are the ones that work.  

Here are my favorites, and why they work so well.

1.  Share personal stories about your life with complete strangers.

You can't just talk about authenticity; you have to reveal it.  This is the only way you will build a fan base for your blog or social media pages.  This is your reality show.  Sure, you can be shocking and over the top, which is entertaining.  But unless your name is Fred and your audience is little kids, my recommendation is to just use some social media wizardy and pull back the curtain.  

LinkedIn can be a very valuable tool for B2B professionals to meet colleagues they'd never otherwise have access to, network with those they don't see very often and engage in conversations on topics of interest. It's also one heck of a community for getting to know your prospects and customers.

LinkedIn can also expose a lack of integrity and authenticity in a heartbeat.

During yesterday's NPR program On Point with Tom Ashbrook: Are We Facing A New Tech Bubble?, Peter Thiel--PayPal co-founder, hedge fund manager, VC, and early investor and board member of Facebook--hinted at the business strategy of most social sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google +:

    "I would submit that [Facebook] is much better than passive forms of entertainment like watching....Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/its-all-about-feeding-hungers/

A few tips to immediately improve your facebook page for those of you using it for business. How to deal with those friends who send a little “too much information.”

I like social media. I spend some time out here, and I have developed some nice relationships. Some of those relationships have turned into real personal relationships. Some of them have turned into business relationships.

The idea behind social media is connection, engagement, and sharing. It’s about winning friends, and sometimes it’s about influencing people. Some people struggle to understand this, mistakenly believing that they need to tear others down.

According to research carried out by eMarketer, US marketeers will spend over $3 billion on social network advertisements this year. That would mean that ad spend in this region would see growth levels of 55% in comparison with 2010.

The most recent forecast is a far more positive outcome than previous estimations, with the 2011 figures looking to beat initial predictions by some $1 billion. The rise will also increase...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/social-media-advertising-2011/

When I was first exposed to Twitter, I was not just negative, I was militant. The idea that a 140-character message was an effective form of communication was ridiculous. The time-suck of all-day blathering about my life, my wife, my meals, my dog, and on and on was offensive to my mid-west work ethic. Worse, I found the constant reading of everyone else’s details and their pandering for micro-fame in the digital ether numbing and nauseating.

My marketing partner is a nag. A twenty nine year-old, social-media-addicted...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/7/28/tweeting-my-off-7-tips-for-using-twitter-to-make.html

Want to know the quickest way to connect with others on LinkedIn? Join a group. 

Groups are an easy way to meet people and develop relationships that can be leveraged for business.  You can join up to 50 groups, but a more effective strategy is to limit yourself to 10 or 20 groups, so you have time to participate and engage in discussions, and make meaningful connections. Here are a few tips on how to use groups effectively to build your business: 

1. Join groups related to your target audience. Find groups that don’t have...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/7/26/how-to-use-linkedin-to-make-more-sales-to-read-more.html

While several companies and small businesses use company pages on Facebook, many of them overlook the ability of a LinkedIn company page. Developing a professional appeal to consumers provides a "trust-like" factor. This is something several businesses miss in the online world.

LinkedIn has been around for years and was considered the first "real" professional social network. While there were a few who came before them, LinkedIn presented a style and appeal we could find in the offline world. Today it is one of the...Read more at http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/7/19/build-and-attract-consumers-with-a-linkedin-page-to.html

Once you build that fan page, here are three things you can do to get more fans sharing your information and driving more fans your way. Watch the video here http://www.soldlab.com/news/2011/7/14/getting-more-fans-for-those-facebook-pages-video-to.html