Perhaps you have seen the DISQUS comment system on other blogs and wondered, “Should I add this to mine?”  This blog post will reveal some things you need to know BEFORE you make the leap.

I have been blogging for more than three years now and there have been a lot of things that have evolved.  One new area is the advancement in blog comment systems.

I am an avid reader of Mashable.com and noticed they use the DISQUS  (pronounced discuss) commenting system.  So I decided to give it a try.  Here is my (detailed) analysis of the system…

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Are you a blogger or thinking of becoming one? Perhaps some of these questions are on your mind: ‘Is it too late to blog?’ ‘What should I write about?’ ‘How do I find time?’

In this interview with Denise Wakeman of the Blog Squad, we address these very questions head-on.

What are your thoughts on blogging?

Everyone’s heard of Facebook. Perhaps you use to keep in touch with your college pals or keep your family updated on what’s going on with the kiddies.

But did you know you can actually use Facebook for business?

YES, it’s really true.I recently sat down with one of the world’s leading authorities on Facebook for business, Mari Smith.

In this video Mari shares some of her tips and techniques for using Facebook for business (including how to balance the personal and the business!). Below you will see our interview.

By the way, if you want to follow me on Facebook, go here.Are you using Facebook for business? How has it worked for you?

Unless you’ve been fully disconnected from the world, it’s been hard not to notice all the talk about social media these days.  Sites like Twitter and Facebook are all the rage.  But what does this really mean to you and your business?

Why Social Media Now??

The idea of selling, pitching and applying hard-core marketing techniques doesn’t resonate with your prospects during a recession. In addition, you likely have fewer dollars to spend on your marketing efforts.

The magic of social media is twofold. First, you can engage directly with prospects and customers without any middleman (no list broker or reliance on publications). Second, it’s free. There’s absolutely no cost to leverage social media sites and build huge followings. Forget about email providers and search advertising. Social media marketing bypasses all the fee-based services you’re used to.

And there is no better time to begin social media marketing. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have literally exploded and encompass hundreds of millions of people. For example, if Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth largest in the world.

Even though social media is HOT, according to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, most marketers have only been using it for a few months.  What does this mean? A big fat opportunity for your business.

First, The Bad Way to Use Social Media

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You might be wondering, “Can Twitter actually help me generate leads and close business?”

My answer is a resounding YES.

And here’s just one of the many stories I could share about how Twitter has helped my business close a deal.

And it just wasn’t ANY deal, it was the world famous Anthony Robbins, famous for his Unleash The Power Within events.

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Wondering how to grow your popularity in the social media world? Then watch this video…

I recently sat down with social media guru Jason Falls (SocialMediaExplorer.com) to talk about how he grew in popularity using good old fashioned networking.

In this video, Jason talks about:

• How he strategically grew in popularity on the social media frontier
• Social media tips for PR professionals
• Measuring return on investments with social media

InformationWeek recently released a report titled, “Tech Marketing: Best Practices Research Series: White Papers: How to Maximize the Use of White Papers in Your B2B Marketing and Sales Process.” Yes, that is a mouthful, but so is the report. It full of great facts about the marketing power of white papers.

Here is my summary:

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Now that the economy is in the dumps, a LOT of businesses are turning to educational marketing techniques (like white papers) as a primary marketing vehicle.  In fact, one of my Fortune 50 clients just told me, “We’ve decided to cut back on trade shows and focus more of our efforts on white papers because they work so well.”

So, that brings me to a question sent in by a reader.

Terry writes:

I have a buddy that I am helping and he is of the thought that the white paper should be sold as a way of giving real content at a real value.

I told him that yes, while you may sell 40 copies at $37 - $ 67 per copy you are limiting the number of potential customers and leads due to the fact that some are going to balk.  I am going through your book and the blog for insight, but would love for you to address the issue.

Here’s my response:

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I recently met with Jason Alba, author of I’m on LinkedIn, Now What?.

We talked about how to use LinkedIn as a marketing tool.

Have you used LinkedIn as a marketing tool? What are your thoughts?

I recently sat down with David Meerman Scott to discuss his new book, World Wide Rave.

He reveals a brilliant way he got the word out about his new book. Check out the video.

And for the record, I have seen his book… From a distance. David showed me his only “hot off the press copy.” But David, I am still waiting for my copy… Hmm.