Bour is a highly unemployable entrepreneur who three years ago saw his 30-year career disintegrate. Real estate, mortgages, financial services and a weekly radio show all disappeared within months and he had no idea what to do. Over the past three years he developed training and educational programs in partnership with SBA, SCORE, local cities and chambers of commerce, all geared towards helping businesses identify their challenges and reinvent themselves as he had to do. He has experienced some successes and many failures which motivated him to write his book, “Success at Any Age: The Baby Boomer’s (and Gen Y) Guide to becoming an Overnight Success” as a way of sharing some of those experiences. Writing the Guide brought a whole new set of revelations and even though the book is focused on Boomers it speaks to the Generation X and Generation Ys out there and shows how we can all work with each other’s strengths. With the Power of 72 million Boomers and 80 Million Gen Ys, can we become a NEW economic powerhouse? The answer is yes and the goal is a Two-Year Plan of Success; a new Economic Paradigm.

The Bookend Generations; The Boomers and the Millennials, have much more in common that they realize and the outcome is Entrepreneurial Incubators: Paving the way to Economic Recovery, Bour’s new book, which is currently available as a pre-release, and will officially launch on May 1. The book will be available through Amazon and Boomer Success Guide.

6 Questions on Social Media With Norm Bour

1. How did you get your start in the industry?

I started in real estate when I was 26 and thought I would Rule the World long before the movie Titanic became such a hit. I was full of confidence (too much), energy and motivation and I hit the ground in 1981 when the Prime Rate topped out at 20.5%. I got a quick lesson in what it meant to be “self-employed” (we didn’t used the word ‘entrepreneur’ as much back then) and over the following three decades I lost my love for real estate, started a mortgage company, hosted a radio show and many other things on top of all those. I was always a restless spirit and always looked for “more.” That is great when you are in your thirties and forties, but when you cross over the half-century mark things change; You cannot afford to take needless risk since you have less time to make up for failures. I have had my share and have recovered from all, so I wrote the book to motivate and inspire other Boomers to Never Give Up.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing your industry?

Not sure what industry is not challenged these days, and as a business strategist I find the biggest challenge is breaking people free of their old mindset. During my presentations I share that anyone that is following the “Book of Rules” printed before 2005 is wasting their time and in today’s world there are NO rules. That is easier for the younger generation (especially the Gen Ys) to embrace since they do not need to UN-learn anything- they just need to ‘do.’

3. What is the method to your blogging success? What inspires your blogs?

As a confession, I am not an expert blogger, but I have been a good writer. I have written for the AOL-owned PATCH for the past year and contribute articles for three different cities. Now that I have written my own book and will control my own site and blog, I need to learn (adapt) myself. I am fortunate that I teamed with my former partner who teaches social media, so I defer the technical end to him while I write and speak.

4. What do you think is the future of social media?

If I knew the exact answer I’d be a very wealthy man, but the world of social media changes so quickly that it is approaching the Speed of Light. Not a week goes by that not another new site emerges and some die almost as quickly. Social media is great if someone undertakes it as a hobby or passion, the challenge is: “How do you monetize it?” If brilliant minds can answer that question then the future is unlimited. There are also different aspects if you are a user compared to an Initiator.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?

Three things I preach continually:

1. Do your research before you undertake anything, since it is very easy to get wrapped up in your own emotions and your emotional connection to your brilliant idea. There is no lack of data or information out there, so explore it, but don’t get wrapped up in it.

2. Seek objective advice. Do not ask those who support your every whim, nor all the naysayers who preach defeatism. Find those that can tell you if your project makes sense (or not), and WHY and how to improve it.

3. Find a mentor. There is brilliance all around you so don’t let your ego dictate your failure. There are many that have been down your road or roads are taking or wish to take, so let them share with you the obstacles in your way.

6. Where can we find you on the web/on Twitter/Facebook/etc.?

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

We are very much in pre-launch now and generating media reviews and speaking engagements which fuel book sales. More will be added over the next several weeks.

Via Flickr/Sophistechate

It was 9 a.m. on December 2, 2009 when I heard the frantic knocking at the front door. My grandfather was pacing on the front porch.

“Is your mother home yet? She’ll be here shortly. Have you heard from her?” he asked me.

“No. Why? What’s wrong?”

He wouldn’t answer me. He just came in the house and paced around the dining room with his hands in his pockets for ten minutes until my mom came home.

“You better sit down,” she told me.

Obviously, I thought someone died.

She handed me a lottery ticket that my grandfather had purchased that morning. A scratch-off with Santa’s large, cheerful face beaming from the top.

For as long as I can remember, my grandfather has played the lottery every single day, frequently hitting between $5 and $500 on a regular basis.

The number 19 had been matched to the winning numbers, the prize revealed.

$1 Mil.

The next five hours went by in a blur. The ticket was verified. My father was called home from work. My mother’s siblings were notified. My siblings were notified. Lawyers and financial advisors were called. We made the decision that we weren’t going to tell anyone because we didn’t want people to see us differently. Having no clue how to manage his own finances, my grandfather made the decision to gift the ticket to my mother. She would have to cash it in her name, but that would allow her to manage it for him.

The first fight broke out that very night when my cousin, who is kind of a snake, said that it wasn’t fair that my mom got to control the money. She vehemently disagreed with my grandfather’s wishes to have my mom manage his finances (though mom had been doing it for years anyway).

Via deegolden/morgueFile

A winning ticket with a sum that large has to be cashed at the state lottery commission building, and the decision was made to make that trip the next day (upon the advice of our lawyer). I was left in charge of the ticket for the night. After burying it in my tank top drawer (sock drawers are too obvious), I tried to sleep, but the adrenaline of the day caused me to wake up every hour, convinced someone was going to break into the house and kill us for that ticket.

You’d be surprised at how fast complete paranoia sets in when you’ve got a piece of cardstock worth a million dollars hanging out amidst your summer wardrobe.

At the lottery commission, we went through all of the hoopla involved in cashing this thing. I could breathe easier when it was out of my hands (and my purse, and my tank top drawer…).

FYI: Lottery winnings have the absolute crap taxed out of them. If you ever win a million, expect that you’ll see about $650,000. That still a good chunk of change, but it doesn’t make you a millionaire.

We declined to have our picture taken with one of those oversized checks.

“We’re trying to stay anonymous. We don’t want word getting out,” my mom explained to the woman handling our paperwork.

“Your name will still appear as a winner on our website, but someone would have to go searching for it to find out,” we were assured. She neglected to mention that local media outlets all over the state apparently camp out on their website.

We were told that we could expect to receive the money in several months, and we were sent on our way.

For about three weeks we continued living life as we always had. Then one Saturday morning, my mom frantically woke me from a (finally!) peaceful slumber.

“Get up. The news found out.”

My heart sank. It had been published in the newspaper as soon as my mom’s name hit the lottery website. They wrote an entire story about us, saying that we had declined to comment. I was unemployed and home all the time. No one had ever tried to reach us for comment. No one had asked us whether we were comfortable with airing our finances to the whole region.

Such is the nature of the media.

There was an angry message on our answering machine from my dad’s sister. “We didn’t know you guys were millionaires. Thanks for letting us know.”

I called her back, trying to explain the circumstances while other calls came in.

An old high school boyfriend of my mother’s showed up at her work that day – totally by coincidence – with his son.

“Hey, don’t you have a daughter who is about my son’s age? Maybe they should go out on a date.”

FYI: After you win the lottery, every weirdo you have ever known will come out of the woodwork and try to see what they can get from you. They might get belligerent. I 100% promise you this will happen.

This is what it was like for the next several months. Any time we were out in public and we had to put our name on anything, someone would say, “Hey, you’re the millionaires!”

And if they didn’t, you were always kind of worried that they would.

FYI: After you win the lottery, you desperately seek anonymity. 

Via mconnors/morgueFile

Once the money came, my mother was as transparent as she could be, but it didn’t prevent more fighting with family members. It didn’t prevent hurt feelings or people making wild assumptions that we were all going to quit our jobs or move into some fancy house. We all live in the same houses we always did. We drive Hondas.

The biggest change? My grandfather made some upgrades to his 300 year old house. His front porch is no longer cracked, his windows no longer drafty, his electrical wiring no longer considered a fire hazard, and the paint on his house no longer peeling. That eats up quite a bit of money.

He also operates a farm, meaning he made very little money before and it wasn’t always enough to cover his farming expenses. He was in quite a bit of debt that he’s been able to pay off.

About a month ago, the local newspaper called to see if we wanted to provide a statement on how winning the lottery has changed our lives.

We ignored the call because … it hasn’t. We still pinch pennies and worry about bills being paid on time.

While our winnings were much smaller, I still feel uniquely qualified to leave you with some advice.

If you win the $640 Million Mega Millions Jackpot, Be Prepared…

• Doing your taxes for 2012 will be a nightmare. Seriously. A nightmare. Get a killer CPA.
• You’ll find very few people who are understanding about your decisions. There will be fights, bad blood, hurt feelings, tears, and stress — the likes of which you’ve probably never before experienced at this level.
• Don’t put all of the money into one bank account. That’s just stupid.
• Your family dynamic could potentially be destroyed by the lottery.
• The Lottery Curse. Just sayin’. And if you’ve ever seen LOST, you know exactly what I mean. (Who’s playing 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 tonight?)
• People you don’t know or haven’t seen in so long that you can’t even remember them will suddenly feel entitled to your time…. and also your money.
• Every single time you hear someone talking about what they would do if they won the lottery, you will feel kind of uncomfortable. If they say it to you, you’ll feel paranoid too, wondering if they know and what they mean by it. PS, this happens just about every day.
• Privacy and anonymity are things of the past, at least for a while.
• Use some of your money to get a state of the art alarm system for your house. Don’t think the mega millions weirdos won’t find out where you live. If you’re living in a one-bedroom apartment, they’re still going to assume you have a tremendous amount of expensive belongings inside.

Overall, winning the lottery is definitely a unique experience, but remember who you were before and stay true to that. Be aware that for all of the positives, there are a bunch of negatives that are often overlooked. Good luck!

This story was contributed by a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. 

Spring is officially here and whether you are a “green thumb” or a gardening novice, Scotts has a new product to help your lawn reach its full potential.  Your lawn is a living organism and the single most important thing you can do for it is feed it.  In the past, fertilizing your lawn was a messy and tedious task but the now with the new Scotts® Snap® Spreader System lawn care has never been easier.

The system includes a Snap Pac that connects directly to the Snap Spreader which helps eliminate the need to cut, open and pour from heavy bags of fertilizer that ultimately prevents spilling and waste.  To help ensure that your lawn receives the proper amount of fertilizer the spreader auto-sets to the proper flow rate and the EdgeGuard keeps the product on your lawn.  Finally when you are all down caring for your lawn, the Snap Pac self-seals upon removal from the Snap Spreader and the system folds up for easy storage. 

If you want help creating a beautiful lawn that adds to your home’s curb appeal and increases your family’s enjoyment of your lawn then be sure to check out the new Scotts® Snap® Spreader System.  Check out this testimonial video to learn more.

We would encourage you to “like” Scotts Facebook page for special Snap perks on Facebook and the chance to win amazing prizes!

CAST YOUR VOTE NOW!

What is #BizMadness?

Our social media #BizMadness tournament takes B2B and B2C brands and asks you to vote for who is making the best use of social media. Who really gets it?

As for the winner, that brand will receive recognition, as well as the opportunity to run one 125×125 advertisement on Business 2 Community for one month at no cost.

Promoting #BizMadness

We will be promoting this contest on Twitter using the hashtag #BizMadness, and encourage you to jump in and join the discussion and show your support for our fearless contenders. More than anything, we hope that you will check out the participants below and vote for the brand you feel really gets how to use social media for business.

Remember to vote early and vote often!

The Competitors

Company: Sociable Boost

Classification: B2B

About Sociable Boost:

Sociable Boost is a social media consulting & training firm located in San Antonio, TX. Owner Morgan Barnhart is passionate about social media and hopes that she can instill that same passion into small business owners around SA, TX. There’s a great lack of social media education in San Antonio so her goal is to be the go-to gal when it comes to social media education in San Antonio. She also educates and dispels common social media myths on her blog for small business owners and individuals.

Get Social With Sociable Boost:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Current Goal:

Sociable Boost hopes to be the #1 source in San Antonio, TX (and eventually the entirety of TX) for small businesses and individuals to get their social media education. Soon we’ll be holding FREE monthly social media meetings through Meetup.com and our main goal is to hold a yearly seminar where we can help train businesses about how to use social media to their greatest advantage.

Social Media Top Tip:

Treat each other as human beings. For example, treat people online as you would treat people offline; be courteous, appreciative and treat others as you would want to be treated.

Company: Kinaxis

Classification: B2B

About Kinaxis:

Kinaxis delivers a cloud-based solution at the very heart of planning and response management for value chain operations. Large manufacturing companies with complex supply chain networks and volatile business environments rely on RapidResponse Control Tower for collaborative planning, continuous performance monitoring, and coordinated response to plan variances across multiple areas of the business including such functions as: S&OP, supply and capacity planning, demand management, and supplier collaboration. As a result, Kinaxis customers have replaced disparate planning and performance management tools and are realizing significant operations performance breakthroughs.

Get Social With Kinaxis:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Community
• YouTube
• 21st Century Supply Chain Blog

Current Goal:

With our social media endeavors, Kinaxis strives to enhance brand awareness, demonstrate thought leadership, cultivate customer intimacy, and drive sales and lead generation–and we never forget to have fun while we’re at it.

Social Media Top Tip:

Develop an open and prolific content strategy, always keeping SEO in mind. A new customer recently told us that they found us through a Google search for “demand planning.” They said that if we hadn’t had so much content and so many videos available on our website, they wouldn’t have made the next step to contact us.

Company: Ariba

Classification: B2B

About Ariba:

Ariba is a B2B e-commerce platform that helps companies buy, sell, and manage their cash. Though considered a B2B, they strive to make commerce as easy as B2C.

Get Social With Ariba:

• Twitter: @Ariba, @AribaDiscovery, @AribaExchange
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn Groups
• LinkedIn
• Customer Community

Current Goal:

“We will leverage the collective IQ of our 4.5 million customers. Our solutions are smart. But our customers are even smarter.”

Social Media Top Tip:

Focus on the customer experience. What do they see? What do they need? How can you – with your content or connections – help? How quickly can they find the answers to their questions?

Company: Practice Fusion

Classification: B2B

About Practice Fusion:

Practice Fusion provides the only free, web-based electronic health record (EHR) systems for doctors at small and medium practices. The move from paper files to electronic records qualifies doctors for $44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives, while also increasing their data security and improving the quality of care they can provide to patients.

Get Social With Practice Fusion:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube

Current Goal:

To launch a tech-focused social media community for developers interested in healthcare.

Social Media Top Tip:

Encourage everyone in your company to become a social media expert in their careers. Get everyone from entry level to c-level to hop on Twitter and Facebook!

Company: Quaker Steak & Lube

Classification: B2C

About Quaker Steak & Lube:

The original Quaker Steak & Lube® was founded in 1974 and built in an abandoned gas station in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Commonly referred to as “The Lube®,” the restaurant features a unique blend of great service, award-winning food, supercharged events and the most eye-popping décor in the restaurant industry. Today, with over 45 locations, The Lube® serves over 80 million wings annually, sells its bottled sauces around the world, has won the title of “Best Wings USA,” and has won hundreds of national and international awards for its wings and 20 signature wing sauces.

Get Social With Quaker Steak & Lube:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube

Current Goal:

Quaker Steak & Lube strives to bring like-minded wing eaters together by fostering engagement and building brand champions. By being responsive to fans who take the time to engage with The Lube online, Quaker Steak & Lube is building an online community for fans of the brand.

Social Media Top Tip:

Be responsive and provide valuable content and customer service to fans who engage with your brand. Users who are fans of your brand online are much more likely to visit you in-store, so finding new ways to connect with these users is vital for maintaining a lively online community that carries over when users visit your restaurant.

Company: Devvy Renee’s Craft Boutique

Classification: B2C

About Devvy Renee’s Craft Boutique:

Devvy Renee’s Craft Boutique is a new Etsy-based craft shop that sells themed crocheted hats and plushies. Spring will see a launch of eco friendly amigurumi (plushies) that support varies charities.

Get Social With Devvy Renee’s Craft Boutique:

• Facebook
• Tumblr

Current Goal:

Devvy Renee’s current goal is to create more of an interaction with fans on Facebook and Tumblr. The boutique is launching a spring line of eco-friendly plushies soon and would like it to be based on what consumers want to see, what they want to own, and what charities they’d like to support through Devvy Renee’s Craft Boutique pieces.

Social Media Top Tip:

Don’t be self centered. Talk to your fan base and comment on their work. Showcase others’ work on your sites. A blog is excellent for that. Focus more on what you can do for your community than what they can do for you.

Company: Scottrade

Classification: B2C

About Scottrade:

Scottrade is a leading online investing firm operating in a heavily-regulated environment, yet it excels in social media. It is one of the few financial services firms currently actively communicating with investors and providing customer service through social networking communities and through social media outlets. The firm launched its new media room and associate-written blog earlier this year, and has long had a presence in social media networks. Social media is a key component of the firm’s relationship with its customers, and we have seen a direct correlation between interactions and the move to more positive posts over time.

Get Social With Scottrade:

• Twitter
• Facebook

Cast Your Vote!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Image credit: Flickr/webtreats

As a lead-up to the Social Media Analytics Summit, Text Analytics News has partnered with Useful Social Media to publish a series of expert interviews with top Social Media Analytics professionals.

In our third installment, we reached out to four experts to gain insights into what social media data really is and where it comes from. The Social Media Analytics Summit will be held in San Francisco this April.

Today’s interviewees include:

Tom H. C. Anderson
CEO, OdinText - Anderson Analytics

OdinText is a patent pending text analytics platform developed by Anderson Analytics, the first firm to leverage NLP for the marketing research industry. The firms’ clients include companies in various industries including Facebook and Starwood Hotels. In 2007 they were the first firm to conduct analysis of a large social network provider (together with LinkedIn).

Nathan Gilliatt
Principal, Social Target

Social Target helps clients plan and implement intelligence and analytics capabilities based on social media and other sources. Their independent research helps them maintain the market awareness to match each client’s needs to the best available technology and research services, and their original thinking inspires new applications that aren’t in anybody’s Social Media 101 presentation.

Chris Moody
COO, Gnip

Gnip believes the thoughts, conversations, and debates expressed in public social conversation have unlimited value and near limitless application, and that no one person or company can possibly comprehend the full importance or potential uses of this information. The company’s mission is to make this ever-expanding universe of social media data available via a consistent and reliable architecture so the world can realize the full potential of this amazing stream of information.

Kami Watson Huyse
CEO, Zoetica Media

Zoetica serves non-profits and socially conscious companies with top-tier, word-of-mouth communication services. A social enterprise, Zoetica provides communication consulting, training, and strategy to help mindful organizations affect social change. We do this by building relationships with the community using social media communication and networking tools.

1.  When you think of “Social Media Data,” what do you think of first? Second?

Tom (OdinText): First I think about all the data that we are generally not getting. The rich juicy stuff such as the connections between people on Facebook and the comments on their walls, even discussions in LinkedIn groups etc.

Then secondly I think about Twitter and blogs (RSS data), which is where the majority of the “Social Media Data” folks use is actually coming from – just because it’s easy and free to get to.

Don’t get me wrong, with a little thinking ahead of time you can get some very actionable data and insights from what’s already available, and it doesn’t have to be limited to Twitter and blogs. But if you believe your social media monitoring firm is delivering the web to you, they’re not!

Chris (Gnip): I think of the opinions, debates, thoughts, and insights that are expressed via public social conversation and how this data has unlimited potential to fundamentally change the way businesses operate.

My second thought is around some of the key publishers that are facilitating the generation of such valuable content:  Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, Disqus, etc.

Nathan (Social Target): I was trained by the early concerns about what people were saying in social media—only it wasn’t called social media at the time. So the first thing I think of is the content people create: the blog posts, reviews, tweets, videos, and everything else they put out there for the world to see.

The second is the data created by all the observable actions people take in social media settings: connecting with friends; following interesting people; sharing, tagging, and linking to content; clicking on “favorite” and “like” buttons; voting on reviews… Most of the new features in social media create still more data, and the young companies that dominate the space don’t seem to be out of ideas.

Kami (Zoetica Media): Social media data is at the heart of understanding your community. Far from being cold and impersonal, data can tell a story that intuition alone cannot deliver. As much as we like to believe that we fully understand our community, what people say and what people do are often very different. Data can help to guide intuition.

For that reason, the second thing I think of when I consider social media data is it’s importance as a tool to diagnose, prioritize and evaluate what you are doing as an organization and use it to make course corrections.

2.  Do you think there is currently a common understanding as to what constitutes social media data?

Nathan (Social Target): Definitely not. I can usually tell what a person’s job is by the way they discuss social media data and what it’s good for. That specialization is natural, because there’s so much to learn, but it’s keeping us from having a common vocabulary across disciplines.

Superficially, you can measure at least four categories of data in the social media context: the content people create, information about the creators of that content, information about the audience of the content, and information about how people connect and interact. I don’t know if we’ll ever agree on our terminology, but we can avoid misunderstandings by being clear about which data we’re talking about.

Chris (Gnip): Definitely not.  For example, some think of social media data as Twitter data because Twitter has done a better job than some other companies of making their data available in a full coverage, reliable, scalable format.  The reality is that social media data comes in lots of different forms from lots of different sources.   We’re working hard to help companies understand how different types of social data can be useful for different types of analysis.

Kami (Zoetica Media): I think there isn’t a clear consensus. Is it text analysis, sentiment analytics, or something else? I also think it is being marketed to a constituency that doesn’t necessarily have the background to understand some of the differences. There is also a difference between an academic view of data and harnessing data to provide actionable insights that can drive business decisions.

Tom (OdinText): Common to certain groups perhaps, but not between groups. Developers, for instance, often begin building a tool because a certain type of data is easy to get to. Klout is an excellent example. It’s totally reliant on Twitter even though less than 9% of the US population is on Twitter. Facebook is far more popular of course, but you can’t get to that data without users opting in.

But then if you look at groups who use some of these tools to make marketing decisions, they don’t understand what’s missing. Someone could be very influential in social media and not be on Twitter or Klout. If they have 5,000 connections on LinkedIn Klout won’t know, and the maximum shown on LinkedIn is “500+”. Just giving an example, I think Klout can be a useful tool as long as you know what you are seeing and what you are not seeing.

3.  There’s a lot of social media monitoring vendors out there now. How do most of them get their data?

Tom (OdinText): Great question. As our text analytics platform OdinText is data agnostic, i.e. our clients are just as likely to use it for analyzing their Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys or CRM/Call Center logs as with social media data, I’m not afraid to answer that question honestly.

What a lot of firms who specialize in just social media monitoring won’t tell you is that they don’t acquire much, if any, of the data themselves. Sure a few of us may connect directly to the Twitter API for basic Twitter data, but more often even for Twitter and certainly for blogs firms just buy it from an aggregator, mainly Gnip.

It’s a well-kept secret though. Most of these firms and I could mention several, want clients to think that the social data is part of their value-add when in fact it isn’t. Clients should be choosing social media analytics platforms based on how well they meet their specific use case. That is, are you comfortable with how their text analytics engine works and how well/easily does the software get you the insights you need.

It’s often the first thing I tell a potential client who is using some other social media monitoring platform; we can use exactly the same raw data they already use and provide more useful information for those who want to go beyond Public Relations engagement.

Chris (Gnip): Gnip!  We are providing social data to 8 of the 9 largest social media monitoring (SMM) firms.   Also, some SMM firms connect with the public APIs offered directly from the publishers.  The challenge is that public APIs weren’t typically designed to serve the challenges that SMM firms are trying to address.  Instead, the public APIs were designed for more consumer use cases and thus have some limitations that can make social media monitoring use cases challenging to solve.

I often give the analogy that the public APIs were designed for fly fisherman and SMM firms are oceanographers.  SMM firms need full coverage of real-time social data with ultra-low latency from sources that are reliable and will scale as their demands grow.  The public APIs don’t typically fit in that mold.

Kami (Zoetica Media): Many of the vendors are getting their public data from the same sources, open APIs and through services like GNIP that provide a pipeline of data for both brands and social media monitoring group. Others, like Radian6 have additional agreements directly with social networking services to get the whole pipeline of data. Still others have their own proprietary crawlers to gather data.

The differences come in what they DO with the data. How do they filter out the considerable noise? How do they help the end user make sense of the data? How can the expense be justified? I think that there needs to be a much better rubric for comparing the plethora of services and match what they offer to the needs of each business

Nathan (Social Target): I haven’t kept a count on how many companies use which methods, but everyone has two basic options: collect their own data from the original sources, or buy it from an aggregator. Collecting their own data creates an opportunity to compete on the quality of that collection, but it’s a lot of work. Buying from an aggregator off-loads the work, at the expense of having a commoditized data stream.

I think most of the high-end vendors do some of both, buying from multiple vendors (for different types of data), while also spidering and pulling directly from feeds and APIs to fill out their coverage of targeted sites.

4.  What is your opinion on the analytical tools that are currently available for social media analytics?

Kami (Zoetica Media): There is no one “killer” tool, but Google Analytics has turned on the heat with its free Google Analytics offering. Right now the tools seem bifurcated between data and analytics. I would love to see more vendors combine these two disciplines into one common dashboard.

Overall, I think that analytics are overwhelming. You can measure almost anything, but what matters? The current tools don’t help with answering that one question and no one tool ever will define that. There needs to be a much deeper education on this topic to build an understanding about this with the end users of analytic tools.

Nathan (Social Target): I wish I had time to play with them all. :-)

I see a lot of very similar tools, especially the ones that are interesting primarily for the nationality of the vendor. I think it’s a sign of the maturing of the market, that more countries can support a domestic vendor that offers industry-standard capabilities. The high-end tools have had very interesting capabilities for several years, but they require users to think about what they’re looking at. If customers come to some of these platforms expecting easy answers on the first screen, I could see how they would be disappointed.

I’m interested to see companies that make it easier for less analytically-minded users to get to useful insights, but I’m more interested in the companies that are finding different ways of looking at the data. The whole area of influence and influencer analysis is very active lately, and I’m starting to see more geospatial analysis of social media data. Life’s more interesting when I’m learning something new, and this market has been very good on that point.

Chris (Gnip): We’re still in the early days of the industry, but things are evolving quickly.  I’m most excited about the diversity of solutions that are coming to market.  We have hundreds of companies addressing different challenges and they are taking lots of different approaches.  All the innovation that is happening in the SMM industry now will ultimately lead to some big wins for the brands that are using SMM insights to drive business decisions.

Tom (OdinText): I’m going to assume you’re asking me about real text and social analytics tools that you actually have to pay for, and not the free toys so often mentioned by ‘social media experts.’

Anderson Analytics started out by offering text analytics and data mining consulting, and therefore we licensed or partnered with some of the major text analytics software firms of the time. We were in effect put between these software firms and the fortune 500 clients who were asking “so what?!”. Having used so many tools, and developing 7 years of use case experience before developing OdinText was definitely helpful for us. There are a lot of good tools out there depending on the specific data and use case. We’ve worked hard to make ours both powerful and easy to use for our specific customers.

If you missed the previous posts in the interview series you can access them here: Part 1 Part 2

The early bird special for the Social Media Analytics Summit expires March 16th. REGISTER NOW and save $200

We look forward to seeing you at the Summit!

Last week we received a state of the art paper shredder, the Fellowes 79Ci, and after putting it through the ringer it exceed expectations.  The Fellowes 79Ci easily handles up to 12 sheets of paper and shreds credit cards and CDs without skipping a beat.  Our favorite feature was the fact that the 79Ci is 100% jam proof which meant that we didn’t have to spend any time trying to unclog the shredder.  With most shredders that we have used in the past, this was a major problem so it was a relief not to have to worry about this happening with the 79Ci.

The shredder also included features such as its Cross-Cut technology which ensures that your documents and CDs are properly destroyed to protect your information and identity.  Additionally, the 79Ci is one of the quietest shredders that we have ever used.  Its SilentShred technology offers an ultra-quiet performance making this the ideal shredder for use in shared workplaces or home offices.  Finally in an effort to make the 79Ci one of the safest shredders on the market, its patented SafeSense technology instantly stops the shredders whenever a hand touches the paper opening.  Combined these features make the Fellowes 79Ci the best shredder we have ever used.

Whether you are looking for a shredder for your small business or home office, the 79Ci offers a great value and comes highly recommended based on its performance.

If you would like to test this shredder out for yourself, we will be giving away one Fellowes 79Ci shredder to a lucky reader.  In order to enter this contest all you need to do is leave a comment on this post stating what you would be shredding if you won.   If you have any questions regarding the contest, please refer to the official contest rules.

6 Questions on Entrepreneurship with Terry Howerton

1. How did you get your start as an entrepreneur? 

I did my first startup at 15 years old, shortly after the Supreme Court decided the phone company didn’t own the data that appeared in phone books. I hired my mom, aunt and about 10 other people to start retyping the phone book into a database, and programmed a data merge to a desktop publishing tool, which in 1987 was pretty challenging. I put on my dad’s suit, ran around town convincing hundreds of small businesses they should buy advertising from me, and came up with a half-dozen unique value propositions for our better phone book. Since that first business, I’ve been involved as a founder, principal, or adviser in more than a dozen startups. My brain feeds off of the give and take of creating new ideas, and I love working with other entrepreneurs as much as building business for myself.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing tech entrepreneurs today?

Access to and appreciation of collaboration and mentorship. It’s easier today than ever before to find a problem or opportunity where technology enables the solution. On-demand software and technology-enabled services can be cheap and fast to develop, and ideas are a dime a dozen. Success as an entrepreneur is 99 percent execution and 1 percent inspiration or idea. Finding a collaborative environment that makes your idea better (and mentors and partners who really invest in helping you execute on your idea) is critical. Capital is like air, but not all capital is created equal. Good advisors can be worth far more than just an investor check. Recruiting the right talent to work on the team, advise the team, and connect the team with partners and provide meaningful insight is the biggest challenge an entrepreneur can face.

3. What is the method to your success at TechNexus?

We didn’t set out to create an incubator at TechNexus. Our goal was to create a clubhouse, a place where tech entrepreneurs and engineers could mingle, collaborate and occasionally work near each other. We figured good things would come from mixing the right kinds of people and fostering a culture where ideas were shared and people were anxious to make those ideas better.

Since we opened TechNexus five years ago, more than 130 companies have already grown there, attracting close to $80 million in capital and creating (at last count) almost 450 new jobs. That’s not really a testament to TechNexus or our guidance, as much as a testament to the kinds of entrepreneurs that are attracted to this environment. People who appreciate collaboration and focus on the parts of their business that make them unique (without getting distracted with the rote and common aspects of setting up shop) have had the most success.

Now, more than 3,000 people a month flow through TechNexus for networking, meetings, roundtables and to use our co-working space. We’ve hosted representatives from more than 900 different companies in just the past three months, many not based in Chicago, and some not based in the United States. The TechNexus ecosystem includes entrepreneurs from small startups, leaders of large, mature companies, and everything in between. That diverse population is really what makes TechNexus unique, and not something that could be created artificially or overnight.

4. In your opinion, where will future tech entrepreneurs see the most success?

It’s easy for a tech entrepreneur to get caught up in the hype surrounding consumers… building a web or mobile app that attracts millions of users, and figuring out a way to make money from those eyeballs and interactions. The media like to write about those kinds of businesses, and your friends can easily understand what you’re doing. Some of these ideas can be huge, if you build a product or service that people really need or love.

But I’m most interested in tech ventures that are disruptive to existing, stodgy old industries. So many mature industries throughout the world are aging, lacking innovation, and disconnected from entrepreneurial DNA. Show me a tech entrepreneur with an idea for the manufacturing industry, or education, health care, energy, government or other sectors that are sorely lacking in innovative technology solutions. Software, Internet and technology solutions have already completely redefined much of the retail, media, and financial services industries, but there’s plenty of room for more disruption and innovation in each of those industries.

At TechNexus, we connect the innovative thinkers inside of mature corporations with the entrepreneurial zeal within our ecosystem. We want the result to be ideas that change industries.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as an entrepreneur?

Respect risk but don’t fear it. Recruit exceptional people. Fail fast, and recognize new opportunities in the wake. Build lean and scalable. Listen to people who make you and your idea better; ignore the people who don’t. Create something of value people want to buy.

I only wish I found it as easy to always follow my own advice.

6. Where can we find you on the web?

My personal blog is at www.terryhowerton.com. The TechNexus collaboration center is at www.technexus.com, the Illinois Technology Association is at www.illinoistech.org, and you can learn more about the charter high school project at www.chicagotechacademy.org.

Twitter: @terryhowerton, @technexus, @chitechacademy, @ITAbuzz

LinkedIn: Terry Howerton

Facebook: Terry Howerton, TechNexus, Chicago Tech Academy, Illinois Tech Association

6 Questions on Entrepreneurship With Brad Weisberg

1. How did you get your start as an entrepreneur?

I originally came up with the idea for BodyShopBids after trying to price shop a dent in my car by visiting several body shops. I found that the estimates varied widely, and I thought that if anyone was going to fill the niche in the market, it might as well be me.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing the auto repair industry?

Many body shops are operated by second, third, even fourth-generation owners, a number of whom are slow to adapt to new technologies. The Internet, and in particular social media, are changing the way body shops can interact with their customers. The prevalence of sites like Yelp, Facebook and Twitter underscore the importance of business owners embracing online media to bring in new business and keep it.

3. What is the method to your success as a business owner? What inspires you?

First and foremost, it’s important to surround yourself with the right people – people who can execute on a daily basis but are also willing to step up and offer new ideas to move the business forward. I’m inspired by the idea that a small group of people can make a serious impact, and it’s something I work and live to achieve.

4. What do you think is the future of the auto body industry?

As technology improves, it will increasingly find a place in the auto body claims and repair process. It is no longer always necessary for an insurance company to send out a claims adjustor to visually inspect damage to a vehicle when a properly taken photo can do the job quicker and easier. Some companies are already embracing this. The ones that don’t will be left behind.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as an entrepreneur?

The day you lose your passion for what you do is the day you should call it quits. Motivation is everything.

6. Where can we find you on the web?

BodyShopBids.com

@BodyShopBids

Facebook

We are excited to have Braden Richter, CEO of LuxeYard with us today for the Business 2 Community Expert Interview Series. LuxeYard is a luxury home furnishings and decor flash sale site.

6 Questions on Social Media With Braden Richter

1. How did you get your start in the industry?

I have been in the design and furniture industry for over 20 years and have a passion for it. I watched the flash sale space closely and was approached by entrepreneur Amir Mireskandari to become a part of a new company he was creating. Amir wanted to start LuxeYard because he saw the potential for a paradigm shift in the ecommerce category. With his vision of a centered focus on the community, he started the company earlier this year, and like a true startup, the company came from idea to launch in six months. I wanted to be able to be a part of something exciting that tied nicely in with my design background and passion.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing your industry?

Our biggest challenge will probably be being heard amongst all the noise in the flash sale space. We need to make sure our value proposition is heard.

LuxeYard is a great place for members to find competitive prices at a fraction of the cost of retail and our members will have the opportunity to experience additional perks that can’t be found on competitor sites. We’ve pioneered a new way of shopping on flash sites with our Concierge Buy offering – this is where consumers can post photos of items they would like to purchase at a discounted price and LuxeYard will then source the items and offer it to consumers at the discounted price. Additionally, LuxeYard has extended the concept of Group Buy of luxury items at deep discounts and has created a way for consumers to hit a price tipping scale. The tipping scale concept is fueled by purchasing power created from the commitment of group buying, and the price is lowered based on consumer demand for the product. We have also developed an interactive community for our members to share ideas and thoughts about home design coupled with the ecommerce platform.

3. What is the method to your blogging success? What inspires your blogs?

Part of our site includes content from Trendsetters. We’ve worked with people like Faye Resnick and Nicky Hilton who have recommended products they like on the site, and have been great helping us get our social media feed going.

With that point, we have actually seen a lot of success with Facebook and Twitter and have been using those channels more than a blog. We have begun a strong Facebook advertising campaign that is growing and helping with our user acquisition numbers. We are also seeing strong value in Twitter and are starting to become active with Twitter parties and other marketing concepts on the medium.

4. What do you think is the future of social media?

I think it is the future of how people will continue to be the way consumers interact with each other and get recommendations and buy products.

There was an interest study that came out recently from BazzarVoice. They believe by 2017, Millennials – those consumers now in their mid-teens to mid-30s – will have more spending power than any other generation. This demographic leans on user generated content to make decisions, and they trust strangers over friends and family when it comes to decision. Our business will very heavily tap into this trend. Here is an infographic that illustrates this point.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?

You can’t really predict the future or fully prepare yourself for what is to come. There isn’t a perfect plan. You need to accept that. Don’t jump right into a new business without any thought or planning, but don’t spend months or years waiting to execute. I believe in trial by fire. The most important thing you can do is learn from your mistakes–and try not to keep repeating those mistakes.

6. Where can we find you on the web/on Twitter/Facebook/etc.?

on the web:www.luxyeard.com

on twitter: @luxeyard

on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/luxeyard

on Pinterest:http://pinterest.com/luxeyard/

5 Deductions You Don’t Want to Forget

When it comes to your taxes, you should never settle for less. Oftentimes it happens that different small business deductions are overlooked, meaning that you don’t get your maximum return. So what should you look for?

1. Computer software. Be aware that, while there is a depreciation period of 36 months on purchased software used for your business, you can claim this deduction to help you maximize your return.

2. Mileage. If you travel for business, keep track of your mileage, tolls, parking, and other related costs.

3. Education. If you’re continuing your education to assist you in your current position, you are entitled to a deduction.

4. Business calls from your home phone. If you have a second line installed in your home that is used strictly for business, you can deduct any calls, fees, and charges. Don’t have a second line but still making business calls from home? Not to worry. When your phone bill comes, simply highlight the calls made for work and keep records. You can deduct 100 percent of those highlighted charges at the end of the year.

5. Charitable contributions. Making donations doesn’t have to just be a personal venture. If your business has made any kind of monetary donation or contribution in the last year, don’t forget to deduct it!

5 Must-Have Tax Apps

Tax season 2011 may be over, but tax season 2012 is just getting under way. Don’t settle for less this year. There are some really great apps out there that can help you stay organized, even on the go.

1. MileBug – helps you keep track of your mileage, as well as any expenses you might incur along the way. Perfect for deducting business travel! Available in the iTunes App Store for $2.99 and the Android Market for $1.99.

2. XpenseTracker – allows you to keep track of all of your business expenses in one place – including mileage. XpenseTracker allows you to export your expenses to your desktop to load into Excel. If you like to keep track of your business receipts with the camera on your phone, all photo receipts can also be exported to your computer. This all-inclusive app is available in the Apple App Store for the iPhone and iPad and, at only $4.99, is basically a steal.

3. IRS App – If you like going straight to the source with questions about taxes, this is the app for you. It’s compatible with your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, providing you’re running at least iOS 4.2. And only 99¢!

4. Shoeboxed– A receipt tracker and reader that allows you to use your iPhone camera to keep track of all of your purchases. When it comes time to itemize, you’ll be ready to maximize your tax return. This app is available in the Apple App Store for the iPhone and iPad. Best of all? It’s free!

5. H&R Block Mobile – You should never settle for less during tax season, and H&R Block believes in helping you make the most of your returns. Download their free app to tap into all of their knowledge on how to put more money in your pocket.

Tax season doesn’t need to be a headache. H&R Block’s “Never Settle for Less” campaign aims to give you as much support as possible. All over the country, H&R Block is helping people find more deductions and earn more tax credits. Why not see what they can do for you?

Continue to Never Settle for Less by Filing online at http://www.hrblock.com/index.html or in an H&R Block Office.

Image Source: Aidan Morgan/Flickr

This post brought to you by H&R Block. All opinions are 100% mine.

This interactive infographic is brought to you by Mantis Pulse Analytics. Mantis Pulse Analytics helps you find the conversations that matter to your business, measure the sentiment, and engage and influence the outcome.  Pulse Analytics transcends basic social media monitoring to provide measurable and actionable marketing intelligence, brand awareness and brand protection. Your executive, marketing, customer service, product management and public relations organizations can all benefit from this simple and powerful SaaS solution.

For more information, visit Mantis Pulse online and follow Mantis Pulse on Twitter and Facebook.

After a year of negotiations Walgreens and Express Scripts have decided to part ways.  The negotiations with Express Scripts was unsuccessful, Walgreens’ contract as a member of its pharmacy provider network expired, effective January 1, 2012. As a result, Express Scripts is essentially forcing customers under its plan to go elsewhere to find in-network pharmacies.

And for what? Dropping Walgreens appears to have no major benefit to Express Scripts customers. Prices aren’t changing. In fact, when the cost of traveling to find an in-network pharmacy is factored in, many patients are actually spending more money. Having Walgreens in the network was a convenience to so many patients with Express Scripts plans because they are easily accessible and many are open 24/7. The alternative is to enroll in the Express Scripts mail-order plan, which is not always time-effective.

Who is affected?

All patients with prescription plans through Express Scripts and who also used Walgreens (including Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area) as their in-network pharmacy are affected. This also includes American military personnel, as Walgreens outlined in a press release. The military’s TriCare program allowed them to fill prescriptions with convenience at Walgreens. Though Walgreens offered to contract separately to avoid putting military service men and women in the middle, Express Scripts rejected the offer.

What is happening to customers?

As a result of this dropped contract, more customers will find themselves traveling a further distance to find an in-network pharmacy, an effort that many will surely view in a negative light. Some will find themselves joining the Express Scripts mail-order program; however, this program is not always the most efficient way to fill prescriptions. In both cases, leaving the emergency room in the middle of the night with a prescription to fill immediately could prove to be an arduous task.

The general feeling among customers has been negative. They don’t necessarily agree with Express Scripts’ actions against Walgreens. A Walgreens survey of 823 key decision makers found that 82% of employers would not exclude Walgreens for less than 5% savings. 60% would not exclude them for less than 10% savings. And finally, 21% said they would not exclude Walgreens at all, regardless of savings.

The bottom line: customers want Walgreens. Many patients have been using them for years and have developed personal relationships with the pharmacists who know their medical backgrounds. Uprooting them and asking them to go somewhere else is inconveniencing them. Express Scripts, however, isn’t listening to what its customers want.

What is Walgreens doing to ease the burden?

Walgreens is attempting to ease the burden for those affected by Express Scripts’ decision by offering a special discount on its Prescription Savings Club.

While the regular annual membership costs $20 for an individual and $35 for a family, you can join the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens right now for $5 as an individual or $10 as a family.

The perks of joining include:

• discounts on your prescriptions
• over 8000 brand name medications and all generic ones
• discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers, and diabetic supplies
• bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photo-finishing services

Support Walgreens’ efforts to make healthcare easier and more affordable. ‘Like’ Walgreens on Facebook and follow Walgreens on Twitter.

Tom H. C. Anderson, CEO of Anderson Analytics

We are excited to have Tom H. C. Anderson, the CEO of Anderson Analytics with us today for the Business 2 Community Expert Interview Series.

Anderson is the foremost expert in leveraging text analytics within the marketing research industry. His firm has helped companies from StarwoodHotels to Unilever understand customer comments in both surveys and social media.

Recognized by the American Marketing Association in their inaugural 4 under 40 Market Research Leaders, his work in text analytics is referenced in several decision science text books and has won industry awards for innovation. His blog received first place in last years’ New Market Research Top Blogs Awards.

6 Questions on Social Media With Tom H. C. Anderson

1. How did you get your start in the industry?

I’ve been in market research my whole professional career and got into text analytics in graduate school. In 2005 when I founded Anderson Analytics there were no other market research firms leveraging text analytics to understand their unstructured (text) data. Because of all the work we were doing analyzing text comments in our clients surveys we were soon asked if we could do the same for customer discussions on large internet bulletin boards and other online media.

While there were several text analytics tools designed to help PR professionals, there were few if any designed specifically for consumer insights professionals. After trying to work with several tools out there we finally decided to develop our own software, OdinText, to specifically address the market research use case. It has certainly been an interesting and rewarding experience.

2. What is the biggest challenge facing your industry?

Clients are facing a more competitive environment and are swamped with data not only from CRM databases and market research surveys, but they are also being asked to incorporate social media data. The challenge usually seems to be information paralysis.

My first recommendation is to take a step back and consider the main insight objectives and then the think about the data available. Usually this means deciding what data will offer the best analytical ROI. Depending on what that answer is we may then be able to provide tools to filter out the noise and help clients focus on what’s most important and actionable.

3. What is the method to your blogging success? What inspires your blogs?

Good question. I moderate a large networking group on LinkedIn called Next Gen Market Research (NGMR). Some of what I blog about is related to discussions that take place within that board. Other times it’s either specifically about the intersection between market research and data/text mining or industry events I’m asked to take part in.

One of the things researchers need though is inspiration from outside our industry, especially from marketing and management. I’ve done several interviews with thought leaders in this are from Al and Laura Ries to Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki.

4. What do you think is the future of social media?

Most social media monitoring focuses on Twitter simply for the reason that data is easy to get to. We’re finally seeing the walled garden from social networks like Facebook come down. This means we’ll have more applicable, representative and interesting data than ever before. The future lies in focusing on what’s most relevant for your business objectives and incorporating that data into your ongoing management and marketing process.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?

Realize that you can’t do everything and nor should you. The first step should be to take an inventory of the data available, understanding where your customer base is most active and then developing a strategy which should be more focused initially
but will also need to change as your needs and the environment changes.

6. Where can we find you on the web/on Twitter/Facebook/etc.?

AndersonAnalytics.com and OdinText.com

LinkedIn

Twitter: @TomHCAnderson

Dissecting the US tax code is a near impossible task, but understanding the tax proposals of GOP candidates in the Presidential race just got a bit easier. Dominique Molina over at Certified Tax Coach has put together the GOP Tax Proposals inforgraphic below which helps in understanding the position of each of the candidates as well as how their proposal would impact their own personal financial situation.

Dominique is founder of Certified Tax Coach, a company that helps teach accounting marketing to CPAs around the country through online and offline education sessions.

Tax Proposals Infographic by: Certified Tax Coach

If you caught the Sunday night San Diego Chargers game against the Baltimore Ravens on December 18, you might have noticed something different about Qualcomm Stadium.

Or should I say Snapdragon Stadium?

Beginning December 18 and lasting for 11 days, San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, named after the  wireless chip giant, will operate as Snapdragon Stadium.

This temporary name change is exciting because it celebrates Snapdragon, the Qualcomm family brand of application processors used to power smartphones. Snapdragon processors by Qualcomm are the digital brains inside mobile devices made by major manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG, Nokia, and HTC. At the same time, the name change underscores both the growing mobile industry as well as Qualcomm’s commitment to it.

Qualcomm hopes this temporary re-naming will help raise awareness of its chip brand, noting how it hopes Snapdragon will become a household name akin to Intel.

Then there are the games, which only add to the excitement. The Chargers hosted the Ravens at Snapdragon for Sunday Night Football on December 18. The Poinsetta Bowl was played there on December 21, and the Holiday Bowl will be played there on December 28 before the name changes back on December 29.

Snapdragon opened as the San Diego Stadium in 1967 and became the Jack Murphy Stadium in 1980. Qualcomm signed a 20-year naming rights deal for the stadium in 1997, when it became Qualcomm Stadium.

Google Makes It Snow

If you wait a few moments the snow will eventually cover your entire computer screen, forcing you to “Defrost”.  So what are you waiting for, go ahead and search “Let It Snow” on Google right now and experience it for yourself.

Happy Holidays!

Let’s face it: it’s tough to get yourself out of bed in the morning and get excited about spending the day in a cube farm. You’d probably be more excited if your office had interesting furniture, some kind of décor, a common space that wasn’t a water cooler, or a lunch room that didn’t smell of overcooked Hot Pockets and burned popcorn. You’d probably be happy with at least a little less sterility.

If this sounds like you, you need to check out Pimp My Cube. The Pimp My Cube Contest asks workers from all over the country to submit videos of their cubicles, offices, and workspaces in order to determine who has the worst work area. Contest Factory will choose the winner, come in, and give that work space a major facelift.

To enter, visit the Pimp My Cube Contest website and create an account so you can submit your video. The video should be of you giving a tour of your space, explaining why it’s so awful.

After it’s submitted, get your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of to go on and vote for your video.

You can earn sweepstakes entry points along the way, including by registering, voting, commenting, and inviting others to participate.

A combination of criteria that include most votes, “best” video (meaning the worst workspace), and most compelling story will help the Contest Factory judges to determine the grand prize winner.

In addition to the grand prize of a pimped out cube, a second sweepstakes winner (who must be a registered user on the site) will be drawn at random at the end of the contest. This person will win a $200 gift card that can be used to vastly improve his or her workspace.

The contest runs from December 5, 2011 through January 31, 2012. What are you waiting for? Register now and start taking pictures and video and making your case for your crappy office space! Don’t forget to tell your friends, family, and co-workers to vote, too.

This quickly resulted in #ScentofSnooki becoming a trending topic on Twitter worldwide as users tried to come up with the funniest reply to grab the attention of TMZ.  Most of the tweets fell into the following categories: funny, absurd and / or vulgar.  Looking at the keyword cloud for #ScentofSnooki the most popular answer was pickles and vodka (see below).

Here is a look at just some of the tweets.

• Meatballs & unicorns w/a hint of pickles “@TMZ: What do you think Snooki’s new perfume smells like? …Use #ScentOfSnooki -Best gets a RT!” via @AmbersAlerts
• “@TMZ: What do you think Snooki’s new perfume smells like? …Use #ScentOfSnooki —Best gets a RT!” <– used condoms and tan lotion via @AkeemOUCH
• Cotton candy, meatballs, tanning lotion, and vodka. RT @TMZ What do you think Snooki’s new perfume smells like? #ScentOfSnooki via @kencarr
• Gorilla Juice & Pickles RT @TMZ: What do you think Snooki’s new perfume smells like? …Use #ScentOfSnooki —Best gets a RT! via @JEREMYDOLCE
• @TMZ #ScentofSnooki Probably smells like Tiger Woods junk after a night in a Tijuana whore house via @MaryOnegaitve
• @TMZ #ScentOfSnooki smells like shame, tanning lotion and daddy issues. #STD via @ChristinaPeebs
• #ScentOfSnooki pickle juice, beach sand, ravioli sauce, Jack daniels & the clap via @dariodontcare
• #Scentofsnooki Meatballs, pickles, spray tan, vodka, oh and you can’t forget chocloate. Oompa Loompas work hard in the Chocolate Factory. via @chey_chey_brand  

What do you think Snooki’s new perfume will smell like?

The buzz surrounding this deal was extremely high as the Lakers (the most “Liked” professional team) became a trending topic on Twitter. Unfortunately the excited didn’t last long as news is circulating that NBA Commissioner David Stern blocked the trade after receiving complaints from NBA owners.  This news resulted in “David Stern” becoming a trending topic on Twitter as NBA fans lashed out at the decision.  Below is a look at some of the negative tweets directed at David Stern.

Negative Twitter Reactions To David Stern Blocking The Chris Paul Trade

• #ThatAwkwardMoment when David Stern completely loses his mind and embarrasses the league via @KevinDurantsBag
• The Grinch > Ebenezer Scrooge > Octomom > Roger Goodell > Whoever invented the BCS > David Stern #freeCP3 via @Cliff_Sims
• Cardinals fans are appealing to David Stern to cancel the Albert Pujols to the Angels deal… via @EricStangel
• David Stern is starting to make the NBA look like it’s run like Vince McMahon’s WWE #FreeCP3 via @EverydayAllDay
• If the NBA is really going to kill this deal, David Stern needs to resign now. This is beyond embarrassing via @ramonashelburne
• So where was David Stern and the owners when @KingJames and Bosh signed with the Miami Heat. Why didn’t you veto that. #haters via @tysonbeckdesign
• Chris Paul trade nixed? Kim Kardashian must’ve threatened to smear David Stern on Twitter if her bro-in-law got shipped to NOLA. via @BonnieBernstein

What do you think?  Did David Stern do the right thing by blocking the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers?

In a world where everything is going digital, there’s just something about putting a pen to paper.

And not just any pen, either.

I’m talking about a Parker Ingenuity collection pen. A writing experience.

If you’re a person who enjoys having the latest in stylish, innovative accessories, move this one to the top of your must-have list. These pens will send the message that your business has got it together.

Think about all the pens you’ve loved. Perhaps it was the classic flair of a fountain pen, or the gliding ease of a rollerball. Maybe it was the convenience of a ball point or the way a porous point didn’t smudge. Those four styles of pens have been popular for years, but now, using 5^thTechnology, Parker has combined what you love best about all of them in its Ingenuity line. Parker Ingenuity pens are beautiful, smooth, easy, and make writing an experience, not a task.

It’s modern. It’s beautiful. It’s attention-grabbing.

I see these pens being used by men and women alike, and for more than just taking notes at boardroom tables. They would add a stylish personal touch to personalized thank you cards after job interviews or other business meetings. If I had to choose between writing my thank you cards and any other business correspondence with a regular old ballpoint pen or a Parker Ingenuity, I’d choose the Ingenuity pen every time.

Interested in seeing what else they have to offer? Check out Parker on Facebook. ‘Like’ them and be on the lookout for announcements about two upcoming Twitter parties where you’ll have a chance to win prizes such as pens valued at up to $200. I don’t know about you, but that’s my kind of party.

What makes you want Parker pens? If you won some, what creative uses would you find for them? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

There’s no denying that technology is a major area of focus for small businesses. But, as anyone who has ever so much as turned on a computer knows, an increase in technology often means an increase in technological problems.

A recent survey of small business owners indicated that, in the last three years, about 59% of them had issues with malware on their computers, which resulted at least half of the time in paying a professional to “cure” the machines.

Sound familiar? It’s a legitimate concern for many small businesses. Luckily, Norton Small Business by Symantec on your side.

If you’re a small business owner who wants to keep your computers virus- and malware-free, it is well worth your time to examine the solutions that Norton offers. Even better? Small business owners get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now.

With a false sense of cyber security, you leave yourself and your business open to attacks from malicious software and viruses that could compromise your records or even take your entire system down. In today’s world, you just can’t afford that. Businesses need trusted Internet security to keep themselves as well as their customers’ information protected. After all, if a customer realizes that his credit card information was stolen from your unprotected web site, what are the odds he’ll do business with you again?

The benefits of purchasing Norton’s security solutions are innumerable. You get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your computers, servers, and sensitive customer information are protected by a well-established, well-respected brand.

You can also be sure that Norton is constantly hard at work to keep their products updated and relevant. Two of its top products, Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security 2012, for example, just launched this past September.

If you’ve ever lost all, or even some, of your computer files after a virus, you know how frustrating it is. In business, it can be even more daunting as you feel like you need to start all over again. Even worse is the feeling of knowing your site has been compromised by crimeware and become the target of illegal activity. If you can relate to these experiences, you know how Norton’s security solutions would have been useful.

It’s time to be proactive. Check out all the solutions that Norton has to offer and find what’s best for your business. Remember that small business owners get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now.

Which Norton products do you use? Which do you think would most benefit your business, and why? Leave us a comment and let us know!

At this stage in the competition, it was a huge risk for Chris Rene to perform an original song in front of the X Factor audience. Simon Cowell said that it was either “an act of stupidity or a stroke of genius” before declaring it a “stroke of genius”. While Chris Rene’s performance tonight on the X Factor is not currently available online, below is a look at Chris Rene singing “Where Do We Go From Here” at the White Tiger Café earlier this year.

Chris Rene signing his original song “Where Do We Go From Here”.

What do you think? Were you impressed by Chris Rene’s performance tonight on the X Factor?

A few weeks ago we were given a Tassimo Professional brewer to test out in our office.  For those unfamiliar with the Tassimo Pro brewer, it is a hot beverage system which allows you to make a variety of coffee-house style beverages such as coffee, tea, cappuccinos, lattes and hot chocolate without having to leave the office. The brewer makes hot beverages from premium brands such as GEVALIA espressos & coffees, SUCHARD hot chocolate and TWININGS tea. The Tassimo Pro brewer uses intelligently designed T Discs that ensure precise brewing and consistent quality. Additionally the double bar codes prevent employee theft as the discs are not compatible with home machines. Finally, the one-touch activation makes it easy to create a specialty beverage in less than two minutes.

The Tassimo Pro brewer was extremely easy to use and we all loved the LED digital display which provided helpful instructions.  The two most popular beverages in the office were the GEVALIA espressos and the SUCHARD hot chocolate.  Overall we were impressed by the performance of the Tassimo Pro brewer and loved the delicious taste of all the hot beverages we tested.  Additionally it was very simple to keep the Tassimo Pro brewer clean which will help keep it be a low maintenance solution for our office.

If you are interested in learning more about the Tassimo Pro brewer, we would highly recommend signing up for a Tassimo Professional free demo in your office.

What do you think?  Have you ever tested the Tassimo Pro brewer in your office?  If so, let us know what you thought in the comment section below.

All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey (Original)

10 Most Popular Covers of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”

All I Want For Christmas Is You – Justin Bieber Featuring Mariah Carey



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Michael Bublé



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Glee Cast



All I Want For Christmas Is You – John Mayer



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Olivia Olson from “Love Actually”



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Shania Twain from the “Today Show”



All I Want For Christmas Is You – My Chemical Romance



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Miley Cyrus



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Celtic Thunder



All I Want For Christmas Is You – Lady Antebellum

What do you think? Which is your favorite version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”?

• Guess who has started listening to Fairytale of New York on repeat. #mostwonderfultimeoftheyear via @Ericacea
• Fairytale of New York ♥ gotta love Christmas via @LauraBelsh13
• pogues – fairytale of new york is the ultimate christmas song! via @joshbunting
• Fairytale of new York is the 1. No Christmas song like it! #classic via @leah2710
• Fairytale of New York, surely #thebestchristmassongever! via @RWUK01
• The best Christmas song is Fairytale of New York. I don’t care what anyone says. via @EpicKaitlin
• fairytale of new york, is back in the charts! #BestXmasSongEver? via @ellahearn_x
• Can’t beat The Pouges FairyTale of New York…. Favourite Christmas Song :) via @VampFans2010
• It’s that time of year when I can put “Fairytale of New York” back on the ipod, This makes me happy. :) via @LouiseBowman_

For those unfamiliar with “Fairytale of New York” below is a look at a performance from The Pogues.

Of course Justin Bieber fans aka Beliebers weighed-in and pushed “Christmas Love” as their favorite new Christmas song.  Below is a look at Justin Bieber perfoming “Christmas Love”.

However no list can be complete without Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” which is one of the most popular original Christmas songs of the past 20 years.

Bonus Christmas Song: John Mayer Covering “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”

What do you think?  What is the best Christmas song of all-time?