Image by Connie Reece. Why punish me? Well, opinionated bloggers tend to ruffle a few feathers along the way. What better way to help my good friend Mark Horvath fight homelessness through InvisiblePeople.tv , and get a $10,000 matching grant from the Pierce Foundation than to give my “frenemies&# a chance to get even! Feel like I’ve give you too much grief about your product or content? Did I unfairly shut you down in a conversation or tell you to go pound sand? Perhaps you just think I’m a bit too snarky for my own good? Or maybe I really pissed you off! GET EVEN ! Cause MORE >>

On Inside PR this week, Joe Thornley , Martin Waxman , and I chat about Rupert Murdoch’s appearance before Parliament. What started the conversation was a really interesting blog post from Jeff Jarvis called “ PR and Corruption Theater.&#. Side note: I totally have a crush on Jarvis. It started when I read “ What Would Google Do. &# It’s only increased since reading his blog consistently. But I’m finally willing to admit it publicly after he went off on Washington about the debt ceiling. Back to Murdoch. Was James coached to be a parody of a droning MBA? MORE >>

So Google has launched its first foray into social networking with the launch of Google+. Or has it? This may be somewhat of a conspiracy theory, but a few of us here at FreshNetworks were questioning whether Google+ is about social networking at all, or if it’s about something else…namely, changing the future of search engine marketing (SEM). Think about point number 2 of Google’s “10 things&# manifesto: ‘It’s best to do one thing really, really well. We do search. Think about this. your website. Tweet This! Share this on Facebook. Share this on del.icio.us. MORE >>

If you know me at all well, then you know I have a master’s degree in conflict resolution. got it twenty years ago and have been using it professionally ever since. I’ve done lots of work on conflict in organizational settings, and early in my career I was working with people in areas of ethnic conflict, like Cyprus. One of the main insights from the conflict resolution field is the idea that conflict is a natural part of every living system. Conflict is actually required for creativity and growth and development. So what does this have to do with social media and organizations? MORE >>

One of the most fascinating aspects about the launch of Google+ is the way it reframes how we, as individuals, interact with our communities. As Brian Solis so rightly points out , the initial Facebook model of creating a single social graph of up to 5000 friends must now be compared to a series of what Google+ calls ‘circles’ that expand and contract as we pass through various life stages, jobs, relationships and experiences in our lives. This contrast is very instructive as to the future, and is particularly important for brands trying to engage with their customer communities. MORE >>