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This post is all about ideas that will help you create good blog posts. Most of us know the value of blogging and most of us experience "writer's block" at one time or another. So, when I read an article recently that offered some ideas about creating blog content, I was so inspired that I had to share some of the ideas. To be fair, the original content came from someone who writes for Search Engine Watch. Following are 5 easy ways and ideas about where to go for inspiration to write blog posts.

Social media is sales game-changer. In B2B selling, LinkedIn (LI) has emerged as a must-have. Several books have been written about using LI in your sales efforts, and it wouldn’t be difficult to write another one here. Instead, this article focuses specifically on LI and 5 things you can use that will improve your sales.

If you are like me and have a list of friends, family and co-workers using multiple different instant messenger applications (Google Hangouts/Talk, Facebook Chat, Skype chat etc.) the recent move by IMO.im to get rid of all external IM networks will mean you have to find a new solution. IMO at one time was the leader in IM aggregators but, alas, that will be no more within a few days from now. My rather tedious task now is to find a replacement aggregator that will do the trick. Meebo.com was my goto at one time, however it got gobbled up by Google and also is no more. Where to start? To be frank I can't say I've found an answer yet but I thought I'd track my progress for anyone in the same boat - perhaps my efforts will help others too. I've tried most of them Online, Desktop and iPhone wise and can't say I've found the perfect solution yet. The perfect solution for me would be to have an all encompassing web-based version that works for all the main networks across most all devices - perhaps a bit of a pipe dream I know. What I have found might just work for me albeit a bit of a hodge podge combination of multiple options. Here is the solution I am currently trying, keeping in mind the 3 chat networks I need the most are GTalk, Skype and FB Chat: 1) Desktop (Windows 7): the downloadable version of Trillian (for an extra few bucks you can get things like saved history, which seems fair considering it would be nice if at least one of these aggregators was able to survive). 2) iPhone (you can likely replicate this on Android but I'm not 100% sure): For Skype I use the paid version of IM+, for Google Talk I use the Trillian App (the Trillian app doesn't seem to have Skype for some reason) and then for Facebook I just use their "Messenger" app. I use the few different options listed simply because interface and usability are very important to me. Although there are several different options out there, I just never felt completely comfortable with the others. We will see how things go, I'll post an update here in a week or so if I discover anything better, or if I find this new setup I describe works. By the way, 3 cheers for IMO for the great service they did provide while it lasted, I wish them the best of luck with their new endeavors. Have you had any recent successes in this realm you would like to share? [UPDATE] 3/19/14 I have upgraded Trillian to the Pro version for $20 a year. It works well for me overall. I had to move to the Beejive iPhone App for Google Talk which also works well for my needs.

Social media has “a new sheriff in town” called Google +. Google has gotten into the social media space in a huge way recently and in only 3 weeks has amassed about 20 million users. What is it? How is it different from Facebook, LinkedIn and some of the other social networks? Is there a business application for this? How will it affect online marketing activities? There are many questions about Google + and this post is only an intro to this exciting new online network.

Question: Is Web Social technology consuming us, pulling us away from traditional/physical sociology? If so, is this a bad thing?

Social media marketing has so many new and emerging opportunities. One of the most popular these days are the daily deal sites - Groupon and Living Social being the most prominent. However, there are more deal sites popping up all the time targeting more niche spaces. These properties have brought many great deals to consumers, including me, but are they working for the merchants? This post provides some suggestions about how to make one element of social media marketing, the daily deal sites, work financially for the business.

GroupM Search and comScore, two reliable sources of research about online buying behavior, recently released findings of a new study that focused on the impact and search and social media, and the synergy of each channel. The results were quite interesting and may provide insights that could alter your current search and social media strategies. A meaningful excerpt from the study revealed the following:

Much is being written about the success of sites like Groupon and Living Social. A recent blog post expressed concern that these kinds of location-based promotional sites will ultimately lead to merchants competing on price only. An excerpt from the post read as follows:

While social media is still as popular a networking concept as ever, social technologies have developed as a broader approach to leveraging your network for maximum effect. Networking is no longer just about handing out business cards at a work function or tweeting about your daily activities, it’s much more these days. After studying the marketplace and taking inventory of the many online social tools and trends that have emerged recently, we developed a comprehensive process for integrating social technologies into your operation to enhance revenue and dominate your market.