Whether you like him or not, there’s no denying that Jason Calacanis is a larger-than-life character that draws an equal share of positive and negative press. CEO of web engine Mahalo.com and co-founder of the likes of Weblogs Inc. and TechCrunch50, Calacanis has always been someone that advocates surrounding yourself with the very best and accepting no average imitations. Which makes his company’s latest job posting a tad ironic and contradictory.

One of the many benefits of social media is the way it encourages interaction, both on a personal and a business level. From building an online identity to offering/receiving expert knowledge and support, there’s no doubting that social media offers a medium for growth and community previously unseen. So why would proponents of social media make their blogs or websites anything but social?

Leading tech blog ReadWriteWeb recently published a report on what the Top 20 bloggers were earning, while also looking at the average paid blog income. The results were varied and surprising. With the current economic crisis, however, many media and web sources are saying that the days of the professional blogger and social media consultants are numbered. Do you agree?

If someone were to ask you what your brand is, how would you answer them? Would it be your slogan or tag-line? Your logo? Perhaps it’d be your product or service? Then again, maybe it’s your business’s direction. If the question doesn’t give you an immediate answer, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Here I look at what your brand is and why you need to look after it.

The world of social media and the applications in it are growing at a seemingly unstoppable rate. From Twitter to Digg, Friendfeed to Stumbleupon, Technorati and more – there seems to be a never-ending amount of social media apps to choose from. Into the equation comes MeeID – one of the simplest social media apps yet, with a simple userface and limited information on display. Is MeeID just the latest in a long line of apps that will soon be forgotten, or can it find a niche of its own?

This year’s US Presidential election is possibly the most important ever. After eight years of flawed leadership and politics from George Bush, the US is in an economic crisis and its reputation is in shreds worldwide. Yet despite this, the debates continue to see the worst of politics – direct questions receiving roundabout answers and side swerves. I decided to take a look at how the debates might go down if the candidates were limited to answering questions with the 140 character limit of popular social media app Twitter.

Bloggers and blogging often come in for criticism from both those outside the blogosphere, and in the mainstream media. A lot of this criticism is understandable, with many bloggers and blog commenters engaging in nothing more than juvenile insults and fanboy hysteria. Yet when done properly, blogging offers one of the most open and provocative mediums around. Nowhere is this more evident than the annual Blog Action Day, and this year’s topic is both relevant and urgent.

Go to Google and search for information on social media, and in particular social media sites and applications, and you could find yourself swamped with the results. Whether it’s the tools to promote your blog, website or similar, or the actual applications themselves, social media is a virtual jungle of choices. So where do you start, and more to the point, has the social media bubble already burst?

If there’s one thing that has always been a constant, whether in the movies or real life advice, it’s that nice guys don’t come first. The most successful businesses have always been the ones that had a managerial ruthless streak and took no prisoners, while the nice guys never got the girl. Or did they? Is social media finally showing everyone how to really make a difference and earn respect, without the need for bullying and selfishness?

Journalism is one of the oldest and most-respected forms of media around. For over 150 years, newspapers and those that write for them have helped keep the general public informed on the stories that matter, as well as offer comfort in times of need. Yet for all the great journalists out there, there will always be one that seems to be out of touch with what’s current. Christie Blatchford of Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail offers one such example.