What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a social sharing site that helps you organize and share the beautiful things you find on the web– a more visual way to bookmark things you’re interested in. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. You can also browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

How can Pinterest help a book publisher or author? (more…)

Ad agencies, staffed with creative geniuses and social media experts, better have a darn good social media presence themselves. Here are some of the best tweets from the last 24 hours on my ad agency Twitter list. (more…)

Book publishers vary widely in their use of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest, according to research Blogads assembled in advance of its February 15 Social Media Week panel, “Innovative ways to build community around books.”

Many publishers have adopted Twitter and Facebook, with Randomhouse dominating the former and Scholastic big on the latter. Only a small handful of publishers have started using the other growing social platforms of the moment, with three publishers Pinterest, the photo curation service popular with women, and five using Tumblr.


(more…)

via Google Trends

Remember the first infographic you saw? You probably didn’t call it an infographic then. It was just a subway map. Or a chart in USA Today. But something happened at the end of the last decade, and now all images with some sort of data is called an infographic, and suddenly infographics are everywhere.

As with any trend, there are detractors of infographics, and as the popularity of the medium skyrocketed at the end of 2011, so did anti-infographic sentiment. (more…)

Shortly after the announcement of Kim Jong Il’s death, the 2004 film Team America became a trending topic on Twitter. But Team America, which features a lonely Kim Jon Il marionette, is not the only film being referenced on Twitter today.

Dozens of Twitter users are also comparing Kim Jong Il to the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, tweeting out variations on “Ding Dong” and “The Witch is Dead.” Here are a dozen tweets from the #dingdong trend that wasn’t:

1. Ding Dong! | RT @W7VOA “DPRK: Kim Jong il dead.”

   — Adam Baldwin (@adamsbaldwin) December 19, 2011

2. ding jong the witch is dead! which old witch? the wicked witch!

   — Jonathan Morton S. (@jonny_morton_s) December 19, 2011

3. Has anyone done the “Kim Jong, the witch is dead” joke yet?

   — Doug Robertson (@flumcake) December 19, 2011

4. Has anyone done the “Kim Jong, the witch is dead” joke yet?

   — Doug Robertson (@flumcake) December 19, 2011

5. Kim Jong, the witch is dead.

   — Chris Heath (@chrisheatho) December 19, 2011

6. ‘Ding djong the witch is dead’ …. Look it’s still early, it’s the best Cad could come up with OK!

   — English Cad (@englishcad) December 19, 2011

7. ‘Ding djong the witch is dead’ …. Look it’s still early, it’s the best Cad could come up with OK!

   — English Cad (@englishcad) December 19, 2011

8. “Ding Dong, the witch is dead” – Someone in North Korea telling their neighbor about Kim Jong Il’s death

   — Ross Everett (@TheRossEverett) December 19, 2011

9. #kimjongilfacts The North Korean dictator appeared in the Wizard of Oz. Kim Jong! the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead…

   — Colin Maxwell (@camaxwell) December 19, 2011

10. Kim Jong The witch is dead. Follow the yellow stiff troll.

    — Cigars Andscotch (@cigarsNscotch) December 19, 2011

11. Kim Jong the witch is dead, which ole’ witch. The wicked witch!! Now comes the even crazier son.. I mean.. WITCH!

    — Mark Fairchild(@ParanormalGeek9) December 19, 2011

12. Ding Jong, the witch is dead.

    — Gus Ramsey (@GusRamsey) December 19, 2011

What does your Twitter description say about yourself? With over 100 million people promoting themselves on Twitter, it can be tricky to find the word or phrase that tells your potential followers how original you are.

Is your Twitter description falling a little too far into the Cliché column? Consult the Twitter Description Text Originality Index and then try out something more Chic!

Not sure if your Twitter description is en vogue? Try a keyword search on Twiangulate.com and find out how original you are.

The creep stalks Team Blogads.

The director of Take This Lollipop is just having a little fun, folks. Just in time for Halloween, TV director Jason Zada has created a very creeptastic interactive film about a Facebook stalker — and YOU. (more…)

We have a SUXORZ in progress!

Dr. Pepper has just rolled out its newest Facbeook campaign, touting the Manliness of its new diet drink, Dr. Pepper 10.

One problem: It’s telling over half of its potential audience that the beverage isn’t for them. Former Dr. Pepper fans are posting their outrage to Dr. Pepper’s wall, and so far, the soda company is not responding. Meanwhile, those who have posted their complaints are being berated and belittled by Dr. Pepper enthusiasts. Can this be good for the brand?

UPDATE 10/13 9AM EST – More evidence of post deleting.
(more…)

Some of us feel like music is innately social, and have welcomed the recent marriage of Spotify and Facebook. Others don’t give a flying flip about what our friends are listening to, and have no intention of ever signing up for Spotify and listening to the new Wilco album. Or whatever else our friends like these days.

For those of us in the latter category, there’s an easy way to hide Spotify updates from your ticker, as well as your news feed, so you can get back to seeing more of the likes and comments you’ve grown to love.

Here’s how to hide Spotify updates in 3 easy steps. (more…)

Social media and the web have allowed disparate voices from all walks of life meeting on a level playing field to discuss common interests and concerns. Unfortunately, much of this conversation conversation happens anonymously, and people sometimes talk past each other. For the 10th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Channel and GMD Studios invite you to join a discussion group in  “September 11: Conversations”. Each group will contain a limited number of participants (around 20 per group) from different areas of the country who agree to participate for two weeks, and will strive to achieve the natural give-and-take of real life conversation.