From Source: Mashable

Capacity – especially to plan and execute effective marketing strategies – is a big challenge for every small business. In this post, I’ll offer 10 suggestions for how small businesses can supercharge their marketing efforts by leveraging social media. For each suggestion, I will discuss a basic strategy – for those who simply want to get their toes wet, as well as an advanced strategy – for those who want to spend a bit more time and go a bit deeper in their social media marketing efforts. These tips are based on my experience leveraging social media marketing for my company, crowdSPRING.

I suggest you begin by outlining clear goals for your social media marketing efforts and figuring out how you’ll measure success. Once you’ve outlined your goals, let’s look at 10 great ways you can begin to leverage social media for your marketing efforts.

Listropolis' Take:

For many, this list is a 101 on using Social Media to grow a business. We've seen it all before, but like all things Mashable, the list is rock-solid. It's one of those posts you bookmark and read every few months to make sure you're staying on track.

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In the olden days, boys and girls used to spend hours using double cassette decks to carefully craft mix tapes to share in order to express their innermost longings in an artsy way. It sometimes led to love and inadvertently increased record sales by sharing a little taste of previously undiscovered bands.

Then came Napster and the CD burner, making the process even easier. Finally, mix sharing was thoroughly disrupted by online “mixtape” sharing sites such as the popular Muxtape, whose sharing function was disabled by the RIAA over a year ago. Following the closure of that site, we posted a list of alternatives last summer. Already, 60 percent of them are now offline for various reasons, in at least one case due to major label lawsuits.

These online mix-sharing sites are clearly something of a moving target, because they tend to operate under the radar or pay unmanageable licensing fees. But we’ve turned up a fresh batch you can use to share virtual mix tapes with friends and strangers around the world, without paying a cent.

Without further ado, here are the eight best ways to share playlists (honorable mentions below):

Listropolis' Take:

This post makes me realize how much I miss Muxtape, but it gives the best sites I've seen to replace that hole in my heart. If you're a music fan, you'll love this list.

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From Source: billshrink

Most have heard the saying that no one takes care of a rental car like they take care of their own. Why not floor the gas pedal or track sand into the car - the reasoning goes - if you’ll never see it again after this week? In many ways, this is a perfect analogy to government waste. No matter which party is in power, spending other people’s money rarely compels one to be as prudent as if they were spending their own. Combine this with the typical politician’s time horizon (the next election) and it’s easy to see why so many government projects and initiatives have been swallowed by waste over the years. Here are 12 of the most outrageous examples.

Listropolis' Take:

Not at all what I expected. This list is filled with items that I've never really thought about, but now I'm a little outraged.

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From Source: Zen Habits

As someone who does most of his work on the web, I’ve developed some habits to allow me to work quickly, without distraction, so that I can get my work done easily.

When I see others browse the web, it sometimes surprises me how far behind they are, and when others see me browse the web they’re surprised at how quick I am.

I’m not bragging — I know there are web monkeys faster than me. But I thought I’d share some of my tricks for the masses, in hopes that it’ll be of some use.

First, understand that everyone has their own personal style of browsing, and I don’t think you should adopt every tip below. This is what works for me. You probably won’t like it as much.

Second, understand that my philosophy is one of minimalism: I don’t like a lot of bells, whistles or distractions, and I like fast, lightweight programs that aren’t bloated or slow. I also like to work quickly, using the keyboard mostly, so that I can get my work done without friction.

So here are my tips — some of these will be old hat for web veterans, but they bear repeating.

Listropolis' Take:

GREAT list! These tips are simple, and can be implemented immediately.

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From Source: VisionWidget

One of the most important aspects of identity is a logo. A logo can say everything a viewer needs to know about a company or a personal website. However, logo design is not an easy task. Even the simplest of logos often take a lot of time and thought and may cost thousands of dollars.

In today's world just about everyone has a website and everyone needs some sort of identity to make a presence on the web, You don't want to spend a lot of money on a logo but you are certain you need something to set you apart. This is the idea behind Shaboopie logos.

So we hope our free logos create an identity for your online presence or at least inspire you to pursue your own designs. Below is the few examples of our logosdesign PSD file format for free download.

Listropolis' Take:

A very nice set of generic company logos with free, downloadable PSD files. I only see 15 listed, but the post claims there are 80+. Let me know if you find the rest.

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From Source: Yahoo Health

If you’ve ever felt like you go a little cross-eyed after taking a peek at an optical illusion, then you know they can be a pretty intense phenomenon. What your eyes perceive when looking at one of these images is actually a visual illusion; you see the image as something different than what it is because the different cells and receptors in your eyes distinguish images and colors at dissimilar speeds. The eye can only receive a limited amount of visual stimuli, but as your brain constantly processes the visual information, it gives you the illusion of continuous sight. Whether it’s an optical, physiological or cognitive illusion, the design plays a trick on your eyes (and mind). Check out some of the interesting illusions below—but beware, you may not be able to absorb them all in one sitting.

Listropolis' Take:

Interesting enough to share on here, but nothing you probably haven't seen before.

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From Source: Rotorblog

With Halloween just a couple of weeks to go, we’ve gathered up some cool iPhone apps to get you in the Halloween mood. All apps listed here are free to download. Enjoy!

Listropolis' Take:

It's iphone apps and Halloween. What's not to love?

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Facebook Fan Pages are all the rage these days. Every company is doing their best to make a presence in the social web, and many are doing very well. This post is NOT about the big shots. We're focusing on smaller fan pages that are highly underrated.

It's impossible to see every fan page, but we feel comfortable without list. And if we missed a page that deserves to be in this list, we're sure you'll let us know about it in the comments.

Fan Count: 420,145
About: Nothing in "About" box

Why you'll like it: TFLN is such an amazing website, and they've done their best to port it to Facebook. This is the weakest of the pages, but it does bring the humor that TFLN is known for, but for some reason, it just doesn't have the same kick as their regular site.

Fan Count: 127
About: For Those Who Like to Watch.....We Salute You!

Why you'll like it: It's updated almost daily, and they allow fans to post. Most of the content is videos....Taser videos! It's a great page for a quick laugh.

Fan Count: 87
About: Tiny little Facebook tips - One bite at a time.

Why you'll like it: We know you already like Facebook, or you wouldn't be reading this. Even if you're a FB expert, this page might teach you something you didn't know. The posts are all very short, yet very informative.

Fan Count: 49
About: Selling a home is tough these days, and most of the time, the pictures used on the MLS bring people to the listing. Problem is, a lot of people don't care what the pictures look like. This page is for sharing the best (worst) pics on the MLS.

Why you'll like it: You might not like this one, but I do. It's updated almost daily, and shows pictures of homes Realtors use to list their clients' properties. When you consider these photos are what's being presented to help sell a home, it sort of puts things in perspective. It's a niche page, but it's still pretty damn funny (and a little sad).

Fan Count: 3,671
About: Write your best FmyLife stories on our wall and get ready to laugh hahahaha

Why you'll like it: Misery loves company. The page is full of people telling their "Fuck My Life" stories. For some reason, I always feel a little better after visiting the page.

Fan Count: 373
About: Weekly Pool Cleaning, Service, and Repair. Servicing the Lake Nona area, and almost everywhere else in Central Florida.

Why you'll like it: Another niche site, but this company is very interactive with their clients. They allow wall posts by fans, and provide a good mix of humor and instructional material on the wall in the form of videos, pictures, and links. They also have a "Discussions" section, which is great if you have pool questions, but it doesn't appear there is much discussion going on there. If you own a small business, this is a good model to follow.

Fan Count: 142
About: Like Lists? Of course you do! Listropolis.com is all about the lists. We have originals and also feature some of the all-time best lists found on the internetz. All Your List are Belong to Us (not a typo...google it).

Why you'll like it: Like you thought we wouldn't add our own page here. We update our Listropolis FB page daily, and it's not just posts from here. We assume you're already a fan of Listropolis, so we hope you'll join us on Facebook too. We try to keep the updates interesting, and allow for fans to post on our wall too.

Fan Count: 9,074
About: Fail is not fail blog. Many of the pictures, and videos come from fail blog, and other sites. Please see the info tab for links to these sites. All pictures and Videos are property of there respected owners, and we thank them for putting them online!

Why you'll like it: Who doesn't like Fails? Looks like most of the content comes from FailBlog, but it's still funny, and a no-brainer to become a fan of if you're into that sort of thing.

Fan Count: 64
About: There are just some things that can't be posted on a regular Facebook Profile. This is the dirty, raunchier, side of things - but it's what every man thinks about. Women, Sports, Videos, Music - it's all here. If you are easily offended....Leave!

Why you'll like it: Yowza!!! This page is a cross between Maxix, Playboy, and FHM, with a little MTV, Men's Health, and GQ thrown in for fun. How this page only has 64 fans is a mystery to me, but if you're a guy, or you like guy stuff, do yourself a favor and become a fan of this page. The site seems to be updated almost daily, and it looks like fans can add content, but keep in mind, it can sometimes get NSFW.

Fan Count: 144
About: We all love WTFs! Become a fan, visit daily, and share your own WTF links.

Why you'll like it: Now why didn't they offer this in college. WTF (What the Fuck) 101 will blow your mind. It's updated multiple times daily, and has some of the craziest links I've ever seen. I've shared a ton of the links from this page on my own, and they're always a hit. Fans of bizarre stories, videos, and pictures will absolutely love this site. Fans can add content to the wall on this page too, so you never know what you'll find, and if this page gets as large as I think it will, this could become one of the best places for your daily WTF fun.

So who did we miss?

We know there are thousands of great Facebook fan pages, so if you have one, or know of one, that you think should have made this list, let us know in the comments.

From Source: eguiders.com

For extreme sports athletes, putting on a helmet-cam is usually a death wish. But a tip of the hat goes out to those people who have the cojones to strap a camera to their heads and document their flirtations with death just so the rest of us can live, vicariously, on the edge. The truth is that helmet cam video footage is the closest a lot of us will ever get to base-jumping, attempting a motorcycle wheelie, or getting stuck in an avalanche. So now it's your turn. Strap on a helmet, roll the GoPro, and watch 8 death-defying helmet cam videos.

Listropolis' Take:

What a cool post to start the morning. We're all thrill junkies here, so watching these videos got out blood pumping a bit this morning. I've seen #3 before, and it's still one of my favs.

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From Source: Screen Junkies

Huge news that, if true, could produce a film that either rejuvenates one of the best comedy franchises in movie history, or could destroy the film industry forever. Yes, I'm talking about the fact that New Line/Warner Bros. have signed Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin to produce and possibly direct a National Lampoon's Vacation sequel.

Now, I'm someone who doesn't even consider Vegas Vacation a part of the franchise. It's why I've enjoyed referring to the Griswold's misadventures over the years as, "The Vacation Trilogy." After all, "Trilogy" has a nice ring to it and aside from Rusty's Mr. Papageorgio subplot and the casting of Marisol Nichols as daughter Audrey Griswold… Vegas Vacation was about as much fun as arriving at Wally World only to find out it's closed for remodeling.

And the rumor is that the next installment will actually focus not on Clark & Ellen, but on son Rusty and his new family. Chevy Chase may only have a bit part in the film, if that. And so, this led us to curate the following list of classic Clark Griswold clips. At the very least, they'll remind us of what's made the National Lampoon's Vacation series so everlasting. At the most, New Line/Warner Bros. and Mr. Dobkin will stumble across this page, tear up from laughter, realize what they're about to embark on and then either make a kickass Griswold family vacation for a new generation… or scrap the whole idea altogether.

Listropolis' Take:

Considering these are my all-time favorite movies, I LOVE this post. If you are a fan of the Vacation franchise, you'll probably end up bookmarking this and coming back to it often.

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