Lots of changes have been happening behind the scenes at Facebook. The platform now has a lot more functionality for business and professional users. If you have a Facebook page for your business, now is a great time to try out some of these new tips and tricks for increasing...

I had this post half written when I went away last weekend for my daughter's college graduation. When I returned, I read these comments made by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the e-G8, bemoaning the fact that people...

Having a publishing house market your book used to be one of the big advantages of signing with a major publisher, but not anymore. Established authors have understood for years that they need their own publicist and marketing plan for every new release. Meanwhile, the internet is abuzz with puzzled...

By all accounts, the publishing industry is in tough shape. Sales are down, bookstores are closing, and many authors are leaving traditional publishers in favor of

Most business owners understand the basic premise of social media marketing today, which is that linking your website to your company presence on other social networking hubs (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) is more effective than just getting a lot of SEO for...

In an online world dominated by analytics, you may be relieved to know that one of the most important social media tools at your disposal is your intuition. It is especially important in creating a vibrant network presence, where half the battle is separating the wheat from the chaff among...

You may have heard by now that Facebook is changing what we can do with Business Pages. As of March 10, all Pages on Facebook will have a new look, and some important new functionality. Based on an earlier article bemoaning the limitations of the earlier Facebook Pages,...

My favorite books growing up, the ones I happily read over and over, were Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, a five-part mythological mystery adventure series set in post-war Britain and Wales, where a small troupe of plucky kids overcomes an ancient evil with the help of...

My ruination at the hands of Nora Ephron began in 1978, when as a high school senior in Oakland I was able to take classes at UC Berkeley. This was a tremendous boon not just educationally but recreationally, as there were security guards constantly patrolling our high school parking lot,...

Family loss has kept me away from writing here for a while, much to my frustration. I am used to plowing ahead and getting things done under even the toughest conditions, but this time I have been forced to take a break. It has not been easy to slow down,...

I was explaining to my teenaged daughter yesterday what a tough year 2010 was for most people, by way of an example from our own life. Here we were, driving on the freeway in my old Honda, heading down to San Francisco. On the back window of my car was...

I took Dream Talk Radio to Silicon Valley recently for a very interesting multi-media event about e-government; the idea that advances in technology and information processing can help local, state, and national agencies be more efficient, responsive, and effective in the process of governing. It is an idea...

One of the many things I like about Clay Shirky's new book, "Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age," is that he shines a light on some of the human qualities that give the Internet its...

Memo to all progressives, activists, eco-warriors and Lefty paradigm shifters: I get it, I get it. Obama is a wimp. The Senate is completely dysfunctional, and your congressperson isn't doing nearly enough. Right. Check. Now get over yourselves and vote.

I agree that the stimulus bill should have been much...

The movie "Inception" shines a light on a persistent human fear: that of being deceived while we are in a vulnerable, dreaming state. This is not a new story. As far back as Ancient Greece, people have worried about being misled by "false dreams." In fact, that very...

Recently on Dream Talk Radio, I interviewed Dr. Joan Borysenko on dreams and mind-body healing. At one point we discussed the limits of what can be taught in a workshop, and I commented that there should be a workshop titled "The Art of Getting Up Again,"...

There has been a huge buzz in dream circles over Sunday's New York Times article on the popularity of dream groups. Author Kate Murphy visited dream groups around the country and probably spent far more hours on the phone with enthusiastic dreamworkers than she intended. The result is...

Developing a vibrant network presence is not just about producing and sharing creative content; sometimes it is about creating any content at all. Even highly motivated people can get stuck in a rut, while resistance and avoidance set in and important goals languish. Everyone falls into the doldrums now and...

Social networking sites are full of advice on how to create excitement among your followers and convert them into customers. There are some great ideas out there, but most miss the number one reason that people keep reading your blog, or following you on Twitter and...

In the home-based business craze of the early 90's, everyone with a computer and a dining room table was making something, advertising by direct mail, and trying to monetize their great ideas. One prominent author of that era advised small businesses to scrimp on things that customers didn't see --...