Everyone seems to have dusted off their crystal balls the past few weeks as the predictions for social media in 2012 are plentiful. I  stopped reading them. There are only a handful of people who are making predictions that I would trust, and after seeing so many most are not taking into account the current economic climate and the themes are too repetitive. Instead of adding to the overcrowded space of predictions I want to focus on actions. The path for next year is clearly lined with more questions than answers. What are your plans for digital content in 2012? Do you have an editorial team? MORE >>

Looking for inspiration to improve your work can come from many areas — colleagues, customers, partners and even competitors. Inspiration can also come from reading, writing or simply going for an afternoon break to get your coffee. Sometimes inspiration can come simply from a quote. Here are a few quotes that guide how I view working in public relations and why. It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. — Henry David Thoreau. It’s easy to get wrapped up int the tactics. Breathe deeply. What is the big picture? — Mario Andretti. — R. MORE >>

Last week I spoke at the European Corporate Communications Social Media Summit on tracking influence and the non-financial ROI. The topic has been a key issue for ou r industry in 2011 as offerings such as Klout , Peer Index and the Social Business Index have garnered plenty of attention — both good and bad. I’ve written on this blog before about ROI ( Return on Influence ) as has Aaron Pearson ( Dare we measure ROI? and I’ve also written about the Social Business Index. The two sets of metrics I like to reference are Attention Metrics and Influence Metrics. MORE >>

What drives success in our profession? Source: Winnod. This has been on my mind lately because as I’ve talked with so many different people the topic has been raised. How does one become successful in corporate communications? What skills does one need? will argue that it comes down to motivation. believe that motivation is a key driver. And motivation is needed due to the demands of the 24-hour news effect, globalization, and the rising importance of communication as a management function. Here are 10 ideas I think can motivate you to be successful: 1. The key is to be a true leader. MORE >>

This question was posed to me by Paul Gillin for a Q&A I did with him for BtoB Magazine. There are a number of ways to define the word “need” but it is a good question for companies to begin when they think about starting or expanding social media. The mistake and trap B2B companies get into is the idea that social media should equate to sales. While the ultimate goal of communications should be to help drive revenue, there are many ways that social media can be used that are just as critical to a brand. Recruiting. Crisis communication. Blogging isn’t supposed to be easy. MORE >>