Google’s Story of Send Ever wonder where your email goes before it gets to a recipient? This fun video gives a behind the scenes look at Gmail’s email delivery system.

Twitter To Email Top Stories If you feel like you miss a lot of important tweets, fear not: Twitter is about to send top stores directly to your inbox.

Facebook Value Calculator Find out how much you’re worth to Facebook based on your connectivity, sharing activity and gaming propensity.

Facebook Timeline Increases Engagement lots of good news for page admins this week. Not only do the tried and true engagement tactics still work, but Timeline makes them even more effective.

Behind The Scenes With A Facebook Page Admin It’s easy to forget that there’s a real live person behind the keys of your favorite Facebook pages. See what they have to say.

The History of Facebook, Timeline Style It’s Facebook IPO day! Take a stroll through their history in this infographic that makes use of the new Timeline layout.

Foursquare Creates More Searchable History I can’t be the only one who still loves Foursquare, right? Search your old check-ins to find that hole in the wall you checked into and forgot about.

Using Twitter Data to Map Emotions Geographically Ever wondered how happy, sad or sexual a city was, and what certain neighborhoods were feeling? Now you can find out!

How Social Media Is Integrated Into Retail Browsing your favorite store? You could soon see Facebook “likes” displayed on hangars as retailers bring online “likes” into the real world.

Geeky <3 Heart Ring I love dorky/geeky/gadget-y accessories. I also love hearts. This ring is the perfect mix of both and needs to join my jewelry box ASAP.

How Facebook’s Timeline Layout Affects Brand Content Now that the dust has settled around Facebook’s Timeline updates, it’s time to take advantage of these changes. Here’s how.

Eye tracking studies have shown that while on a brand’s page, Facebook users look at the cover photo longer than anything else. It makes sense; it’s at the top of the page and takes up a large chunk of real estate. So be sure it’s conveying the message and brand look/feel
that you want; consider it your page’s outfit for a first date. You want it to look good, but you also want fans to “like” your page, and that takes more than just a superficial connection based on the cover photo. That’s where content comes in.

Post Plenty of Content

After the cover photo, users spend a significant portion of their on-page time looking at the content on a brand’s wall. The dual columns allow them to take in more content at once, but it also can make it harder for certain posts to stick out. Take a look back at your last few weeks’ worth of updates and see what you eye is drawn to, and what you’re glossing over. You don’t want to cram too much info in your cover photo, and your wall posts are the next biggest opportunity for fan viewing.

Use Photos To Attract Attention

Clearly, pictures work well on Facebook. That’s been true for awhile, and the eye tracking studies, combined with Facebook’s higher EdgeRank weighting for photographic content as opposed to text based updates, provides an even greater incentive to get camera happy. Incorporate images into posts to draw a user’s eyes down your page’s wall, and to stand out in their Newsfeed. Remember, they have many other friends and brand connections for you to contend with; do whatever you can to stand out.

Pin Important Updates

One of the most useful content features of a Facebook Timeline brand page is the ability to “pin” a post to the top of the page. This ensures that this is the first piece of content that page visitors see on your wall, but also allows you to keep new content flowing in the Newsfeed. The pinned post remains at the top of the wall and new content displays in reverse chronological order below it. Try it out with your next contest or campaign; it’s a very simple but useful option.

Remember What Worked Before

The basics of Facebook content still apply: don’t talk too much, take a break from talking about yourself all the time, focus on engagement. Always keep in mind that your updates will be shown alongside a fan’s friends, family, coworkers, etc. You have a lot of competition on Facebook, and not just from the brands you might think. Real estate is at a premium in the Newsfeed, and most fans don’t visit your page very often. This makes content crucial to getting–and keeping–Facebook fans.

TweetCharts Twitter Data Get a clear, easy to read picture of a word, phrase, username #hashtag or URL on Twitter with this new tool. (From yours truly’s husband, Dan Zarrella.)

Say “Happy Birthday” With a Gift Certificate on Facebook Forget a lame wall post. Give an actual gift through Facebook for your next buddy’s b-day…provided they meet the target demographic, of course.

How To Request Connections On LinkedIn It sounds simple, but everyone can use a refresher. These 5 tips will ensure your connection acceptance rate goes up.

How 7 Brands Are Using Facebook’s New Ad Tools Thinking of playing around with Facebook’s new paid tools and options? Get some inspiration from these pages.

Like/Dislike Stamps for Real Life I “like” a lot of stuff…but to be honest, I probably “dislike” a whole lot more! These stamps are perfect for real world situations where there’s no Facebook button around.

Connecting online can be a great first step towards meeting new clients, reaching out about a job opening, securing a recommendation or just reconnecting with old coworkers. But as a business networking site,  LinkedIn has its own unique set of quirks and unspoken rules to follow. Here’s how to navigate them.

1) Get Your Facts Straight

LinkedIn helps you find connections based on the information you provide them. They’ll also use this to pre-populate options for introducing yourself to connections, so take the time to fill out your bio as completely as possible. And be accurate! It doesn’t help to lie here; the last thing you want is connections asking for things you can’t deliver or employers spotting your exaggerations.

2) Show Your Face

You’d be surprised how many profiles have no picture on LinkedIn, even though they are actively using the site and requesting connections. It’s so easy to add a photo, there’s no excuse not to. And besides all the contextual info and details you can use to explain who you are, the quickest way to get me to remember you and accept your request is to see your face and match a face to a name.

3) Tell The Truth

When you go to connect with someone, the first thing LinkedIn asks is “how do you know this person?” Be honest. Selecting “friend” to avoid having to add details won’t win you points if we’ve never met, either online or off. And saying we “worked together” is not the same as ” did business together.” We’re starting off on the wrong foot if you’re trying to skirt the rules put in place by LinkedIn.

4) Give Me Details

Assuming you’ve now accurately selected how we met, give me some background. If we worked or went to school together, remind me where. Same goes for doing business together; it’s much more likely I remember the guy I saw every day at work then the vendor I met once 3 years ago. And if we don’t know each other? Say that, then use your note to explain why you want to connect.

5) Make It Personal

And I mean actually personal, not fake personal. LinkedIn will let you create a single custom message to accompany all your requests, but go beyond that. Especially if we don’t really know each other. Tell me why we should connect. Do you follow my blog, sit across from me in kindergarten, pull my name out of a hat? Tell me! This is your chance to be creative and make a great first impression.

Follow these steps and your connection acceptance rate should quickly increase. Not to mention, you’ll be opening the door for a better professional relationship you can actually use in the future. And isn’t that what you were going for?

Have another tip, or ever gotten a really memorable LinkedIn request? Share your best connection stories in the comments below!

10 Brands That Are Killing It On Pinterest Not sure how to use Pinterest for your brand? Get some marketing inspiration from these companies who know how (and what) to pin.

Absurd Tweets Illustrated If you’ve ever scratched your head at some of the random stuff posted on Twitter, these watercolors are for you.

The State Of The Web This humorous look at what’s up online by The Oatmeal gets to the heart of current digital news, and frustrations. (I especially like his take on Facebook news reader apps.)

Facebook Increases Profile Picture Size For Brands Facebook is at it again, this time making a small tweak to Timeline pages for brands. Their profile photos are rumored to be increasing to 160 x 160 pixels.

10 Internet Plagues If the internet was around back in the day…this is what the plagues would have looked like. Spam, trolls and of course, useless Facebook apps that melt your brain.

Facebook Real-Time Page Insights Page admins will now have (almost) real-time analytics for their page with updates posted every 15 minutes.

Brands On Facebook Don’t Get The Picture Photos are ranked more highly than other content on Facebook, and brand pages need to get with the program. Don’t post links back to your site; show cool photos!

Find a Date Based on Your Klout Score If you’ve ever thought “I need to date someone with more social media influence” then this dating site is for you. Potentially useful for upgrades at Twitter-savvy restaurants.

How To “Like-Gate” Tabs in Facebook Timeline The default landing page for all organic Facebook brand traffic is now the Wall, but you can still like-gate fans with creative marketing.

5 Key Facebook Metrics to Measure Keep your eye on these simple-yet-useful measurements to track your effectiveness, engagement and influence on Facebook.

10 Twitter Tips for Public Figures I love seeing celebrities and CEOs actually using Twitter, not running through PR agencies. Follow these tips to do it right.

Look Like An Expert On Facebook This handy infographic is full of useful stats to help you become a Facebook “expert” in 5 minutes.

Facebook Says: Buy Ads

Facebook issued a statement clarifying that while tabs (now called apps) can no longer be selected as the default landing page for non-fans, the practice of incentivizing new fans by hiding content and displaying only once a user “likes” the page is not gone. Rather, pages can send ad traffic to dedicated tabs for this purpose.

Facebook  is focused on making money, so it’s not surprising that they are pushing brands toward buying more ads. But how else can you make this work for you? Sure, if you’ve got a little money to spend, try out Facebook ads; their targeting capabilities are fantastic. But don’t stop there

I Say: Get Creative and Target Traffic Sources

Push your marketing team to think beyond what Facebook wants you to do and get inside the heads of potential fans. Send an email blast to your list that drives to a landing tab with an offer that’s revealed only when they click “like,” and tease that offer in the email. Cross-promote your brand and your social channels and tweet the link to this tab. Post it on your blog or an appropriate part of your site based on the content that’s there, and tie it back to the offer.

The beauty of this change to the default tab is that every page starts off on the same foot: organic traffic goes to the Wall. It’s up to you to make the most of other tabs. You can control who you send where, whether that is by buying Facebook ads and targeting certain keywords to different tabs, emailing your list based on selective criteria and tailoring Facebook offers to past behavior or linking from blog posts and lead forms to a tab offer that’s likely to get you more clicks, and more fans.

Your Facebook Fans Are Your Best Customers Yes, I would have guessed this, but now Forrester has actual data to prove it. They found that “being a Facebook fan of the brand boosts purchase, consideration, and recommendation.”

How To Customize Facebook Tab Icons Give your Facebook page a mini-facelift with this easy guide to swapping out your own tab or app icons in the new Timeline layout.

Pinterest Contest Highlights Dangers of Driving in Heels Pinterest is all the rage right now, but many brands have struggled with how to actually use it to their advantage. This PSA is an effective and fun idea.

Stumbling Gets More Social With Facebook App Am I the only one who still uses StumbleUpon? Whatever, I love it. Confession: I often Stumble to find things to Pin. With the new app, I can Facebook ‘em too. Sweet.

Facebook Introduces New Instagram Filters This week’s big news was Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of photo sharing app Instagram. Obviously these “Facebook Filters” are a joke, but they’re pretty dead-on about the types of photos running rampant on the site.

Customizing Facebook Tab Icons

Facebook shows 4 tabs (now called apps) in the default display of a Facebook page. Users can then click to show up to 8 more, giving brands a total of 12 spots to play with. App pages can now be up to 810 pixels wide, providing greater flexibility for marketers and a better user experience for fans. App icons have gotten an upgrade as well, expanding from just 16 x 16 pixels to 111 x 74 pixels in the new Timeline format. And while app icons were previously controlled exclusively by the developer and left no room for customization, Admins can now switch out icons as often as they want.

To update a tab or app icon on a Facebook brand page you control, go to the Admin Panel and click “manage.” From there, select “edit page,” then navigate to the “apps” section on the left hand side and select “edit settings” for the tab you want to update. Select “change ” next to Custom Tab and upload the icon you want for that tab. Remember, your icon can be up to 111 x 74 pixels, so use the space you’ve got!

You can update the icon for all the apps except for photos, which is controlled by your most recently updated photos, and the “like” count. You can also rearrange apps to give the most prominence to current campaigns or new content.  Consider creating custom branded stock icons  for things like email signup, news, etc. and rotating campaign icons frequently to attract new viewers. With this icon customization option, you can give your Facebook page a quick an easy facelift whenever you want.