When a company’s brand is at stake, the way that they handle it says a lot about them. The recent Motrin example showed companies the need to wake up to the social media audience when it comes to protecting their brand. So why do so many still not have either a social media voice or really listen to what’s being said about them? Are there any excuses that are valid?

Many people view blogging and writing as the same thing. After all, isn’t blogging just an extension of writing? You write an article and transfer that to your blog – that’s just writing then, isn’t it? Or is it true that blogging is completely different from writing in that it offers a more personal voice?

With almost 200 million blogs worldwide, blogging has never been more popular. From sharing what you’re up to in your personal life to professional blogging, there’s something for everyone. With this amount of blogs, sometimes good ones can get lost in the crowd, which is where recommendations and blog love come in. Who’s on your list?

The amount of businesses that still aren’t utilizing social media isn’t getting any smaller. Despite case studies and figures showing that social media continues to force its way into the mainstream as an extremely effective tool for connections and expanding your networks. Yet are the businesses to blame, or does the real fault lie with those who are the loudest supporters of social media?

Social media is many things to many people. For some it’s simply a way of connecting and making new friends online. For others, it’s an essential tool in their strategy of online brand building. With this in mind, I offer a series of interviews where different people share their views with me on how they use social media. Sharing his thoughts this time around is John Easton, founder of Eastonsweb Multimedia.

If you’re wondering what you want from social media, you could always think of how you like your eggs boiled. There are two trains of thought when it comes to boiling an egg – soft or hard boiled. This pretty much equates to delving into social media – gently or full-on. So, how do you boil your eggs?

Magpie is a new third-party advertising model for Twitter users. It works by members of the Magpie service advertising products on behalf of Magpie customers through Tweets in their Twitter stream. By promoting these products in this manner, Twitter users can earn passive income for doing nothing. So why is there such a groundswell of negativity toward the Magpie service on Twitter?

As we approach the end of the year and Christmas gets ever closer, I thought it’d be nice to offer a slightly different take on one of the season’s best-loved songs. After all, Christmas and social media are made for each other – both are all about the giving and sharing. So, with apologies to lyrical geniuses everywhere, I give you the 12 Days of Social Media Christmas. Enjoy.

Social media is many things to many people. For some it’s simply a way of connecting and making new friends online. For others, it’s an essential tool in their strategy of online brand building. With this in mind, I offer a series of interviews where different people share their views with me on how they use social media. Sharing her thoughts this time around is Susan Murphy, a partner at Jester Creative Inc.

The Mashable Open Web awards 2008 nominations votes have been counted and the results are in. Now, for the next 11 days, the voting round proper begins. With 26 categories and a mix of the expected and unexpected companies and applications, have your favourites made the cut?