With the political season in full swing, social media can be a source of community or a source of anxiety. Shutting it off periodically as I did last weekend when I was out at the beach is an option. So is understanding vetting, trolls and the implications it all has on your personal brand. Which is what I offer in this week’s edition, plus a few other items - just because I can. 

Your thoughts and feedback are always appreciated!

Just because it’s online doesn’t make it true
I know that sounds so simple, but since it’s clear that not everyone has gotten that memo, my recent blog on why you should vet that article you are about to share before you post and how it affects your digital brand’s reputation is worth a read. 

How to control your Facebook newsfeed
While it’s true that much of what you see is determined by Facebook’s fancy algorithms, if you are bothered by what you see and read or want to see more of certain people’s posts and less of others, there are settings you can adjust. This link will help you get started. Just be forewarned, after a Facebook update, it’s always wise to go back in and make sure their changes did not affect your preferences.

The best way to deal with the trolls
As Guy Kawasaki points out in this article on how to spot one, dealing with Internet trolls is one of the price tags you pay for participating in social media. They tend to be anonymous and are known to delete their accounts rather abruptly as this one did when tangling with Kelly Clarkson on Twitter during Michelle Obama’s DNC speech this week. They don’t like to be found out and when they think they might be, they run scared.

What you might not know is that trolling can be a paid job and in this hotly contested political season supporters on both sides are using it as a tactic - some from as far away as Russia.

The best way to deal with the trolls, as pointed out in this article in the Guardian is to ignore them. They hate it when they don’t get attention. 

How social media as customer service works
Based on personal experience here’s what I found out this week about how Chopt Salad and Seamless are using social media as a customer service tool.

Girls just want to learn how to code
With over 2 million apps in the Apple store alone, it’s not always that easy to find one worth downloading - especially for young girls. But this latest from GoldieBlox, aims to inspire ages four and up to learn how to code - a skill worth honing in the digital age!

The courtship of Twitter and Television continues
Twitter inked a big deal this week to live-stream broadcasts from MLB and the NHL.

I’ve predicted for a long time that live television can help Twitter figure out how to make money and Twitter can help live television to extend it’s reach - so this and more to come makes perfect sense.

No bullet points. Story only.
This week I was on a panel on the Future of Content. Story was the center of the conversation. That’s what engages us. Not resumes. Here are some tips to take those traditional resume bullets and turn them into story.  

to be continued,