There is a lot happening in the world of social media right now! Logical timing though, considering that the holidays are right around the corner, and everyone is looking to capitalize on the hard-earned dollars of the consumer. So what's new?

Instagram finally started rolling out sponsored images last Friday. They have been talking about it for months, and you knew with Facebook at the helm, it was a done deal. The brand machine, Michael Kors offered up the very first "ad" for Instagram when they pushed out this image to their followers, and judging from the mixed response, a lot of people are NOT happy to see them in their streams. Interestingly though... not everyone who saw that image saw it as an ad. Only the people that Kors targeted saw it with the required "sponsored" tag that is embedded in the top right hand corner of the image (not shown).

Speaking of Facebook... have you noticed the little bar at the top of your screen telling you that "soon people will be able to search your timeline by your name"?  What's this you say? Have you ever wondered how some random person could comment on your photos or posts? While they may seem random, if you did a little digging, you'd find that they're really not. There's a connection somewhere... whether it's your kid, spouse, or Great Aunt Betty... that random person is connected to you. So what does this mean? Go back and check your privacy settings, and you can take it one step further and whenever you post, make sure that you adjust the "who can see this post/picture" to "friends." Why are they doing it? Well, Facebook has their reasons, but my theory is for the same reason they opened the privacy settings for the teens... data mining.  They want more of your info.

Getting ready for the holidays? If you're a retailer, make sure you're making your images pinnable!! If you need a refresher course, here's my post from earlier this year on how to do it! If you need any more convincing, read this article on how Target is going ALL IN on Pinterest this year for the holidays. It's insane. And you SHOULD be using Instagram to showcase your items... don't let a few Michael Kors naysayers ruin your plan! Just though you don't kill your audience with too many, it's such a great way to let people know about the cute handbags, trinkets, candles that you just got in and how they won't last!

Google+ is rolling out custom urls to users. I have changed most of the pages that I oversee, but not everyone has the ability to do it yet. The easiest way to know if you're eligible is either by getting an email from them or logging in to your account, and if you see a notice at the top of your page, click on it and it will take you through the steps. Takes less than 30 seconds! Couple of notes... you do have to be the OWNER of the page (not just the manager), and you have to have a profile photo, at least 10 followers, and an account over 30 days old.

What news have you heard that you're most excited about? Any questions about something you read? Let me know!