Since we’ve been pitted against all sorts of different marketing agencies lately — from PR firms to interactive shops to megalithic advertising agencies — I’ve been thinking about the interplay of these disciplines. How can we help the average corporate marketer distinguish between these puzzle pieces, since Social Media has created such a mash-up of our thinking?

The first truth I need to reveal is that the idea for this post is a bit of a response to a post by Sonia Simone of copyblogger titled – The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing. Sonia and I sparred a bit over the fact that “harsh realities” and making all this sound hard is something that keeps some small biz folks from diving in the way they should. Yes, it’s work, but what about marketing isn’t?

n August we reported that a large number of Fortune 100 companies have embraced Twitter, but how well are they actually using it? A study released today by Weber Shandwick says the answer is not very well, and that the majority of Fortune 100 companies don’t really get Twitter.

If you’ve been dragging your feet on social media, it’s time to take both of those feet and jump right in. The just released study on business use of social media from the folks at Business.com is must reading for content marketers who are active, tentative or hesitant about social media.

"In an age dominated by social media where personal photographs are ubiquitous, it becomes important to understand the ways personality is communicated via our appearance," said study researcher Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University. "The appearance one portrays in his or her photographs has important implications for their professional and social life."

Social media marketing is like flying an airplane. The sophisticated cockpit constantly calculates the extent to which the plan has shifted from its course route and makes the necessary adjustment to get the plane back on its course. In social media marketing, you must similarly be tracking and interpreting in order to know when and how much you must adjust your content strategy and your tactics to stay on course.

There are different personas that have emerged on Twitter, which one are you?

Could Twitter Lists herald a new form of real-time journalism that relies on up-to-the-minute curation of web content?

Friends with Benefits, a social media handbook by Darren Barefoot & Julie Szabo is a tactical guide of tricks, tips, & case studies that show you how to reach out to the new online influencers to increase your co.'s online visibility & website traffic. You'll learn how to create viral campaigns, craft a compelling social media pitch, & market effectively inside intimidating social media channels, where honesty & connections are far more important than the size of your marketing budget.

The new Twitter 'lists' feature is now available to all users. In case you missed it, just take quick peek on the right sidebar of your Twitter home page.

So what's the deal with Twitter lists? If you're a small business owner, do you now have a green light to uninstall Tweetdeck or Seeismic, and never log into the web based Hootsuite or CoTweet again? The answer is no.