Did you know that Google has given everyone the ability to create their own profile? Now it has become that much easier to tell the world what you’re about. In an age where we can never truly get rid of things said about us, we can now have at least some control over what’s out there.

This can be a really crucial act of self promotion and online reputation management. Think about it. You cannot control what people say about you on Facebook. Neither can you on Twitter, LinkedIn or any other social media site. However, with Google Profiles, the first thing people see when they search your name can be your Google profile. The one that you created and filled out yourself. You can explain your core values and standards in your own words. Don’t underestimate how valuable this can be to prospective clients or employers.

Online reputation management is becoming crucial these days. You can no longer afford to keep your head in the sand. Take control of the things that you can.

As marketers and new media lovers, we spend an abundance of time trying to sell our clients on the idea social media, why they need it, and the best ways to implement it. Because of this, and also due to recent trends and boosts in how we use social media, countless businesses are using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other networks tools to get their message(s) out there.

Some businesses do it well. Some businesses do it poorly. Some businesses don’t do it all.

This begs the question: Do all businesses NEED social media? And in today’s rapidly moving marketing environment, if you aren’t taking advantage of social media, is there a cut off point? At what point does it become too late to invest in a newborn social media strategy?

There isn’t a clear answer to this. The truth is that some businesses don’t need social media; businesses that won’t use social media correctly especially shouldn’t use social media. If you’re not producing your own content, and don’t intend on producing your own content then social media will be nothing more than an exercise in regurgitation for your company. While I don’t believe there is a cut-off point making it, “too late,” to utilize new forms of media, I do believe businesses run the risk of being left in the dust.

If a company has never used social media in their business plan, and is committed to creating (with guidance) original, interesting and significant content then they are the perfect candidates for new and social media. And I would like to meet them.

I happened upon this thought as I came across a Twitter account for the movie, Country Strong. The movie, starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Tim McGraw needs all the promotional help it can get, battling with heavy hitters like True Grit and Black Swan. It’s no wonder movie promoters look to Twitter and real-time interaction to boost ticket sales.

But, what happens when the movie is no longer in theaters and is nothing more than a rental box tenant? Do social media marketers continue to nourish the content being poured into this account? Do they delete it? Do they let it fade into dust?

This specific Twitter account does not make me curious as much as the notion that this is likely happening EVERDAY. Bad vH1 reality programming, pop artists, and other fads of entertainment are likely looking to engage with their audience via Twitter. I’ll go out on a limb and say there are thousands of Twitter accounts vacantly lying in the Internet stratosphere abandoned and neglected forever.

I’m not under the impression that this is good or bad, mostly I find it overwhelming. To me, social media is about perseverance and determination, as well as time and patience. With this reasoning, it’s curious that Twitter accounts are created and nurtured only for a matter of weeks, then sent off to the Twitter heaven in the sky.

There’s the “Who has deleted ya,” scam or the, “Did you see what this girl’s dad did,” scam, and even the, “OMG this video made me totally LOL,” scam. Social media addicts beware – there’s a scam for every day of the week, and there’s no sheriff in town.

Facebook does a fair job of reporting abuse that can harm user profiles. However, it is often too late. Common Facebook users (moderately tech-savvy 40-somethings) are click happy, and this often results in Facebook scams sweeping profiles before anyone realizes what has happened.

There is rarely any harm to these Facebook scams, as of late. Usually, people click on a link, it sends a link to all their friends’ profiles, and so on. However, scams are getting more intuitive and you never know when something is truly going to do damage to your hard drive. Word to the wise: if you’re not sure, don’t click it! 90% of Facebook scam “epidemics,” can be avoided if people use their street smarts. If it looks suspicious, or if you question it at all, do. not. click.

Do Facebook scams harm the social media experience? Do they make us less inclined to share with friends, family members, and acquaintances? Are we going to become so hardened by fear that Facebook and other social mediums will become as cold subway station glances? Let’s hope social media scams do not deter our innate desire to share with those we know.

In about an hour I will be joining my friend and colleague Taylor Hill to give an informal talk to members of my local merchant’s association about Social Networking and SEO, and how each can be used to grow a business.  I am looking forward to it!

For those who would like to follow along with the notes (there won’t be any slideshow for this one) you can download the PDF here.

I have to say that I have been for the idea of audio and video comments on blogs and social network sites since I first imagined them (and yes, it was long before Michael Arrington said he wanted them, and introduced them on his site. I’m not saying I was the first to think of them, though.). It was only a matter of time, and if my other development company hadn’t been so busy building even cooler audio and video social technologies, I might have gotten around to building it myself.

Many opinions, both FOR and AGAINST video comments, have run amok over the past few weeks. I have already said I like the idea, and despite what the SEO pundits say, I think they CAN be a good strategy for getting your site noticed.

But what interests me even more is the clear divide emerging between those that feel that the web is destined to be a multimedia playground, and those that would rather keep it text-based, at least when it comes to the “tried and true” activities of blogging, forums and wikis (as if they’ve been around long enough to be called ingrained!).

The web is supposed to do things. Commenting, by its interactive nature, fulfills the promise of new media, but to say that video commenting misses the boat is a little disingenuous, if you ask me.