Social media is rapidly evolving for sure, and I found this listing of the top 15 social media books for 2010 from Neal Schaffer at WindMill Networking to have some interesting suggestions. While he claims that he typically won’t include books from his list from the previous year, he did include five that were on the 2009 list as they’ve been substantively revised or updated. Schaffer states that “2011 should see a continuation of this as well as an emphasis on metrics, business to business (B2B) social media marketing, the continued growth of location-based services, and a growing interest and investment into mobile social media integration. Not to mention the ever-growing importance of social strategy.”

His site indicates he’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal as well as a number of other well-known media, so it may be worth checking out for some new reads! http://windmillnetworking.com/blog/----escape_autolink_uri:a3bc73abc8264ab1bcedadcd39aa4032----

Best wishes for a fabulously prosperous and happy 2011!

http://on.fb.me/c7ZORW

Here’s a snip from her posting with its link to the Web source:

What are your thoughts on Facebook being in the major news about privacy breaches… again??!!! Some of the TOP third party app developers (like Zynga!) are in *breach* of Facebook’s terms, and Facebook didn’t know?? Very strange. Our Facebook IDs are being passed to giant ad networks, but Facebook say it’s no big deal really cuz anyone can find out our unique IDs anyway, regardless of privacy settings. Fair enough. But something is just not right.

Facebook Privacy Breach: Users’ Info Leaked To Advertising, Tracking Firms (REPORT)

www.huffingtonpost.com

‎(AP/HUFFINGTON POST) NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 10 popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users’ personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. The newspaper said Monday that the breach also includes users who set a…

Here’s a link to an interesting content grid/graphic from Eloqua.com: http://bit.ly/czcccS

It illustrates both centralized and decentralized communications and categorizes them by whether they create/contribute to awareness or consideration while also identifying type, channel, two-way channel, or data rich.  As with all communications about your product or service, it’s critical to be clear about not only your objective but the means and language you use to convey it so that you’re differentiating yourself and using language and messaging that is appropriate for your prospective clients. And, as always, remember it’s not just about the words–it’s also spelling them right and punctuating them correctly, too, so you don’t disable your message regardless of the channel!

Eloqua’s Grand Guide premise is simple: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Instead, help marketers overcome one challenge at a time.

The legendary Ruth Reichl recently wrote a great post entitled “The Meaning of Ludo’s” in which she talks about her experience with the sought-after LudoBites, which transcends the typical excitement associated with a new dining opportunity as it has no fixed location. As the theater and romance of restaurants has always intrigued me and working with clients in the foodservice industry has long been a love of mine, this entirely different perspective on what makes a restaurant a “go-to” has a new level of intrigue.

The success of LudoBites shows that it is often not just about the decor, the setting, the food, table linens, service–as this restaurant picks new locations and on the night Reichl visited it was inhabiting what she described as “a little sandwich shop in a grungy part of town – it is the ultimate statement about the supremacy of food over ambiance.” Read more here:

According to Facebook, “Starting today people will be able to connect with your Page by clicking “Like” rather than “Become a Fan.” We hope this action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site.”

Please note that this may also impact the language in some of your marketing materials where you may have invited prospective followers to become “Fans.”

Thursday, 4/15, is the last day to secure an early-bird, half-off rate seat at the online Social Media Success Summit 2010 (which includes the legendary Guy Kawasaki as the keynote presenter!). See http://bit.ly/bFrZ9w The event organizers have now added an additional $797 worth of giveaways for those who register by Thursday in addition to the 50% discount. These include high-value videos courses, e-books, and classes that the summit presenters actually sell in their own successful businesses. You can also get a free gift entitled “How to Grow and Engage an Audience on Twitter” (valued at $42) just for checking out the summit.

More than 1,100 of your peers have already signed up, including GE, Intel, Staples, Electronic Arts, Lowes, Eastman Kodak, NCR, Harvard Business School, Thomson Reuters, Liberty Mutual, American Express, and hundreds of smaller businesses.

I signed up for this as soon as I found out about it, and the two free introductory Webinars some of the same experts presented were extraordinary. As I already participated in one of founder Michael Stelzner’s other online summits and found that it far, far exceeded expectations, I’m genuinely thrilled about this one! This summit is ideal for creatives and client-side participants who want (or need!) to learn more from the world’s top experts about social media for now and in the future—and the cool thing is that if you can’t log in to participate for any of the sessions, the content will be available to you online.
Here are some of the topics the summit sessions will cover:

* Effective ways to market your company with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, social bookmarking sites, mobile marketing, and more
* How to track and measure the return on investment for social media programs
* A step-by-step method for creating a smart social media marketing plan
* How to build a loyal social media following
* How to bring more customers into your local business with social media techniques

Go here to see all the sessions http://bit.ly/bFrZ9w

At last year’s summit, 97 percent of attendees said they’d recommend the event to a friend AND attend again! That’s quite an endorsement.

Registrants are also eligible to start participating right away in the special LinkedIn group to start sharing ideas right away. Here’s more info: Social Media Success Summit 2010 http://bit.ly/bFrZ9w is the web’s largest online social media conference. Twenty-four social media gurus will reveal the secrets of their success at Social Media Success Summit 2010. The all-star lineup of presenters includes bestselling authors Guy Kawasaki (Art of the Start), Chris Brogan (Social Media 101), Darren Rowse (ProBlogger), Mari Smith (Facebook Marketing), Greg Jarboe (YouTube and Video Marketing), Kim Dushinski (Mobile Marketing Handbook) and Lewis Howes (LinkedWorking: Generating Success on LinkedIn). You’ll also hear from social media pros at companies such as Home Depot, Best Buy, Whole Foods, Domino’s Pizza, Edelman PR, Foursquare, and Groupon. They’ll tell how they use social media tactics to help THEIR organizations beat the competition.

Check the bios on these folks here: http://bit.ly/bFrZ9w

Here’s a link to some fabulous (FREE!) content from some of the world’s top social media pros with the first six included below.

Click through to for the rest!

A show that promises to be great for foodies and restaurateurs with a focus on local food and food rivalries premieres tonight, March 9, on the Travel Channel: Food Wars @food_wars on Twitter. This may be ideal for local restaurateurs to create a fun, healthy sense of competition in their markets in their areas of specialty! http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Food_Wars

It’s described as follows: “There’s a debate brewing across the
country, and it’s taking place in Everytown, USA, with legions of loyal
fans passionately defending… the local eateries and the iconic dishes
that make their towns famous. From Detroit’s hot dog war — Lafayette’s
vs. American Coney Island’s — to one of the most famous battles in the
country — the Philly cheesesteak war between Pat’s and Geno’s — it’s
time to end these rivalries once and for all as Travel Channel presents
Food Wars.

Host Camille Ford, travel enthusiast and lover of all things food, sets
out to find the country’s most celebrated dishes — foods that define
destinations and create local rivalries spanning generations. From
family feuds to stolen recipes to secret ingredients, Food Wars pits
the nation’s most famous culinary rivals against one another for a
final showdown, where a blind taste test will settle the debate: Who
makes the Best Dish in Town?”