Staff Commentary

Imagine walking into store to buy a gift, attracted by the window displays of beautiful merchandise.  At first, you’re blown away by the appealing products and certain you will succeed in finding what you need.  But frustration soon sets in as you realize that there are no sales people to help you, the aisles are not labeled, and the merchandise is mixed up and disorganized.  You’d leave pretty quickly, right?

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending BlogHer 2012, a nation-wide gathering of (mostly) she-bloggers, consisting of classes, guest speakers, and gale-force networking. Though somewhat of a whirlwind, I found the experience thoroughly informative and enjoyable!

Last month I had the pleasure of joining over 3,000 developers, designers, vendors, and business leaders at this year’s annual US Drupal conference, Drupal Con.  Individuals and companies from around the world held sessions (many of which you can view here) and manned booths to show off their latest projects and advancements in the world of Drupal.

Google launched a new program in January 2011 aimed at helping digital agencies, webmasters, web designers, SEO experts, and marketing consultants maximize their returns on Google AdWords.  This resource–rich program is named Google Engage. Google has always been proactive about providing training on how to use their various web applications and products through online tutorials, web forums, and webinars. Now Google Engage takes these efforts offline, bringing a rare human element to the world of Google platforms and digital advertising.

We are past the point where social media and technology are used for solely keeping in touch and sharing pictures with friends and family. We have seen it used to announce the birth of a child from inside a hospital room. We have seen it used to boost a business’ customer relations. We have even seen social media used as a medium to overthrow dictators. These are good things—great things, even. But as we all know, good cannot exist without the alternative. Social media is not just a little outlet where teenagers post their feelings in less than 140 characters.