as an example.    The community launched in July 2006 as a place for residents to gossip and make recommendations/requests. This is how it looked after 3 months.    After 3 months the community had 97 posts. That's around 1 - 2 posts per day. This isn't unusual for this stage.    Note how the community launched with a tiny number of categories.     After 6 months. This is a little misleading. Seriously. MORE >>

Mitt Romney learned a hard lesson during the Iowa GOP Candidates Debate on December 10, 2011. We’ve always known that journalists are looking for quotes and sound bites every time major candidates take the stage. Today, social media acts to not only amplify the sound bites, but also to give journalists a way to gauge public sentiment about what is being said. Romney tried to make a bet with Rick Perry: Immediately, Twitter and other social networks started buzzing about it. Amplification. Every major campaign seems to understand the importance of political social media. Obama knows this. MORE >>