1. The Martini Shaker- Written by Jeremy Fuksa, contains random and quirky blog posts sure to keep your interest. Check it out!
2. The Ad Feed- Is the brainchild of a guy named Travis. The site showcases some pretty incredible advertising stuff, so check it out. You can also find Travis on Twitter.
3. Ad Rants-  Taken from it’s website: “Written by current and former industry practitioners, it provides insightful, informed, experiential, no holds barred commentary on the state of the advertising and media industries.” You can also follow Ad Rants on Twitter.
4. AdFreak- Great collection of creative and weird advertisements as seen in the media. You can also follow AdFreak on Twitter.
5. Adverblog- Interactive marketing and media-focused blog written by Martina Zavagno. You can follow Martina on Twitter here.

If I told you that my business plan consisted of going to the local pub every day, having a few beers, and shooting pool, you probably would not have much confidence in that plan. I could argue, “It’s not about selling. It’s about building relationships.” People seem to approach “social media” the same way. To anyone in that category, I have to ask the following question: are you in business to make money or make friends? If you’re in business just to make friends, I say you’re not in business at all.

If you have no plan for monetizing your social media efforts, and you have no way to track the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of that plan over time, then you’re not using social media for business. You’re just using it in a purely social way. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with this. However, I will say that it would benefit you to know which category you fall into.

What does a social media business plan look like? Compare it to a traditional sales plan. When I sold kitchen knives in 2002, it was spelled out for us very clearly. The ideal sale was a set of knives. The company had sets priced anywhere from $200 to $2,000. The company average closing ratio was 65%. We were trained on how to set goals every week and work the numbers to figure out what we had to do in order to accomplish those goals. For every X number of times we dialed the phone, 1 person would answer. For every X number of people we talked to, 1 would set an appointment. For every X number of appointments, we’d get 1 sale. The company average sale was X dollars (I don’t remember the actual number any more). The bottom line: based on the averages, we had to figure out how many times we needed to dial the phone in order to produce the number of needed sales to meet our goals.

A social media plan doesn’t involve dialing the phone necessarily, but it should ideally include a daily set of activities and expected results.

Do you use social media for business or just for fun?

1. Don’t Know Your Job- These types of bosses are the ones who are sort of out of touch with reality- the ones who tell their employees that they need to do everything (usually because their boss is simply clueless him or herself!)
2. Don’t Listen- This is a popular one. I can remember attending several meetings with my “superiors” in which they were more interested in sending text messages, emails and checking their Blackberries than they were actually interested in the conversations going on around them at the meeting! It would behoove you to pay attention to what your constituents are saying, this way you are well-informed about what direction your business is heading in.
3. Close-Minded- Part of being successful in the business world means being open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Just because you landed in a successful position based on hard work and other factors doesn’t mean that doing things one way, all of the time will yield the same results. Before shooting down an employee’s idea, set aside your pride and really hear what it is that they have to say.
4. Poor Preparation- Remember when you weren’t listening earlier? Well, now it’s come back to bite you. In a management position, every time you make unexpected changes, start hosting ‘emergency meetings’ or start subpoenaing your employees for last-minute workload dumps, your employees will be able to figure out what is going on pretty quickly. Poor management indicates poor preparation for the unexpected, which translates to your employees as “Start looking for another job QUICK because my boss has no idea what the heck he/she is doing!” Nobody wants to stay on a sinking ship, so get it together before there’s a mutiny.
5. Not Building Skills- As a manager, part of your job description entails encouraging your employees to broaden their outlook, push them beyond their comfort zones (but not too much), exemplify corporate values and focus on learning and advancing. No one likes to have a micro manager as a boss; but then again, no one likes to have a boss that is so hands-off, that your employees start to wonder whether or not they even work for someone.

1. Copyranter-Great blog that focuses on advertising, communications and other forms of media.
2. Movie Marketing Madness-Written by Chris Thilk, this blog has everything to do with movies, marketing and advertising. You can also follow Chris on Twitter.
3. Junk Food Blog- If you can spare the time, this is a great site to check out. Who knows, it may curb your appetite, although I doubt it…
4. Relevant Noise-Is a site devoted to examining other blogs for quality of content as well as other blog-related topics of interest.
5. Gimme Your Stuff-A neat sort of cultural exchange blog where users “swap items of significance to your area with items from others around the world”.

1. Text Google- Send Google a short message service (SMS) text message by punching in GOOGL (46645) to look up what you need. For instance, if you wanted to look up a specific chain of restaurants to see if there are any in the area, simply type in the name of the restaurant and the zip code and hit ’send’. In return, Google will send you a couple of local listings. [source]
2. Emergencies- In case of an emergency, the number to call isn’t always 9-1-1. In fact, the emergency number worldwide for a cell phone is 1-1-2. So, if you find yourself in an unfamiliar area, dial 1-1-2. This supposedly works even if your keypad is locked; but only try it out when there is an actual emergency. [source]
3. Locked Out of Your Car? Aside from this really sucking- you no longer have to wait to call the police to slim jim your car door open. Instead, if you have your cell phone handy and have the number of someone who can get to your spare set of keys (everyone should have a spare set), instruct the person on the other end of the line to hold your keys to the cell phone and hit the ‘unlock’ button. In the meantime, take your cell phone and hold it approximately 1 foot from your car door. Your car WILL unlock!! Obviously, you have to have keys that are compatible for remote lock/unlocking mechanisms. [source]
4. Low Battery Life- If you are on a long trip or are somewhere where you wish that you had charged your cell phone because now it’s dying, no worries. Simply punch in: *3370# on your cell phone. Shortly afterwards, your cell phone will restart, and you will notice a 50 percent increase in the battery life from before. This should be more than enough juice to tide you over until you are able to find your charger and plug it in. [source]
5. The 4-1-1- Every time you dial 4-1-1- on your phone, you are charged a fee on your phone bill. Yep, it’s true. However, you can avoid this extra cost by dialing 1.800.GOOG.411. This clip will show you how easy it is. [source]

Please Visit: Purple Glove Dance

1. Make the Logo Bigger (MTLB)-Written by Bill Green, this blog is both witty and interesting, focusing on the advertising and marketing industry. You can also follow Bill on Twitter.
2. Trend Hunter-Really neat site where you can keep up with the latest celeb gossip while also keeping an eye on what’s cool versus what’s not. You can also follow TrendHunter on Twitter.
3. Notcot.org- Founded by Jean Aw, if you’ve got some spare time and want to see some random imagery, be sure to stop by this site. You can also follow notcot.org on Twitter.
4. Ectoplasmosis- Is a site that focuses on fringe art, culture and advertising.
5. The Toad Stool- Written by Alan Wolk, this blog deals with advertising, communications and digital marketing.