Introducing brands today is much the same as it has always been: Advertisers give people what they want. People want to talk about their brand experiences, and share and compare their experiences with peers. This desire has given birth to myriad branded social networks, such as the new PepsiUniverse , the Toyota Hybrid Community and Adidas Teamsugar . Consumer generated brand buzz is an extension of what people do naturally: Tell stories to their friends.

Around here at the weekly staff meetings we have "Tool Time" where staff members discuss their favorite tools. While I do find my share of new online tools and gadgets to tinker with, I also go back in time a lot looking for old versions of software or utilities that "just worked." Thankfully I found this great site the other day, OldVersion.com , that consolidates some of the best old software versions in one place. Need an older version of Firefox ,

Remember the days when "surfing the Web" was all the rage? Normally today people have a set of "trusted sites" they visit often, with occasional forays into unknown territory. While the headlines remind us about Facebook's popularity, a number of retail sites are building strong communities of their own. Perceptions are changing. Is Netflix.com a place to sign up for DVD deliveries, or is it a place to get movie reviews written by people who like what I like? Is Zappos.

As a smart email marketer I'm sure you've read articles on how to increase opens, how to write catchy subject lines, and how to create compelling offers. If you're looking for a powerful way to win over your customers, consider the timing of your email messages. The timing of your email messages is as important as the content. Send too many emails at the wrong time and you run the risk of alienating the customer.

Have you ever been caught in a pinch where you needed to update a customer's HTML email template and just can't get the right look and feel? As a veteran of the email marketing wars I have spent more hours than I would care to mention tinkering with and cobbling together templates to create email newsletters that 1( Function well in the majority of email clients, and 2( Offer layouts conducive to getting users to click through. As savvy email marketers,