I've been doing a lot of consulting work with Salem area business to get them up to speed on using social media to promote their products, services and customers. Once we get through all the techie-talk, the next question is always, "Now what do I write about?"

Content is king on the internet, and social media uses communities of users to create the content through interaction. I find that the best way to describe how to create great content is to show these clients and members some great examples.

It's safe to say I was a little more than excited to be one of 50 people in the world invited to an exclusive, private session with my favorite author and change-agent, Seth Godin. I think I was more grateful for the invitation from Seth's people than for my first trip to New York City. I couldn't wait to grab a New York bagel on my 8 block walk in the Big Apple from my hotel to the conference.

All bagels and cream cheese aside, Godin spent four of our five hours together in a casual conversation, spending only the first hour with prepared remarks about his latest book, Linchpin. The subtitle describes the book best: "Are You Indispensable?"

My Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and Tim Fahndrich of Third River Marketing were featured in the Wall Street Journal article, Filling in the Gaps. In the article, our Face2Face online networking platform is featured as a leading innovation in providing services using technology to businesses who need greater connections and visibility in this economic climate.