by Kim Niemi

Nigerian princes in need of ransom, $500 Starbucks gift cards, mermaid-eating sharks… The Internet is rife with hoaxes, scams and general BS. Everyone has an opinion, everyone’s an expert, and no one ever confirms things are real before blithely clicking the share button. 

At least urban legends can usually be debunked at Snopes.com. Businesses trying to determine which marketing advice to heed and which social media methods are worth paying for don’t have it nearly as easy.

So how ‘bout we just tell you what you need? 

by Will Viharo

Any business that wants to expand awareness of their services will benefit from combining forces with a product that has a built-in audience. Air New Zealand once again takes their brand boldly where no other airline has gone before, namely Middle-earth. For businesses hesitant about cross-promoting, this is a trip worth taking...

by Lily Bradic

​When something goes viral online, it’s inevitable that brands and businesses across the globe will try to get involved. And, while this seems like a good idea in theory, it usually ends up going wrong. Here are five reasons to seriously reconsider jumping on the next bandwagon that passes through your Twitter feed:

by Geoff Gillette

In a bid to make people feel as though they have a communications lifeline during even the most stressful of situations, Facebook recently announced a new service called Safety Check. 

First thought of by engineers in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the new service will serve as a means for Facebook users to let friends and family know they’re ok after a disaster situation and connect with other affected individuals. 

According to the Facebook news article, the app will be available for Android, iOS, feature phones and desktop.

Sounds like a good idea, right? Well, sort of.

by Cris Yeager

We are counting down to Halloween with 30 ways we can scare up traffic for your brand. This is what you might have missed this week!

By Mary C Long 

I am usually the first one to point out when Facebook goes off the rails or just does something
pointless and stupid. So to be fair to the big enchilada of social media, I have to give it some props for making a move in the right direction and doing its best to get rid of link-baiting.

by Will Viharo

Ever wonder why hardly anyone seems to be responding to your emails or opening your newsletters, or worse, dropping off your lists? Don't take it personally. Give it professionally. It could be because your subject line is losing them before you even have a chance to share your message. How do you keep your first impression from being your last?

By Geoff Gillette

The leaking of nude photos isn’t exactly something new. Starlets in Hollywood in the Golden Age had to deal with boudoir photos ending up decorating walls and lockers they were never meant to see. But in the digital age, that issue has extended to literally each and every person with an Internet connection and an adventurous side (or lack of common sense).

Only two months ago, Hollywood was in an uproar over the release of hundreds of nude pics of female stars, which came to be known as “The Fappening.” For every person yelling at the invasion of privacy there were two more tongues wagging and saying, “Hey, they shouldn’t have taken nude photos.” But now there’s another leak of photos, from the "Now you see ‘em, now you don’t" app Snapchat and most of the victims are just plain people…who snapchatted naked photos of themselves.

And that's who Snapchat is blaming.