I was looking at cell phones earlier this week and noticed a trend toward multimedia and smart phones. That’s all well and good if you plan to surf the net or check your Twitter or Facebook accounts on the road, but if you don’t, you’re somewhat stuck with more phone than you need.

When it comes to social media like Twitter and Facebook, the fan pages are really starting to get weird. I have friends who became fans of sleeping. Someone actually took the time to create a page dedicated to sleeping, and people became fans of it. While that’s harmless, if a little silly, there are some people putting up fan pages of killers and criminals. That’s a little disturbing to me.

I understand the need to protect children from all types of predators. I think the best preventative is a diligent parent, in addition to safeguards from the rest of the society. It should be a joint effort. With Facebook developing an application designed to protect younger members, I say, “Good job.” Now to parents of internet using children, I say, “Now it’s your turn. Step up and deliver.”

This is all specualtion, but some are saying Google is preparing to launch a social media network to rival Facebook. I use Facebook regularly to see where old friends are and what is happening in their lives. It took me a while to get the contacts I have now, and I’m not sure I want to try and start over again with a new networking site.

If you happen to be a business owner, or know someone who is, then you probably have heard some of the resistance to using social media. Facebook, Twitter and other social media forms have their advocates and their detractors. I love reading this story because it systematically explains away 5 misconceptions people have concerning social media.

If I had to offer one word of advice, it is to not stop voicing your opinion. The reason I say this is that I read a story this morning concerning a rise in defamation lawsuits filed by businesses because people post negative comments on social site like Facebook, Twitter, etc. To the businesses, I say, “Suck it up!” If there are more people who have complaints about you than those who are satisfied, that you are doing something wrong and you need to change what you’re doing. I know from experience. My wife owns a web design business and she has had a few clients who were not satisfied with the service. However, I look at how many clients have walked away satisfied with their new website and they number in the hundreds. So for the 3-4 dissatisfied customers, if they decide they want to badmouth her, the other hundred clients are more than enough defense in setting the record straight.

The next time you get a few minutes, try this and see if it works. If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, type in a search for your blog’s main focus and see if anyone has recent tweets or has started a group page. Communicate with that person or group, but don’t start advertising your blog right away. Introduce yourself to the community of followers or Facebook fans and express your interest in the topic and share some insights at first. Once you have a established a bit of a reputation, then put a brief plug in for your blog and see what happens.

If something works, stick with it. Facebook is starting to become notorious for making layout changes that make the experience a frustrating endeavor. Here’s what I mean, The previous layout had certain things in certain areas of the page. That layout lasted long enough that I and a number of FB friends got really comfortable with it. I could login, check the things I always check, and move on to my next activity. With this new layout, I spent 5-10 minutes more just trying to figure out where everything is. And a number of my friends have already posted status updates about how they hate the new look.

What’s the point of this rant? Usually, blogs don’t change format to much. You might change a graphic every once in a great while but it doesn’t change format. If you have a full blown website, here’s the lesson: if you’re going to change your site layout, don’t completely reinvent the wheel. People like consistency with a little bit of change. When you make your site almost brand new in design and layout, you’re going to make people mad. Mad people usually don’t come back to visit.

Hey, if you’re looking for more readers, try cross promoting your blog.  What I mean is write a blog post.  Then if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, mention it there and post a link to your recent post.  This will increase the possibility of capturing someone’s attention, even if they might know you.

If someone you know reads your post and leaves a comment, one of their friends might find out about it and read it too.  Here’s what I know; you’re not guaranteed this kind of result if you post on Facebook, but you are guaranteed no results if you don’t post on Facebook.

This comes from MSNBC.

They released a story today listing 7 bad bedtime habits.  These usually keep people awake instead of helping them get to sleep.  One habit is reading a book.  Now, I like reading books, and I prefer the actual physsical book as opposed to an e-book, but reading puts me into a relaxed state that naturally puts me to sleep.  In fact, I can’t read a book during the day as it is a surefire way to get me to take an afternoon nap.

One habit they listed that I totally agree with is Facebooking in bed.  I enjoy Facebook and use it to keep track of distant friends, but doing so late at night is just not good.  It’s like flipping through the TV late at night when you know you should be sleeping.  Blogging is the same way.  Your ideas can wait until morning.  Your sleep and the benefits from sleeping mean more than what your blog says or your Facebook status.