Has nothing to do with my business but I am a huge Van Halen fan…just an enjoyable post for a Friday. Have a great weekend! You Really Got Me from Van Halen on...

Honored to be included on the Social Fresh list this year. Glad to be at H&R Block!    

This past weekend I was able to travel just a few hours south to Wichita to see my beloved UNLV Runnin’ Rebels play a road game. Although the game didn’t end up the way I’d like (we lost), the trip was meaningful in several ways. I was able to spend 20 minutes or so with UNLV head men’s basketball coach Dave Rice. Dave and I worked together in...

Article first published as Thanksgiving An American Gem to Remind Us What’s Important on Technorati.   The roots of the Thanksgiving holiday are religious. Despite the current cultural sparring over the role of religion in public life, then President Abraham Lincoln was clear about why he proclaimed the day a national holiday. In his official announcement...

Part of the continuing problem that dogs the use of social media and social business is the extent vendors and some start-ups will go to in order to create a name for themselves. I was reminded of this today while reading the Nation’s Restaurant News online. In a story slugged “Top brands evolving social-media strategies: Software firm ranks the top 25...

How often are you permitted to innovate? Not just using the term “innovation” but actually being able to create what Seth Godin calls a Purple Cow? The Purple Cow is metaphor for a truly remarkable product. Too often old-school marketers hang on to the halcyon days when TV and print ruled the marketing world. The TV-Industrial Complex is dying a quick...

There were people who swore the first automobile would fail. They lauded the horse and said Henry Ford’s “wild” idea would never amount to anything. There were people who swore that television would never last. It was an invention for the uneducated masses. There were people who swore no one would ever beat MySpace in social media. They had too much...

Here’s a link to my appearance last week on Facebook Live. Again, thanks to the entire Facebook team for a great visit in Palo Alto. Special shout-outs to Rodney Robinson, Frankie Delisle, and Kim Gould.   Watch live streaming video from facebookeducation at...

Earlier this week marked my one year anniversary here at Applebee’s. Although the time has flown by, there have been many challenges, lessons and successes, which, sometimes makes it feel like it’s been 10 years. First and foremost, I am proud of what our team has been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Many of you might think it’s easier to get...

No matter how much money you make or how well your career is going, you must ask yourself the most important question of all: Am I happy? If the answer to that question is no, then you’re in the wrong spot. “Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people. This is...

I invite you to read the latest report released by Jeremiah Owyang and his team at the Altimeter Group. I was honored to take part in the survey and did and interview with the team there. I was also fortunate enough to be quoted in the report. It was released today and I link it later in this post. The report itself has some gems that must be considered by any social...

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” – Sir Winston Churchill“ Over the past two years, my life has been one series of constant changes, challenges and triumphs. After 10 years at Intuit, I moved on and had two roles:  one didn’t work out and another one did. As someone working hard to get brands from being...

Ok, so this is another blog post on the whole Facebook Timeline introduction. You’ve read hundreds of them I am sure. What I want to write about is really what it means from a brand marketers perspective to me as a social business strategist for one of the biggest brands in the nation. When the changes were announced last week, those who took the time to read...

I am no expert. Despite this, I am asked to speak as part of online – and offline – social media and social business events. I am flattered my track record and previous (and current work) experience makes people want to talk to me. Not only that, I really love what I do so talking to people about social business – not in theory but in practice...

For those of us that drive social marketing and community engagement for big and small brands alike, the wounds from breaking down silos within organizations are very visible. Over the past five years, most of us have had to do battle with cross-functional groups internally, and agency partners externally, who either feel threatened or just don’t have enough...

Article first published as Disgraced Paterno Must Be Fired Now on Technorati. Many times, life throws at you a situation that requires you to make an important decision. Those decisions cannot only change the course of your own life, but they sometimes can change the course of countless other lives. 84-year old legendary football coach Joe Paterno appears to have...

As someone who makes their living working in social business, I’m always on the lookout for great examples of how big brands tap the power of social media to better serve their customers. Since I head social media for a big brand, tax giant H&R Block, I’m always on the lookout for great stories of how social media is impacting business and customer...

Article first published as Tim Tebows’ Faith Makes Him Target of Secular Media on Technorati. Tim Tebow bugs the sports media elite. He annoys former NFL players and even people in his own organization. They’re not sure about his ability to be a starting quarterback in the NFL but that’s not why they are almost openly rooting for him to fail. The reason, in...

Our latest H&R Block infographic on the money surrounding college bowl games. It’s staggering…enjoy Bowl Week! Click image to enlarge Via: H&R...