TECHIPEDIA — Over the past two years or so, social media’s increased popularity has really done something for those assuming that it’s all a "get rich quick" opportunity. The widespread adoption of social media has caused for hordes of "experts" to suddenly come into town assuming that they can totally own this niche. These new "Internet Marketers" take Twitter by storm, using automated Twitter tools in abundance that give them the true appearance of expertise. They are no-name people who all of the sudden have 22,000 followers while following 23,000, but that doesn’t matter because a newbie trying to market his business sees this 5 digit number and gets excited about the opportunities to reach so many people so quickly. It’s a Utopian mindset but one that clueless business owners step into after following an "expert" and hiring him for services...

IMEDIA CONNECTION — It's a debate that likely rages on behind the closed doors of brand marketers on a regular basis, and it's likely the source of a lot of second guessing, and perhaps even regret from time to time. We've witnessed it ourselves on many occasions, and here's what we generally say to our clients...

INSIDE FACEBOOK — Context Optional acquired unwrap inc., maker of Facebook application platform Buzzeo, today in an effort to continue the development of its Page management offerings. The Palo Alto-based Buzzeo created a service for creating, managing and launching a variety of Facebook applications, primarily for e-commerce but also polls, product listings and others. The two companies noted in separate press releases that Buzzeo and Context Optional’s Social Marketing Suite are a "natural compliment" to each other...

FORRESTER RESEARCH — With social media getting so much attention in the industry, it's not surprising that there's been a massive land grab by agencies of all shapes and sizes. Agencies recognize the tranformative nature of social technologies and with nearly $1 billion in social media budgets already forecasted for 2010, it's no surprise that agencies are trying to get a jump on the expertise. This creates a lot of confusion for interactive marketers. So much so that a few agency folks actually got together recently to write a joint blog post to point out how they differ ("co-opetition"). Yet each type of agency comes at social media with a distinct strong suit. For instance...

OUTSPOKEN MEDIA — Confession time: I have a really hard time getting started. There’s just something about those awkward first steps that makes me delay projects as long as I possibly can. For example, last month I finally fixed the check engine light in my car so that I could get it inspected. It was actually pretty excited since the light had been on since October. Of 2008. I wish I was kidding. It’s not that I’m irresponsible, that I don’t value my safety or even that I didn’t know I was potentially creating a bigger problem – it’s that taking the first step and committing to something is scary. And it’s especially scary if you don’t know where to start. Because the not knowing makes you feel dumb. And no one likes to feel dumb. If you’re a business owner feeling like everyone around you is already fully immersed in social media and ‘getting it’, it’s intimidating to take those first steps or even ask for help. How do you hire a social media company when you’re not versed in it?...