Google has come a long way since it started as a research project in 1996, and it may only be just getting started. The company posted a video and timeline that highlight the evolution of Google and hint at what to expect from the search engine giant in the future.

via The Evolution of Google Search in Six Minutes.

Who’s using YouTube?   Businesses—lots of them. Is yours?
In my October social media column in the Durham Business Times, I suggest plenty of ways to make this fast-growing marketing tool work for your business. But seeing is believing.

Consider these viral video successes. The Old Spice Guy’s rich “Hello, Ladies.” Home Depot’s easy how-to’s. T-Mobile’s “Welcome Home” flash mob. You’re probably familiar with at least one of these runaway hits.

But not every great application needs a big business budget. Right here in Durham, the Bowmanville Zoo uses YouTube to provide an intimate, bars-free visit with some of their beautiful but dangerous critters.

So let’s put our heads together. Has your organization found a creative or effective use for social media video? Post the link here. Have you seen great examples on the web? Share them with us. Comment on why they work. Let’s see how many outstanding videos we can post.

On October 15, I’ll do a random draw from everyone who shared a link. One lucky winner will win a free ticket to the social marketing webinar of his or her choice ($50 value.) The winner will be announced in my November social media column which explains how to incorporate and optimize your company’s videos.

Have you seen great examples on the web? Share them with us. Comment on why they work. Let’s see how many outstanding videos we can post.

My coaching clients and those who listen to me speak about social media have heard me say over and over again not to trust technology — ever. I caution people that although the delete button may appear to delete the information you’ve typed, it’s no guarantee no one will see it or for that matter that the information won’t be archived somewhere.  With that said,  I was very surprised recently how many posts I chose to delete when I upgraded to the new Facebook’s new timeline which is about to be imposed on everyone.

Timelines is just one of the many things announced in their F8 update and you’ll want to actively participate in.  I have many concerns, and just found a post which summarizes the problems and tells you how to protect yourself. It’s called 3 Fights to Expect When You Get the New Timeline.

Click here to join me on Google+.

You’ve always been subscribed to friends. Now you can hear from journalists, celebrities, political figures and other people too even if you’re not friends. It’s easy, just click the Subscribe button on someone’s profile to get their public updates in your News Feed.   For each person, you could hide all game stories, see just photos, limit updates to life events and more.

To  enable readers to subscribe to you, go to: https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe.

Did you know that one out of every five hiring managers in the U.S. agree they have hired a candidate BECAUSE of their volunteer work experience?

Would someone’s volunteer experience sway you when hiring?

I came across this amazing infographic yesterday and had to share it with everyone…

via The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic (NOT A FAD!).