Many businesses hear about the advantages of social media in terms of marketing their products or services, but some forget to look at other major benefits of social media beyond finding leads or making a sale. Here are eight ways that businesses can use social media to learn more about themselves and their industry as well as get more involved with their clients and communities interested in what they have to offer. Social Mention. One great way to use social media is for customer service. Social media can be a great research tool. MORE >>

From fans to followers, brands are actively working to engage their current and future customers via social media — and online reputation management is quickly becoming a vital part of doing business. Social media monitoring helps brands discover, in real time, who is saying what online and where the conversations are happening so they can respond in a timely fashion. Businesses also need to measure, analyze, and report on their social media efforts. Klout tracks the impact of your opinions, links and recommendations across your social graph. MORE >>

took three classes she taught, including one where we studied Oedipus Rex and the difference between seeing and perceiving, which has widespread business and social media implications. Stayed at a new (to me) hotel. When they finished their duties each day, they left the carts in place, like a mobile hobo camp. Note: A hotel PR representative reached out to me on Twitter when I checked in at the hotel via my Tumblr travelogue, and evidently contacted the General Manager about some of my difficulties – which I had relayed through direct message. MORE >>

good time to reflect on how and why mobile is impacting this  season like no other channel. Based on the massive response to mobile commerce apps, sites and approaches (as part of a cross-media push) I have to say 2010 will go down as the year that mobile shopping crossed the chasm. PayPal saw mobile shopping jump by nearly 310 percent  on Black Friday. Overall, PayPal reported mobile payment volume increased by approximately 27 percent, compared to Black Friday in 2009. Mobile and social have been traveling on separate paths until now. MORE >>

Many things have changes over this period – I’m older, have travelled a lot more and am now more likely to stay in hotels than camp rough – but the biggest change is the way that social media is helping me do things I could never do back then. On that first trip, I had no mobile phone and not even an email address. Then: Without a mobile phone or email address the only way I could keep people informed was by finding a public phone box and calling home. Social media is changing the way we travel. Image via Wikipedia. Tweet This! MORE >>