It's my birthday and I have some great news! In January of 2011, I said that I'd make our Internet Marketing Posts of 2011 subscriber only . And I did . Many loyal readers have checked in on the newsletter throughout 2011 to get both evergreen content , the content that typically embraces these monthly updates, in addition to something completely new, monthly digital trends - the stuff you use for presentations and proposals,

A few years ago, a colleague of mine was given a tremendous responsibility to oversee the social media department at a prestigious well known NYC-based public relations firm. Less than a year later, she was sent packing up her desk, a casualty of a company that jumped into that shiny toy syndrome that people call social media. As more companies jump into social media, they, too,

I hit inbox zero for the sixth or seventh time this week in not one but two email accounts which feed in 13 email addresses total. Once an impossibility, it's now an everyday occurrence. In fact, it's now a true mindset. Because I've streamlined this process so well, I figure other people would benefit from my tips to make inbox zero a true reality. This is especially important as web users have the expectation of fast replies in our fast paced social media world.

This is a guest post from Mukund Mohan . When Brian Solis and I launched BuzzGain in January 2009, we had 5 primary blog)ger(s who covered us out of the top 10 influential ones that we targeted and 27 other blogs that made a mention of our launch. Chris Brogan , Louis Gray , Mashable ) Jennifer Van Grove (, TechCrunch ) Jason Kincaid ( and Brian Solis covered us over 2 days. Thanks to some deft management by Brian,

This is a guest post from Sunil Sajnani . I generate most of my revenues online through niche websites that I research, set up, optimize, market and leave on auto pilot. For me, free organic search engine traffic is invaluable and is the lifeblood of the passive and residual income streams I have established online over the years. As good as it works for me, search engine optimization )SEO( is not the be all end all for everyone.

This is a guest post from Marshall Sponder , author of the newly released Social Media Analytics . Recently, I was asked if Social Analytics sheds light on the nature of online events like the Netflix Outrage , which happened a few weeks ago as customers voiced extreme disappointment at Netflix for imposing a $6 a month increase for customers who still wanted DVD delivery. Not being a Netflix subscriber, I really don't have a position on this,

This is a guest post by Shannon Evans Suetos . We live in a time where we learn more about our friends and family through Facebook updates than through any other form of communication. Twitter usually scoops news outlets like CNN, and LinkedIn can open the door to your new dream job. In June, comScore reported that one out of every six minutes is spent on a social network. Think about that; you spend more time on Facebook than if you ran a half marathon.

With the breadth and depth of social media services out there, it's no wonder that we often find ourselves lost in the vast array of services. Further, those who are seasoned may seem at a loss in the apparent "simplicity" of it all. I took the opportunity to contact some of my esteemed friends and colleagues who are experts in their field and asked for their advice on their favorite little known social media secret and social media tools,

With social media now a mainstream activity " after all, nearly 700 million users are on Facebook , 300 million users are on Twitter , 61.4% of global internet users are managing online profiles , and millions of other users are engaging online across thousands of social platforms " it's imperative that a business have a functional social media plan. Indeed, social media is useful in at least six parts of your company's functions : sales, marketing & public relations,

This is a guest post by Tim Ware, owner of HyperArts . You can follow Tim on Twitter or on Facebook . With Facebook's recent changes to the layout of fan pages )aka business pages, aka brand pages(, has come the opportunity for those with creativity to design a much more compelling and fully branded page. Much More Screen Real Estate! In the old Page layout there was really only the Profile Picture and custom tabs where design could be applied. The new layout,

As many of you know, I'm a work at home mom who operates as a consultant, ad sales manager for Mashable, and soon-to-be startup founder all from one single Dell laptop which I use as a desktop. Having a home office is both a blessing and a curse; the ability not to commute makes my life easier and saves me about 3-4 hours per day. However, that also means I'm working from morning until night. While some would like to have a defined 9-5 schedule, I do not,

This is a guest post by Danny Wong. When social media started getting popular with businesses, there was a lot of excitement from consumers because they could now interact with companies on a more personal level rather than dealing with companies just like another transaction. Businesses could now show some personality rather than hiding behind a computer and a fixed script. While social media has evolved into a lot of other things, such as a great marketing tactic,

In 2011, my highly anticipated Internet Marketing Best Posts is being moved to subscription only . For years, I've spent thousands of hours to find you amazing content. One of you even thinks it's worth $1,000,000 . Would you do $1 million of work for free ? Didn't think so. In 2011, the best content will be sent to those who sign up to my newsletter. In addition, beyond the general high quality and evergreen posts on Internet Marketing,

When the Cluetrain Manifesto was published in 1999, it signaled a paradigm shift: markets are conversations. Today, the online space and affordability of web hosting and domain names has helped create billions of conversations about your brand, your industry, and critical key players in your space. It's up to you to capitalize this and leverage it effectively. I asked a big brand on Twitter for help and they gave me a canned response.

Almost exactly a year ago, I observed Kathryn Peck represent EA SPORTS on Twitter. Her community outreach on behalf of Electronic Arts was amazing and her engagement with customers gives all of us lessons to live by. I knew that as a community manager myself, I had to ask her about her own experiences with social media within a company that seemed to have been an early adopter of sorts in the social media community management realm. Here's what I've learned from her. 1.

Every year, I spend hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours reading articles on Internet Marketing for my annual Best Internet Marketing Posts blog post. The effort to find these posts, read them thoroughly, identify whether they meet certain criteria, and categorize them takes an incredibly huge toll on me, but at the end of the day, I've been proud to provide regular content to my readers. Over the last five years,

As many of you know, I have an annual tradition of giving back to the community on my birthday, which is why this year is no different. Of course, then, today is my birthday, but it's a big one. Today, I turn 30. I started this "best posts" idea five years ago and it's grown huge. 2010 by far was the biggest year yet in the Internet Marketing realm. That's why this is the biggest post I've ever written )with over 11,000 words(. In honor of my birthday,

This is a guest post by Jennifer Mattern. Is your company's social media strategy really working? Could it stand for some improvement? Whether you feel that you've maxed out the potential of your current social media efforts or you feel like nothing you do is really helping, it's time to step up your game. Now is the perfect time to make changes for the New Year. So why not spice up your social media strategy and make it work even harder for you?

This is a guest post by David Siteman Garland, author of newly released book Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business . Digital schomoozers. You know the type. They have REALLY engaged social networks. It seems no matter what they post, their readers and followers respond and engage with them as a result. And in many cases,

For many smaller businesses who have no real online reach or visibility, social media is a blessing that can establish the business rather easily once you connect with the right people. For other businesses, their brand is already so well known that they may feel that they don't have to step into social media at all. I've been working lately with several brands who already are mainstays in our households,