I’ve actually had people ask if I was going to blog about Michael Jackson’s passing which surprised me a bit. I know this blog is random-y and all but I don’t have much to contribute to the conversation, except this: the moniker “King of Pop” was given to him by his public relations people. The media did not dub him that. It did not rise up organically. His press people used to tell the media that if they wanted to use his likeness in a promo (say they were going to feature an interview with him on “20/20″), they could not use it unless they referred to him as the “King of Pop.”

Cross posted at Random Neural Firings.

Did you know that your business can have a fan page on Facebook?  It’s a great place to interact with your customers (or allow them to interact with one another), share exclusive content or deals, and continue developing those all-important relationships.  And lest you think Facebook is just for kids, think again.  70% of Facebook’s users are between 18 and 44.

Some well-known Facebook fan pages include:  Whole Foods, Victoria’s Secret, and Red Bull.  But it’s not just the big brands with a presence; small companies are setting up fan pages, too.  Look for inspiration at Zutano’s Facebook fan page. They do a great job of interacting with their fans, creating Facebook-only contests, and posting fun, behind-the-scenes photos of their staff.  Or check out Positive Parenting Solutions. They have useful tips and special offers.

We’ve been working on our Facebook fan page.  Please take a look and fan us!  We’re going to have a Facebook party on our fan page next Wednesday, July 1st.  Join us from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and win great prizes like Amazon gift cards.

We love a good April Fool’s Day joke as much as anyone. So we’re all wondering if IKEA is really about to unveil a new eco-friendly car or if it’s all a big April Fool’s joke. The release date is set for April 1st, after all.

Rumor Mill: Is IKEA Entering the Eco-Friendly Car Market? | Sustainability | Fast Company

This new site aggregates real prices of cars sold so you can see exactly what people are paying for that SUV collecting dust in the driveway.

Mashable: PriceHub Flips Kelley Blue Book on its Head

A friend posted this link on Facebook that details how to delete accounts from a bunch of sites. Personally, I’d love to get rid of my Classmates account and all those annoying emails. Anyhow, I thought there were some useful tidbits in here and wanted to share.

How to Delete Accounts from Any Website – Features by PC Magazine

Love this little interactive map I just found on Kiplinger’s (two days in a row, I know, I know!). They’ve taken the info available on the stimulus package and put it in a map detailing how much goes to each state and for what projects. For example, here’s what Georgia is expected to get.

HOW THE STIMULUS PACKAGE AFFECTS YOUR STATE

Our clients ask us all the time if they should have a business blog. We often answer with a qualified “yes.” Most don’t have time to maintain one, let alone figure out how to grow the traffic. For those of you who are actively blogging, here are some tips on how to grow traffic to your blog.

Cross posted at the SMB Hub (online meeting space for small and medium sized businesses)

My husband and I mock this product every time we see the commercial. I joke that the guy looks like a monk and that the sleeves are surely fire hazards. Chris is thinking of getting me one for my birthday. So imagine my surprise when I learned that Snuggies are flying off the shelves. Four million sold and a waiting list for more. Normally, I’d comment on their marketing strategy, or how their success reflects current trends, but today, I have only one word: huh?

Update: one of my Twitter buddies just told me she wears her robe backwards and ta-da! Instant Snuggie. Hilarious!

My favorite printing company, is also a pretty smart company. I’ve worked with them for years because they provide great quality printing at affordable prices. (We’ve tried other online discount printers and have been greatly disappointed with the quality.) Turns out their CEO, Andrew Field, is a strong advocate for SMB’s (small and medium sized businessess). He is concerned with how the credit crunch is affecting us and how we are largely being ignored in the current recovery conversations. He has a simple plan to help. It’s not a bailout. The government actually makes money if we do. Given that we employ 80% of the nation’s workforce, it seems reasonable to me that we ought to at least be in the conversation.

SMB’s don’t have natural organizations. We tend to clump together in verticals related to our industry. There is no giant lobbying group representing us in Washington.

But look, we have the Internet and a whole host of word-of-mouth tools. I’m going to post a link to Andrew Field’s proposal here on my blog. Then I’m going to put the link on my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. Read it. If you think the idea has merit, pass it along to your networks.

New Loans For Small Businesses – Forbes.com