Well, it’s been nine months since Empire Avenue opened its doors to the public and it seems to have really established itself as one of the more addicting social games out there. The site has evolved significantly since it’s launch, adding a enhancements such as the ability to invest in Twitter accounts, regardless of whether they have joined the site.

Social media doesn’t have to be hard. Just follow a few simple rules. What rule would you add? How would you help those new to social in their initial efforts?

Most people who know me, would never classify me as an introvert. If you saw me at a dinner party or a conference, you’d probably never guess it, because I’m usually the guy telling stories, laughing loudly, and entertaining the crowd.

If I have one more person ask me what my Klout score is….I’m going to barf.

Seems like a lot of the Twitter profiles I come across lately of social media professionals have the term “expert”, “guru”, or “wizard” somewhere in the profile.

Let’s face it…everyone loves to be validated. Whether it’s a retweet on Twitter, a Like on Facebook, or a recommendation on LinkedIn, we all feel good when someone acknowledges that what we offer is valuable or the work we have done was good. However, while I’m a big proponent of RTs and Likes, I recently have changed my thinking on recommendations for LinkedIn.

As social media engagement grows, organizations will need to begin adding social media expenses into their budgets as part of the cost of doing business. Like telephones, computers, and websites, having a Facebook page and Twitter account, and the appropriate headcount to support them, will soon be commonplace.

Whenever I’m asked to give a brief history of social networking or social media, I start by letting the audience know that these activities and tools aren’t a new phenomena that developed with the launches of sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.

Niche social networks are popping up all over the place, but rarely do they impress me as much as StripGenerator.com. I was searching for an online cartoon generator to capture some of my social media experiences and got a full-blown social network in return.

I have decided to practice the good lessons I learned from the #blogchat community and use my blog today to spread the word about a silent epidemic that is impacting the U.S. every day.