If you are a friend, fan, follower, or acquaintance of us here at LinXone Solutions, you know we are passionate about three things: Sports, Social Media, and Craft Beer. In the following post below, we are going to discuss two of those passions and how they’ve come together in celebration for the next nine days. Unless you consider drinking craft beer a sport (and no one would blame you if you did)…then we’ll be discussing all three.

April 20th thru 28th marks the inaugural Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week in the Steel City, a town well-known for its blue-collar work ethic, unwavering devotion to sports, and soon, unequivocal love of craft beer.

Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week was an idea born to raise awareness of craft beer in the Pittsburgh area. According to the Craft Beer Week website, this 9-day event will highlight the Pittsburgh region’s craft beer culture, expanding the reach of craft beer through education, collaboration, cooperation and responsible libation.

Over the past several years, the popularity of craft beer has risen to dizzying heights thanks to consumer’s demand for an alternative to yellow, fizzy bitterness. There comes a time in every person’s life where they must demand more from their beer. Eventually, silly gimmicks like bottles with spiraled necks and color-changing mountains lose their luster when the product they house is boring, watered-down, and flavorless.

Craft beer drinkers seek that perfect blend of flavor, hops, smoothness, and overall satisfaction when they crack into an India Pale Ale (IPA), Porter, Bock, Stout, Lager, etc. Think of how avid wine aficionados sample different wines in an effort to find their next favorite. It’s the same with a good craft beer, but only a fool would spit a chocolate stout into a bucket.

Video uploaded February 8th, 2012.

21,722,291 views and counting as of February 13th, 2012.

This is viral content in its truest sense.

In case you’ve been offline for the past few days, you may have missed the video that’s scorched the World Wide Web and gotten millions of people talking. In fact, about the only other thing that’s been talked about this much since late last week has been the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin and the death of singer Whitney Houston.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to watch this clip, check it out:

That crazy cowboy just shot that computer with a .45! In regards to that, I know how he feels. I’m currently working off an HP and I sometimes want to do the very same thing. But that’s another story…

How you feel about this father’s approach to disciplining his teenage daughter not withstanding, what he created was something EVERYONE wanted to see. Whether you felt he was completely justified in his reaction to his daughter’s disrespectful Facebook post, or thought he breached a line of insanity by popping eight caps into a newly-updated laptop, you probably sat and watched for the full 8:23.

Your next step is most likely to comment about it, and/or tell a bunch of others about it, either by word-of-mouth or by sharing the link on your Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media accounts. That’s what everyone else did…thus making it a viral sensation in under a week!

When I first saw this video in my news feed, I didn’t click it. Why? Because I thought it was spam. I’ve fallen prey to “garbage” like that before, only to see a bunch of nonsense get sent out from my account to all my friends. Therefore, I’m cautious. It wasn’t until my wife said it was legit that I checked it out, laughed, and shared. I discovered I wasn’t the only one fearing spam as a friend of mine asked if it was real before she checked it out. SIDEBAR: Clowns that post spam, die.

What also lends to this video’s virality (made up a word there) are the crazy spin-offs and reactions that have spawned from it. Remember, it’s not even a week old yet, and responses have flooded YouTube and the web, with hundreds of thousands of people checking those out as well.

Again, whether you agree or disagree with the guy, you have to tip your cap to his creativity and his ability to harness the power of today’s social web by getting something in front of millions of viewers that obviously resonated. Any parent, whether your child is grown up, the same age as his daughter Hannah, or younger, can relate to this content. Heck, you don’t even have to be a parent to get a laugh from this. All you need to do is remember how much you THOUGHT you knew when you were sixteen years old and realize it could’ve led to your stuff getting blown up in front of the world.

Kids and grown-ups alike can walk away from this video with a couple lessons learned:

1) This online stuff is PUBLIC - I’ve written on the LinXone Solutions blog before about posting “stupid stuff” that can come back to haunt you in the future. Hannah learned the hard way that, even though you think you posted something that’s PRIVATE, there’s always an outside chance eyes you don’t want seeing your content will do just that. You never want to post something that could get you grounded or, worse for an adult, cost you your reputation and livelihood.

2) Produce Something That Gets People Talking – For the heck of it, I just went back to see how many more views were gained on the Facebook Parenting video since I started writing this post. Over 200,000. In about an hour. That says a TON. If you’re looking to build an audience, gain followers, drive traffic, and, ultimately, increase profits, your goal should be to produce content that educates, informs, entertains, helps, resonates with your audience, and gets people talking. Most times, viral content such as this is stumbled upon by accident. This guy probably didn’t think he’d be an overnight sensation, but he produced something that struck a chord with millions and it led to lightspeed Internet fame.

You may not be able to gain this many views in such a short period of time, but if you consistently produce content that people want to consume, your chances of striking a chord with your audience will go through the roof!

Why Do YOU Think This Video Gained Overnight Popularity? We’d love to hear your opinions…leave your comments below!

January 31st, 2012 – Completed the Machine Head hat trick. Saw them for the third time. Never ceases to amaze me…they get better and better every damn time.

Also neat was not having total hearing for an entire day…something I haven’t experienced in a few years. Truly the sign of a good, good show.

Some of the highlights…

“Social Media MiXology is your perfect blend of Social Media and Business Success. This column is designed to delve into the continuing evolution of Social Media platforms and how you can inject these networks into the flow of your business to increase traffic, presence, and, of course, fun and buzz! Social Media MiXology appears on the LinXone Solutions Web Presence Blueprint Blog“

The run of the Denver Broncos and famous-for-various-reasons quarterback Tim Tebow came to a vicious end Saturday night at the hands of the New England Patriots. The Denver defense, often overlooked for keeping the Broncos in several games during their regular season winning streak and giving Tebow the opportunity to work his last-minute “magic,” was surgically dissected by Tom Brady and New England’s 32nd-ranked defense made Tebow look like an unskilled boy amongst men.

Before we go further, allow me to point out: I don’t like Tim Tebow. Never have. Never will. Anyone who follows Cercone’s Commentary knows that.

But why do I not like him? Because he’s just not good at his position, yet we are being force-fed that he is on every media outlet known to man. I think I’m pre-dispositioned to not like anything overhyped by media frenzy. I’ve followed wrestling my entire life, but never liked Hulk Hogan growing up, unlike the vast majority of fans.

By the way, I’m fully aware of the irony that I’m adding to the Tebow talk with this post. Thanks for noticing, though.

My personal feelings for Tebow aside, his two-game stint in the NFL Playoffs this year proved something. Not from a football perspective, because that’s another nut altogether.

He proved that, regardless of where people are or what else they’re doing, Social Media is part of their life.

Case and point, Tebow shattered a previous record for tweets generated by a sports moment on Twitter…to the tune of 9,420 tweets per second! That’s A LOT of people talking…and that doesn’t include any of the other Social Media networks that blew up when Tebow shocked the Steelers with his heroic 80-yard TD pass on the first play of overtime in the AFC Wild Card Round.

The takeaway from this is simple: Social Media has become as much a part of our lives as eating and breathing. Whether it’s for business purposes, entertainment, news, information-gathering, sharing, conversing, or expressing viewpoints on current events, what we’ve come to know as Social Media has woven itself into the fabric of our lives. Like cotton…but with hashtags.

Despite how you feel about Tebow, he became America’s must-see feature story this year, and Social Media provided the platform for it to be embellished. It gave millions the opportunity to voice their opinions, good or bad.

When you project that fact to a business landscape, you start to get an idea of how important your presence on Social Media truly is. Laying low means you’re letting valuable opportunities to learn, develop relationships, and grow your business slide through the cracks.

If you learn one thing from Tim Tebow, it’s this: do something remarkable to captivate your audience and get them talking about you.

Just don’t learn his throwing mechanics. Those “spirals” are ugly.

Were you part of the Tebow Twitter craze after their win against the Steelers?! Tell us what your Tebow Tweet was in the comments section below!

Cercone’s Commentary is nothing more, or nothing less, than a compilation of words strung together to make sentences to form an opinion on things and stuff going on in the world around us. At no point in this upcoming narrative do I expect to earn points for what I say, do, or feel. Simply, I’m out to entertain and shed light on certain situations…even if that light comes from a flashlight slightly dimmer than most others. Feel free to leave comments and start some discussion so I don’t start thinking the voices in my head are actual people. Much obliged.

Credit Where It’s Due…

I hated the dude in college, I hate him in the pros. Not for the “Tebowing” nonsense, not for his strong partnership with the Lord, but for the simple fact that he’s nothing more than media hype backed up by mediocre QB play.

But, I will be the first to say that it was the play of Tim Tebow that clinched Denver’s playoff win over the Steelers. It would be easy for me, as a Steelers fan, to cite the numerous injuries Pittsburgh was suffering from. But this is the pros. You have to prepare to do battle with whatever soldiers you’ve enlisted. And when your leaders are down, you damn well better have some strong reserves in the tank.

The Steelers did not. It also didn’t help that Ike Taylor made everyone forget about his decent regular season by turning in a pile of hot sewage in the Wild Card round. But I digress.

The Broncos exploited the Steelers secondary and its offensive line gave Timmy all kinds of time to find receivers in which to throw lame ducks to. Only problem for the black and gold was the lame ducks were actually shredding them to bits.

From a realistic perspective, due to the injuries, the sand in the hourglass was running quite low on the Steelers hopes for back-to-back AFC Championships. If nothing else, Denver fast-forwarded the inevitable and got them a head-start on much-needed rest and recovery.

Now, with all that said….

SWEET JESUS, THAT’S ENOUGH!

“The following Tebow is Tebowed to you by the Tebow Association of Tebows for Tebows and the United Tebow of the Tebows.”

This is what I feel like I’ve been watching all damn week. Nothing but Tim Tebow, all the time. I pulled up all the sports channels on my DirecTV guide and went through them one by one…it was like a friggin’ flip book of Tebow flexing and bowing and sucking up air time and furthering the stereotype that he’ll be relevant in two years. Even the badminton channel had a 10-minute piece on how he won the intramural championship in 8th grade.

New record for tweets per second or whatever. Really, people? I shouldn’t be surprised…it’s most likely these same people keeping The Big Bang Theory on the air.

SIDEBAR: As painful as it was, I would rather watch the OT Tebow-to-Thomas play over The Big Bang Theory any day of the week. At least it’s football…and funny.

It’s too much. Too much media hype. I can’t recall ever having to root for New England, but I’ll be in prime Tebowing position and praying there’s something else to talk about heading into the Championship games next week.

The Divisional Round…

I got 75% of my picks right last week…never thought the one I’d miss was the Steelers game. Also of note, I called the score of the Saints-Lions game dead on. What did that get me? An extra sentence in this week’s commentary. Game on!

New Orleans at San Francisco – As Gorilla Monsoon often said when two mid-carders like Hillbilly Jim and The Warlord locked up, “it’s the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.” Drew Brees has looked absolutely surgical in the past couple months, and I firmly believe a win this week proves they can light it up against anyone. San Fran’s D won’t bend easy, but the Saints machine is too potent to not produce. The score won’t be what you’re used to seeing, but New Orleans will be on the right end.

PROGNOSTICATORY: New Orleans 27 – San Francisco 21

Denver at New England – For whatever reason, the world would rather see Option Boy over an all-pro move on to the championship. There’s definitely hatred of Brady too, but at least he’s a GOOD QUARTERBACK. As I said before, I’ve never had much reason to root for New England, but this week I’m on their bandwagon just so we can STOP TALKING ABOUT TIMMY! From an unbiased, un-Tebow perspective, the Pats’ offense is too much for the Broncos to stand toe-to-toe with. We already saw New England dismantle the Broncos earlier this year, proving the humanity of Timmy, contrary to popular belief. Since the Patriots defense is so GAWD awful, I’ll say the Broncos have a 10-90 chance of winning. Or is it “15″ – 85? Now I hate myself.

PROGNOSTICATORY: New England 38 – Denver 19

Houston at Baltimore – Won’t be pretty or high-scoring. Both teams have the defense. Both have the running game. The edge SLIGHTLY goes to Joe Flacco and the Ravens through the air. But Houston’s riding a bit of a hot streak, and as long as the emotional bubble doesn’t pop, they could help the Ravens lay an egg (it’s been done a few times this year…just not in Baltimore). I’m going to paint myself bold and say this one comes down to a last-second field goal.

PROGNOSTICATORY: Ready? Houston 20 – Baltimore 17 … you heard it hear first.

New York Giants at Green Bay – I find it funny that everyone’s sorta forgot the Packers went 15-1 this year and they still have Aaron Rodgers at QB. Maybe it’s because he rested Week 17 and they had a bye, but it seems a lot of TV personalities are on the Giants bandwagon this week. Sure, New York is hot. Sure, they made Matt Ryan and the Falcons look like a shell of themselves. But this is not the Falcons. This is the Pack. In Green Bay. Yes, the Giants beat them there a few years back to earn a trip to the Super Bowl. But this is a different team…with a different, and, dare I say, BETTER, quarterback.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pining for a Saints-Packers NFC Championship. No matter what the Super Bowl matchup ends up being, that game would be better.

PROGNOSTICATORY: Green Bay 37 – New York GMEN 27

Cercone…out.

Cercone’s Commentary is nothing more, or nothing less, than a compilation of words strung together to make sentences to form an opinion on things and stuff going on in the world around us. At no point in this upcoming narrative do I expect to earn points for what I say, do, or feel. Simply, I’m out to entertain and shed light on certain situations…even if that light comes from a flashlight slightly dimmer than most others. Feel free to leave comments and start some discussion so I don’t start thinking the voices in my head are actual people. Much obliged.

Time for Some Weather Forecasting…

Actually, before yours truly dissects this weekend’s action and gives you some sure-fire predictions destined for backfire, here’s my take on the results of “Black Monday” as several head coaches were handed their pink slips.

Tony Sparano, Dolphins – This inevitable beheading came prior to the end of the season. Sparano was nothing more than Bill Parcells’ poster boy and when he left the team to begin his 638th stint in the broadcast booth, Sparano’s days were numbered. The ‘Phins underachieved under Sparano his entire tenure, and ultimately his only real contribution to the game was the short-lived Wildcat offense. Thank you Tony for giving announcers something to drool over other than Tom Brady’s hair length. Or Tebow.

Todd Haley, Chiefs – This had to be something personal. The front office had to hate this guy. I mean, he doesn’t exactly strike me as the most vivid crayon in the box, but you’d think he’d get some slack. Last year, he took the Chiefs to a division title (with a winning 10-6 record, I might add. See: Denver 2011). But he lost Tony Moeaki in the preseason due to a questionable decision to play starters through the final meaningless game. Then he lost  Jamaal Charles. Then Eric Berry. Then Matt Cassel. Now he’s relying on Tyler Palko. Ugh. That dude could swallow Drew Brees and still suck in high-def at QB.

Steve Spagnuolo, Rams – 10 wins over three seasons. Yeah, firing sounds about right. He also dealt with injuries all season, but when your strength as a coach is defense and your unit looks like the floor of a butcher shop after four quarters, something about that just doesn’t add up. Seven of those 10 wins came last year, so that means there’s a 1-win and a 2-win season on Spagnuolo’s resume. That’s special. Happy trails, Steve.

Raheem Morris, Bucs – What a hot mess Tampa became this year. Another guy known for defense whose defense set new levels of futility in 2011. Over 25 points a game on average…worst in franchise history. A QB who looked like he was on the rise in Josh Freeman looked like a guy who’d lose a training camp battle to Quincy Carter. It’s amazing what a year can do.

The Polians, Colts - They built it, and everyone came. Now, looks like Indy is ready to usher in a new era all around. Still up in the air whether Peyton will be back, looks like Andrew Luck all but has a blue and white jersey in mass production, and there will be a new GM in the house. Somehow, Jim Caldwell is still employed.

Norv Turner & AJ Smith, Chargers – They’re still employed too. People collecting benefits nationwide look pissed.

And now, onto the Wild Card games!

Cincinnati at Houston – Poor Texans. This year had success written all over it and if you measure success by finally breaking through with a division crown and playoff berth, then this was the year. But Andre Johnson has been banged up all year, they lost Matt Schaub, and they’re relying heavily on strong defense, a rookie QB in T.J. Yates, and Arian Foster. A future beyond the first couple weeks of the playoffs looks non-existent.

The Bengals backed their way into the 6th seed by way of Oakland’s loss to San Diego, but the 6th seed has had luck as of recent years in the AFC. Sadly, despite an absolute FREAK in A.J. Green, I don’t think they can go on the road with the lack of a good running game and pull off a W. In the matchup of rookie QBs, the outcome will come from the backs, and all signs point to Houston in that department.

PROGNOSTICATORY: Houston 34 – Cincinnati 24

Detroit at New Orleans – You can talk all you want about the Packers’ 15-1 season, but if you’re looking for the NFL’s “en fuego” team, look no further than the Saints. Drew Brees has been an absolute legend in his conquering of QB records worldwide, and all signs are pointing to another February party in N’Orlins.

But Matt Stafford has been on a bit of a hot streak himself. The Lions finished out about as strong as you can and despite getting the short end of the stick against Green Bay in a world-class shootout, their offense is looking peaked and primed to make a run.

Since Brees and company took money from my bank account in fantasy, and Stafford and company added money to it, my wallet and heart wants to go with Detroit. I guess that’s why I’m not a financial advisor.

PROGNOSTICATORY: New Orleans 45 – Detroit 28

Atlanta at New York Giants – Both teams enter after big wins to conclude the season. Both offenses are performing at a high level. Both teams will take the field, one will leave it primed for a clobbering next weekend on the road.

Of the four games this weekend, this is the one I’m looking forward to the least. Just saying. But, it has the potential to turn into a shootout. Victor Cruz has been a monster all season for New York. Surely he’ll catch some bombs to light up the sky.

Eh, let’s give the nod to the home team…

New York 28 – Atlanta 19

Pittsburgh at Denver – Was anyone else entertained by Denver’s blatant and utter disgust with how they won the West? Champ Bailey said it best: “There’s nothing on our team you can call our strength.” Basically, what this means is FINALLY, someone within the Denver bubble realizes that Tim Tebow is MEDIOCRE!!!

I’m leaving my Steelers bias at the door on this, but you can bet the farm the Steelers D will follow the blueprint Kansas City used last week that makes Timmy rely on his arm. Keep him contained in the pocket, eliminate his ability to scramble, and force him to make a decision that involves finding a downfield target. When that happens, he skips passes off the ground five yards short.

The Steelers aren’t exactly a juggernaut entering the playoffs with all the injury issues, but solid execution on defense should be enough to capture a win.

PROGNOSTICATORY: Pittsburgh 17 – Tebo…Denver 6

Like the Greased-up Deaf Guy says on Family Guy, “See y’all next week!!”

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. January 2nd. You may be wrapping up an extended holiday vacation or just getting back to the grind, but there’s no denying that special buzz in the air.

The ball has dropped, the hangovers have most likely subsided (although I have some friends who would beg to differ), and the reality of converting words into action about what you’re going to change in the new year is staring you dead in the eyes. It’s officially called a ‘resolution.’ I call it a ‘January To-Do List.’

New Years is a great time to say we are going to do something to better ourselves and/or our businesses. Eat better. Exercise. Implement better habits. Self-educate more. Be a better person to be around.

But where do we normally end up 365 days later? Tallying up how many steak subs we consumed and knocking dust off the treadmill in the corner. Saying we are going to implement better habits, educate ourselves better, and become a better person to be around.

The bottom line is this: Words can ring of great aspirations, but prove to be nothing more than dead air should they not be accompanied by action. If you’re not willing to follow through, or fight to follow through, on the goals you’ve set, why bother getting out of bed in the first place?

Personally, I’ve given up on resolutions at New Years. Why? Because I wasn’t kidding anyone except myself. I decided it was more life-changing and significant to create REVOLUTIONS. Revolutions stand the test of time and are remembered for years to come. If you’re going to do something, whether it be the simplest of tasks or the most difficult, game-altering mission you’ve ever taken on, why not do it the absolute best you can?! Creating a revolution will hold more value to you than a resolution, and make you work just a little bit harder to successfully achieve optimum results.

You are in a position, no matter your rank or tenure, to change the game. You just have to believe you can be a catalyst of change. There are beliefs, attitudes, habits, and activities you can bring to the table to lead to better results.

Here are 7 Simplistic REVOLUTIONS you can implement to make 2012 a banner year for you and your business:

1) Be the Face of Your Business – Instead of working behind-the-scenes, be the manager/owner/supervisor/professional all your clients know, love, and support. Strive to make each of them as close to you as a friend on Facebook. You want to eliminate salesyness from your business? Build strong, meaningful relationships with your clients that will naturally translate to increased levels of trust and loyalty, thus keeping their business forever!

2) Build Loyal Customers Instead of Happy Customers – In today’s information age, people buy based on the views and opinions of other consumers more than ever. It’s imperative you become a professional that understands this, while also understanding that building a loyal customer vs. a happy customer will lend itself to a healthier bottom line. When a customer is happy, that’s a good thing. They’ll probably come back to you in the future. But when a customer is loyal, they’ll go to the ends of the earth to make sure people know you exist and fight like it’s their own business to push people to your door. Which would you rather have?

3) Be Proactive, Not Reactive – Nothing spells disaster for a business like knee-jerk reactions to market trends, competition, upset clients, and poor overall results. Identify areas of your business that may trigger cause for concern and prepare for them accordingly. You know your business better than anyone, so don’t let it manage you. Plan your attack and attack your plan…sooner rather than later.

4) Expand Your Comfort Zone – As a professional, this is one of the toughest things to do. But if you want to evolve, you have to be willing to change. If you’re resistant to doing things differently in order to obtain results, it will show, both in your bottom line and your overall attitude towards what you do. Get uncomfortable for a bit…you’ll be amazed how adapting to something uncomfortable lends itself to enhanced levels of comfort down the road.

5) Determine the Impact 1-2 More Clients per Month Would Have – Think about your biggest, best, and highest-priced service or product. Think about why you have it priced where it is. Most likely, it’s because you believe in its value and what it will do for your customer. Think about how many of these units you move on a monthly basis and how it impacts your business. Now, add one, two, or even three more new clients to that result each month. Significant, right? Use 2012 as the year to obtain these additional clients and build loyalty with them from day one. How? Well…

6) Get More Social – Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Instagram, and other social networks have reached dizzying heights of popularity and appeal to mass audiences more than any :30 TV or radio spot can do. These networks offer fantastic avenues for not only building customer loyalty, but for tapping into networks that capture millions upon millions of visitors every day. You can create social campaigns, gauge customer reactions, launch products, answer customer service questions, converse one-to-one with any and all clients, and ultimately build and nurture an army of loyal clients who will play a vital role in your long-term success!

7) Enhance Your Overall Online Exposure – It’s 2012. Face it, if you’re not online yet, your business won’t be around for long. It’s not the easiest news to receive, but it’s a point of fact. You have to position yourself and your business where people can find you. And where people are looking is on search engines, blogs, and Social Media sites. Get yourself visible on these sites as soon as possible, or lose business, money, and relevance to competitors who are.

Best wishes to everyone in 2012 and let’s Make REVOLUTIONS, Not Resolutions!

What is your top revolution you plan on implementing in 2012? Share with your fellow readers and leave a comment below!

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this blog, I’d like to first give credit where credit is due. The upcoming facts and observations were being tweeted by my good friend Liesel Olson the other day and each tweet was better than the next. When I told her I was enjoying the info she was sharing, we both decided to collaborate on a blog post encompassing these facts, as they’re quite useful for those looking to maximize their Twitter efforts.

Liesel informed me she viewed a webinar produced by HubSpot, the authorities in Inbound Marketing and Social Media. The webinar is titled “The Most Legendary Marketing Showdown.” If you want to enhance your Inbound and Social strategies, you need to follow HubSpot pronto. Start with Twitter.

So thanks to Liesel’s tweets and HubSpot’s continuous mission to deliver extraordinary content, I am able to share a few great facts that will help you get more from one of the biggest social mediums on the planet.

Since joining Twitter a couple years back, it’s been my favorite social network. This is not to discount what others offer (and doesn’t make me any less of a Facebook addict), but Twitter has always delivered what I was looking for on a variety of levels.

• Succinct messages
• Education
• Comedy
• Entertainment
• Relationships
• One-to-one correspondence
  
• Friendship
• Useful, helpful links
• Leadership
• The list goes on and on

I mentioned my friend Liesel just a moment ago. We met via Twitter talking about the 2009 U.S. Open tennis tournament. And we are on opposite sides of the world. To say that’s powerful stuff is a total understatement.

No matter what you’re after, Twitter can satiate. From comedians enhancing their audience via hilarious tweets to brands and businesses establishing rock-solid, long-term loyalty with their customers, 140 characters or less may be the most powerful medium we can tap into.

I, and literally millions of others, highly recommend utilizing Twitter to its fullest extent. And if you’re looking to get started on the right foot, or improve on your existing tweeting regimen, here’s some information you can utilize to change the game:

• Twitter accounts that have less “@” (or, are less chatty) have a greater follower count. The lesson? People value content and information – you need to be useful to them. So, when tweeting, include links to great articles or new statistics that will interest someone!
• The most effective number of tweets per day is 22. If you think about it, that makes a lot of sense…too few tweets will get missed and too many tweets just gets annoying. It’s much more likely that you’d ‘over-Facebook’ than ‘over-Tweet!’
• The shelf life of a link on Twitter is 3 hours (according to bit.ly) and a great way to get more Twitter followers is to include links. This goes back to point #1, but brings in point #2 as well. You want to provide great content, but also share it often in order to reach the greatest amount of people and gain followers.
• Using the phrase “Please ReTweet” is more effective than “Please RT” (which itself is more effective than neither). In fact, “Please ReTweet gets 4x more Retweets. The lesson? Calls to action work on social media! I imagine ‘click here’ has a similar effectiveness…

Want to know what brands are winning the battle for Social Media supremacy? Check this out: According to the #showdown, Pepsi beats Coke, Apple beats Microsoft, Yankees beat Red Sox (my personal favorite one!), McDonalds beats Burger King and Target beats Walmart. So keep an eye on these brands, not just because they’re setting a great example and you could learn something, but because they’ll most likely offer you something valuable down the road.

To view The Most Legendary Marketing Showdown in its entirety, Click Here

And don’t forget to check out Liesel Olson on Twitter and bookmark her blog at lieselolson.wordpress.com!

Cercone’s Commentary is nothing more, or nothing less, than a compilation of words strung together to make sentences to form an opinion on things and stuff going on in the world around us. At no point in this upcoming narrative do I expect to earn points for what I say, do, or feel. Simply, I’m out to entertain and shed light on certain situations…even if that light comes from a flashlight slightly dimmer than most others. Feel free to leave comments and start some discussion so I don’t start thinking the voices in my head are actual people. Much obliged.

Worst Season of Fantasy Football Concludes…

…with a championship loss. For the first time in five seasons, I have no championships to celebrate over the course of the next six months. All I have to cling to my above-average NHL and NBA fantasy squads, and real sports (I guess). Oh, and there’s the start of NASCAR…no hope of a lockout there. Imagine the dip in Miller Lite sales and spousal beatings if NASCAR went on hiatus…

I find it ironic that this was the first full season that I listened to a lot of Sirius XM Fantasy Football Radio as I commuted to and fro, and I bring home no hardware. When in years past, it was primarily what I thought was the best move for my rosters that led to results and championships. I’m not pointing the finger at those guys for my losses. They provide quality radio (sometimes…one day one of the shows talked about Miller Lite being their favorite beer. Makes me question their comprehension of anything meaningful). But if any of them happen to wake up with a horse head in their bed Godfather style, well…

On a more serious note, congratulations to Drew Brees for breaking Dan Marino’s 27-year passing yards record. Not an easy task. For Brees, maybe it is…the man is not real. Between he and Aaron Rodgers, I think they’re not seeing wide receivers when they look downfield, but green zeroes and ones like Neo in The Matrix when he discovers he’s “The One.”

That single play shattered a record some thought untouchable, and I’ll always remember it because it was that very play that cost me my only shot at a championship in 2011. But for Drew, gotta hand it to him…class act, phenomenal QB, Super Bowl MVP, and now, a record holder.

Anyway, the countdown to NFL Fantasy 2012 starts today. Maybe I’ll squeeze some golf in first.

Sign of Age

I remember back in the day when I got uber-excited about the toys under the tree on Christmas morning. Then, as I got older, it was the video games and DVDs. Then, it was nice clothes and a few techy gadgets.

You know what excited me this year? Cutting into a steak with a new knife from the set we received. Excited by knives…what am I, a Cutco rep? You know what, I don’t care…these knives are effing sweet!

#TVThatSucks

Can someone please explain to me how in the blue hell a show like “The Big Bang Theory” has stayed on TV and, worse yet, developed a following?! Yes, people watch this show willingly and boost its ratings, furthering the stereotype that anything with a punch-drunk laugh track designed to get it over is actually funny.

Ever hear this hot garbage without the laugh track? I originally heard this on Opie and Anthony and I’ll be damned if it’s not true. I challenge you to click play below and significantly laugh at what you’re watching. The video is a little choppy but it illustrates a simple point: Jokes with no punchline are not humorous.

Speaking of Age…

Yep, today’s my birthday. 32 years ago today, I entered this world with my game face on and haven’t looked back. As has become a tradition in the Social Media Era, I’m expecting a lot of great friends and family to wish me a Happy Birthday via Facebook, Twitter, texts, etc, etc. And, as has become my own tradition, I’d like to take a moment to share some of the things I’ve picked up along the way in my 32nd year of existence.

- First off, I’d like to thank Hair Club for bringing me on board as the Managing Director in Pittsburgh. It’s been a fantastic learning experience so far and I couldn’t think of a better company to be working for. I work with a tremendous team of leaders and example setters who strive to build their businesses the right way each and every day. I couldn’t be happier to be part of such a great team and am looking forward to tremendous growth and prosperity in 2012.

- Next, LinXone Solutions, my Internet Marketing company that I run with Jason Collins, is looking at some great things for 2012 as well! Some big projects, as well as continuing to provide exceptional results for our clients, are on the horizon. Remember, we kick you guys $50 for anyone you refer our way that becomes a client. Take advantage!

- Miller Lite sucks.

- Sometimes, even flopping the nut straight can get you cracked by some jackass who sucks out two clubs on the turn and river to make a flush when you put him all-in. True story. Happened in June. Still bitter about it.

- The Occupy people would be best-served to occupy the bottom of a well somewhere.

- Sadly, I’m extremely worried we’ve seen the last of Sidney Crosby. I was fortunate enough to be present at his big return game November 21st, and a more electric atmosphere in an arena you could not ask for. However, the lingering issues and concussion-like symptoms lead me to believe we’ll never see him at full capacity again. Whether you’re a bleeding-black-and-gold Pens fan like me or not, it’s sad to see a player with so many more years of hockey ahead of him have it cut short. And not just Crosby…other players are succumbing to concussions as well. NHL, it’s time to take a serious look at these helmets. Somethin’ ain’t right.

- My daughter Mackenna is only a week away from her 2nd birthday and it’s been a non-stop rewarding journey with her this year. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how fast she’s growing. The things she does, the things she says…it’s craziness! Looking forward to what the next chapter in her life holds…and seriously hoping this “terrible twos” thing is just something other parents talk about for sympathy points.

Hope you all have a safe, fun, and enjoyable New Years! Tune in next week for NFL Playoff Predictions other stuff you’ll probably forget about in five minutes.

Those who’ve hooked up with me on Facebook knows this festive time of year is best spent quoting the greatest Christmas flick of all time, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Here’s a classic scene/quote too long to type out, but great to embrace. Play Ball!