I usually learn best through two approaches: 1) helping others and 2) just doing it. This week I had the opportunity to gain cool knowledge through both methods, so I'm sharing some of the results here.

Modcloth.com/M&C ad placement #fail

I came across this oopsie while looking for a new dress. M&C's ad server tech (I don't know what it is) pulled in Modcloth's ads on a story about an exploited young girl. The juxtaposition of a smiling white girl rolling in the grass, smack dab in the middle of a story about a Mexican teen roped into murderous gang activity, didn't sit well with me. I'm not a passive consumer so I took screenshots, contacted Modcloth, and let them know. To their credit, they responded very quickly and now the ad has been changed: For obvious reasons, I am going to continue shopping on Modcloth.com and appreciate how sensitive/timely they were to my concerns. I don't like even the suggestion of a Mexican girl's exploitation being trivialized, even by accident. Modcloth did the right thing by addressing this ad faux pas right away. Takeaways 1. Always monitor your social channels. You never know how your audience might help you out. 2. Make sure communication between your social team and ad sales team is buttoned up. In Modcloth's case, they addressed the situation within hours. Bravo! 3. Be timely about addressing sensitive issues before they spiral out of control. Here's another example of being timely about addressing sensitive issues. I am now supporting the digital team for Current TV's new daily news and commentary show, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Part of that support yesterday included social engagement. While monitoring feeds, I noticed that commenters on our Facebook page were using offensive language (f*g, f*ggot, etc.) in a thread below our story about a gay couple speaking out about their immigration battle. I made a judgement call to step in and request that this behavior cease. I also deleted the offensive posts. After doing that, the community policed themselves and those words weren't used again. I trusted the community to clean up their act, and they did. Empower your community to support & respect each other while exercising their right to free speech. Here's what I posted, and as you can see the comments (if you go to the FB page), were still passionate but "f*ggot"-free: Since I had to be timely about addressing the issue, I was careful to alert relevant stakeholders and send my screenshot. Everyone was on the same page and it sparked a dialog that will continue about community moderation factors. Pinterest and faster knowledge sharing/accumulation Because of services like Pinterest, I am able to track and collect resources in a much faster, more engaging way. The interface just inspires exploration, I love it. I recently started a board called Resources for startups. Check it out and add your pins too! Google+: fun, drama, rabbit hole Google+, like any other social networking hub, is ultimately what you make it. Some people use it to find a job. Others use it to share and collect information about their favorite topics. I use it to monitor what my friends and colleagues are up to. I am not really making any "new" friends on Google+, most of them are people I already engage with on Twitter and Facebook. We are all sharing this new space and using it in different ways. That experimental factor alone is what keeps me going back, and ultimately I will refine how I use it so it's just another tool in my arsenal. Right now though, I have to admit, it's more of a time-suck than anything else. But that's how Facebook started for me. Now, I use Facebook to monitor trends, share resources, and as a weapon for activism. It's OK to start using a tool one way and then evolve to use it in other ways. Some people still use email primarily to send around giant Powerpoint files of cats hugging, and that works for them. So it's really about what your priorities are. Sharing is caring A recent quote that I received via email sums it all up for me:

No one is rewarded more richly in time, space, or beyond, Daniela, than the person who has helped others. And it matters not whether they helped selflessly or selfishly, for a profit or for free, with an Apple or a Droid. Help is help. - The Universe

You may think you don't have time in your life to help people more than you already are. But if you look closer, you'll see that every time you do help someone, you learn a little something.