My online career began way back when Sony DiscMans still roamed the Earth – in 1994. One of many sermons we preached in those days is that by developing a website, you could reach a <shouts> "GLOBAL CUSTOMER BASE." </shouts>. At that time, the world was still very big conceptually. Digital communications was still in its infancy, and large businesses and brands that constructed a digital presence did so in a cautiously optimistic manner.

I find it incredibly interesting that in an industry like advertising where we mold "reality versus perception," that the majority of the industry, as a whole, still seems adverse to marketing to the LGBT community. I get that it's incredibly difficult to teach old dogs new tricks. However, we as marketing professionals should be pushing the envelope of "risk versus reward" with our clients. And the simple truth is this: Brands and businesses that take the LGBT community seriously now will reap the rewards over their risk-averse competitors that are.

How many times have you had a client make so many revisions that you forgot what the original idea was? How many times were you paid appropriately for all of those revisions? All to often, the math doesn't work out in favor ot the freelancer. Which is exactly why you need to start thinking about this.

Often speaking to peers, friends and associates in the business, I get questions regarding what they should look for when selecting an agency or service affiliate. Of course this is a double-edged sword because a company only wants to show the best and brightest of their thinking and results. There is no tab on any website that says, "biggest disasters and how we overcame them," but I would damn sure click on it first if it was an option.

There is one conversation that ranks as high on the discomfort meter as talking about strangers with your child. It is the discussion with your client about the ROI of a follower, a like, or a subscriber.

As much as any medium, social media plays "the numbers game" in an effort to bend perception. Let's not forget that the biggest fanboys and fangirls for social media are really marketing professionals and advertisers. They are the same people who learned to manipulate and exploit the tools before most average folks ever knew what a “Tweet” was. That being said, there is still skewed misunderstanding that numbers equal value or some type of discernible ROI.

Despite its various quirks and idiosyncrasies - I love Facebook. In my opinion, it is still the best social media platform for me both professionally and personally … at this time. But Lord Facebook did you test my patience and scared the hell out of me on Thanksgiving.

Many social media experts will have you believe that content is the key to successful marketing messages. There is a great deal to be said for that. Don't forget, however, that regardless of content type, you might as well not generate any content at all if your message misses the mark on creating an action.

No, not THAT kind of mature content! What are you, some kind of animal that roots through marketing blogs hoping for a cheap thrill when a guy like me compares SEO to steamy monkey lovin’ in a hot tub?

And I don’t mean that in a bad way.

I'm going to dispel a social media fallacy right now: Not only is it OK to delete a comment, post or thread – in some cases you should.

If you thought Part One was a bit daunting, then you might as well delete any reference to this post. The following lists are what I refer to as "data points" that would be used from an analytical standpoint to break down each and every one of the categories on a per-social-channel basis.

I am blessed for one million reasons, one of them is for the growing professional and personal affiliation that I have with Pam & Josh Moore. They are at 110% the real deal when it comes to social & integrated media brilliance and professional decorum. That being said Pam's most recent article regarding "fake fans" and black hat tactics brought me to my own revelation.

There is always a moment in chess when you ask yourself if it is better to be on the offensive or simply wait for your opponent to self-destruct.

Such is the case when you deal with negative comments, reviews and related communication in your social media channels.