Personally, I am not very big on rules.  I mean, I get why we need them, and I tend to abide by them... most of them anyway. But rules don't always make sense, despite what we learned in Zombieland. Here's a new rule:  Today the FDA announced plans to require the food industry to gradually phase out all trans fats, saying they are a threat to people's health.

Facebook, whose stated mission is to make the world more open and connected,  publicly acknowledged today that its true goal under the direction of CEO Mark Zuckerberg is to open the world's pockets and connect with their wallets.

The problem with the world today is that there are just too many people to keep track of.  Even with the explosion of social media, there are just too many people.  As a result, even some of the great ones manage to slip under the radar.

During the month of October, we are taking a look at social media services and breaking down their key attributes to introduce you to some of the latest players in the game. Click to learn more about the Investigating Social Media Services series.

During the month of October, we are taking a look at social media services and breaking down their key attributes to introduce you to some of the latest players in the game. Click to learn more about the Investigating Social Media Services series.

If it feels like the process of measuring the ROI of social media is a bit like the search for the Holy Grail, you may be on to something. But the suggested measurement methodology of Jim Tobin (founder and president of Ignite Social Media, a social media marketing agency in Cary) – assuming the reporter is being accurate – is beyond the gates of the Castle Augh.

Two days ago I posted what I promised would by my last commentary on the de-evolution of JCPenney.  But Ilied. And it's not my fault. Mike Ullman's new strategy is to make daily announcements about JCPenney until everyone finally surrenders and starts shopping at the retailer again.

During the month of October, we are taking a look at social media services and breaking down their key attributes to introduce you to some of the latest players in the game. Click to learn more about the Investigating Social Media Services series.  We recently stumbled across the World Market Gourmet Giveaway and naturally, wanted to see what kind of contest platform they were using to conduct this delicious contest.

Seriously, this is the last time I plan to talk about JCPenney and its "leadership." New old CEO Mike Ullman claims a turnaround is underway... "Over the last six months, we have made significant strides and are now seeing positive signs in many important areas of the business," said Ullman.