How do you define successful social media? I’m not so sure that there’s a simple definition that we’re all ready to accept quite yet. The medium is in its relative infancy — so best practices, rules and success are still a little murky.

But, there’s good news. Some companies are taking the bull by the horn — not only engaging, but generating viable results: improving customer service, increasing web traffic, strengthening product development or generating new business. I’ve noticed a flurry of case studies in the last few days from companies big and small touting social media successes. So, while there may not be a standard definition for Web 2.0 success, it’s generating positive outcomes nonetheless. These examples will help you see the potential:

• Fortune 500 series: FedEx delivers success through social media.
• Starbucks social media monitoring and community help it survive a brand attack.
• 6 Social Media Case Studies, courtesy of HubSpot, illustrates how communities can drive product innovation, improve marketing and sales, pique the media’s attention and attract customers.

Yesterday morning as I read through the Orlando Sentinel, I honed in on a story about Children’s Health magazine. I was surprised to see that the magazine has ranked Orlando 98th among its 100 best and worst cities to raise a family. Here’s why:

We considered more than 30 factors that parents deem vitally important, including crime and safety, education, economics, housing, cultural attractions, and health. When we crunched the numbers, these were the cities that best complemented family life.

As an Orlando native, I could present a counter-argument with a list a reasons why my husband and I chose to start a family here … such as the fact that my toddler knows he lives down the street from Mickey Mouse … and Shamu … and the beach. But I won’t go there. Central Floridians know why it’s a great place to live and have children. What struck me was this: according the Sentinel:

Editors at the magazine dinged the City Beautiful for its relatively low per-pupil spending, high crime rates, low homeownership rate, high unemployment and the number of sex offenders and missing children per capita.

It’s surprising to me that the editors of Children’s Health believe that owning a home is either a good – or bad – thing. That way of thinking is very antiquated, and (arguably) one of the reasons why we’re in a housing crisis to begin with … which leads me to believe that perhaps the other criteria that “complement family life” may be up for dispute as well.

Here’s a photo of a shuttle launch I took from my house in March. How many people in #1-ranked Burlington, Vermont can post that?

When winding down from a busy week, sometimes nothing is better than your favorite movie. We recently surveyed the team to find out their favorite movies. The answers might surprise you – they include every genre from action-packed to musicals.

Some of our favorites:

Linda – As Good As It Gets, Wuthering Heights (the 1939 version), The Godfather, Hoosiers, Braveheart

Nathan – Lost In Translation, Empire of the Sun, Joe vs. the Volcano, Casino, Dazed and Confused

Megan – Inner Space, Lost in Translation, Star Wars (the original), Swingers, French Kiss

Kristina – Wedding Crashers, Interview with the Vampire, Pretty Woman, Back to the Future, Hackers

Stuart – The Departed, Star Wars IV, Good Fellas, Caddyshack, Joe vs. the Volcano

Deborah – Old School, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Under the Tuscan Sun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Wizard of Oz

Simone – The Notebook, Old School, Office Space, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile

Jeffrey – The Women, The Wedding Date, Father of the Bride I, Father of the Bride II, Sweet Home Alabama

Alexis – Love Actually, Gladiator, Ocean’s 11, Lord of the Rings, Rumble in the Bronx

Michelle – Office Space, The Notebook, Napoleon Dynamite, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Goonies

Summer – Singles, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Pulp Fiction, Dazed and Confused, Grease

Jenni – The Breakfast Club, The Dark Knight, Grease, The Notebook, The Devil Wears Prada

Heather – Sweet Home Alabama, American President, Major League

Christian – Dumb and Dumber, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Scarface, Murder in the First, Pineapple Express

Whitney – All the President’s Men, Gods and Generals, Say Anything, The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Doreen – Dead Poets Society, Airplane, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Usual Suspects

Brooke – Slumdog Millionaire, The Crow, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada

Ashley – Wizard of Oz, A League of Their Own, Steel Magnolias, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Chicago

Yesterday in my mailbox, I was surprised to find a package from Kiss My Face. It’s an organic and natural cosmetics and skincare line … one that I had never heard of. Until yesterday.

Apparently, I had won some contest I had entered online, and this was the prize. As a products “junkie,” I was excited to open all the testers and flip through the marketing materials. The pamphlet directed me to the company web site, so I immediately logged on to the computer to check it out. (Yes, a marketer’s dream … I’m “one of those people.”)

Almost an hour later, I had read through pretty much the whole site and made a list of stuff I wanted to try. The only thing I was disappointed in was their blog section, which hadn’t been updated since February … and the one before that was September 2008!

This got me thinking … what were the missed opportunities here? What if their blog was updated frequently? I would have subscribed – a weekly, if not daily, reminder of their products. Perhaps I would have followed them on Twitter, too. The point is: Their contest was a success. I learned about their products, and I intend to buy … and how much did it cost them? A few samples and a dollar in postage? But how much further could they have gone?

That said, at least I’m thinking about their products. And blogging about them, too.