What is the most-debated question in social media today?  One candidate is,  “Should my company have a Facebook page?” The company has whacked-out expectations about how sales will increase once they have a Facebook page. Their social media guru, Timmy from Accounting, has set their marketing strategy. So how do you decide if a Facebook page should be a priority for your company? Here is the business value proposition for Facebook in one sentence: “Come waste time with me.” Your life does not depend on Facebook. MORE >>

There is probably nothing more debated, despised, and dissected on the social web than Facebook’s ever-changing scheme to monetize its vast audience. My Facebook mobile stream is now dominated by banner ads. Facebook, you’re just p **g off people every day. can’t think of a reason why Facebook would not create this option … other than perhaps they have done a calculation showing the potential to constantly annoy people and stir controversy will be more profitable over time than being good to its customers. OK, I get that. Please. MORE >>

My friend Mark Schaefer wrote a provocative piece in this very space yesterday about why Facebook will become the most dangerous company on earth. One of Mark’s central observations — that a public company must find ways to grow, and Facebook’s only path to do that is through you and me — was particularly insightful and, for some, alarming. I’ve been studying Facebook for five years as a researcher, and after seeing our most recent data on social media behaviors I can tell you this:  It’s scarier than you think. And by Facebook. MORE >>

When marketers think about social media, they tend to focus on Facebook and Twitter. But new research — and common sense — suggests there may be better places to engage your social audience. Like most good social media consultants, I evaluate each client’s needs to determine where they should engage their audience. In most cases, even if I recommend a Facebook page, Twitter account, or creating a LinkedIn group, I recommend engaging in other communities , as well. How many existing Facebook pages and LinkedIn Groups are full of your customers? MORE >>

“This is just Facebook for the Enterprise” is the most common way most people describe enterprise social networking platforms. After all, the look and feel of those platforms borrow a lot from the Facebook interface: status updates, @mentioning, groups, walls, profile pictures, direct messages, and so on. However, when implementing a social networking platform at your workplace, you’ll soon find that the resemblance with Facebook pretty much stops there: even though the building blocks are very similar, the overall playbook is very different. MORE >>