In my opinion one of the most basic cornerstones to any social media engagement strategy is to find a real and authentic connection that can be made with a target audience.

Well, it's certainly been an interesting year for us, and I expect, for many other small and medium businesses.  While the "big guys" were making the headlines with bailouts, TARP payments, and all the rest of it, entrepreneurs and small business leaders have been burning the midnight oil to keep the doors open, with unfortunately little help from the top.

But hey, if there's one thing we know how to do, it's persevere. It's part of our DNA.

Here's yet another cautionary tale of how your efforts to create positive word of mouth online can really backfire if you don't take the time to learn your way around these communities.  On the other hand, it illustrates some simple things we can all strive for in building relationships online. 

I heard a fascinating story on NPR yesterday about the ubiquitous “star-based” online product ratings.  They cited a recent survey by Bazaarvoice Inc.  Bazaarvoice provides review software used by nearly 600 sites, and according to this survey the average online product review is 4.3 stars out of 5.  (Thanks to The Daily Beast blog for helping me find the original source of the review).