The Washington Post’s article about the Yelp lawsuit and the dangers of online content really did a good job of illustrating the inherent problem with what you may read online. I knew all of this was going on, but I had no idea as to the extent. Involvement by the FTC might have some consultants/agencies rethinking their business model.

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This is a guest post from Bess Auer, founder and editor of the Central Florida Top 5 and The Undomesticated Diva. She can be found on Twitter @CentralFLTop5.

Many of today’s executives have such challenges when it comes to understanding the power of social media. I discovered this firsthand when I was chosen as one of four bloggers to participate in the Southern Chevy Dealers’ “Girlfriend Getaway Orlando” promotion marketing for the Chevy Traverse. As an experiment in customer-based marketing, four Central Florida women were each given a car to drive for a month – all the while blogging, tweeting and using Facebook to share our experiences on the road.

Jennifer Leet is a Nielsen Top 50 Mom Blogger, while Meghann Anderson and Caitlin Boyle are health and nutrition bloggers who have more than 400,000 hits per month on their blogs. My blog was voted #1 Neighborhood Blog by the Orlando Sentinel.

The day I picked up my car, I met the participating dealers. I was a bit surprised when part of this meeting was still “selling” the idea of social media to the executives. It wasn’t until we introduced ourselves and our social media reach that we began to get their attention. The executives slowly began to understand that we could reach several hundred thousand people in a short time.

Through Twitter, a Facebook fan page and a “Girlfriend Getaway” blog, where we post entries, pictures and videos twice weekly, we have successfully spread Chevy’s message about the Traverse. Cross-marketed with a free massage from Massage Envy, the target audience has incentive to get to the dealerships and test drive a Chevy, meeting the campaign’s ultimate goal.

This experiment goes to show you that social media is a valuable asset for all companies – from your local mom-and-pop stores to one of the biggest car manufacturers. Don’t let executives turn a deaf ear to social media – show them the power of this unique customer-based marketing in a way that complements your business model.

You might have grown up being told “never talk to strangers,” but once you reach a certain age, those “strangers” become your potential clients, future employers and collaborators. At a recent FPRA event, Dr. Susan Bach, executive director of the Center for Leadership Development at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, presented an interactive workshop on developing an elevator pitch – and using it effectively in networking opportunities.

Bach started with three simple talking points to craft your introduction:

• Hook ‘em: List the talking point for your central message. Share your name, your company/organization and your position.

• Describe your passion: Create two to three points that explain how you accomplish your job and what it means to you.

• Ask for what you want: Take the next step by exchanging business cards, extending an invitation to a future event or planning to meet for coffee.

Practice and preparation are key to an effective and natural-sounding “30-second commercial.” Bach suggests practicing in front of the mirror or recording yourself. Better yet: attend an event and give it a test drive.

What are your favorite tips for creating a lasting impression?

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BusinessWeek’s latest article about a lawsuit Yelp is now facing for “mingling ads and reviews” struck at an issue that has concerned me for some time. The suit claims that Yelp highlights negative reviews unless business owners agree to advertise. The article goes on to describe the atmosphere online like the “Wild West,” contending that businesses are now trying to manipulate reviews to their advantage.

It’s a serious charge that calls into question the integrity not only of Yelp, but also of the truth of any online content. I attended a social media conference last year and in one of the better sessions, someone questioned the accuracy of online “news” that comes by way of non-news outlets. The concern was that with the immediacy of networks like Twitter, misinformation, rumor and even lies can spread quickly. The counter to this point was that the online community would ultimately blackball someone for this kind of activity and “self regulate.”

Wall Street has pretty much put an end to the “self regulation” argument in any application (credit default swap, anyone?), and the Yelp lawsuit illustrates what may be the Achilles’ heel for social media and user-generated content. Which is that you really can’t trust people you don’t know. And you never know the financial motive behind the content.

I have seen the positive impact that social networking and online tools can have. They are an important addition to this profession. But the Internet allows for anonymity, and you don’t really know someone you’ve never met.

Say what you will about journalism as we have known it, but at least the pursuit of truth for some reporters was its own motivation. Unfortunately, that’s an ideal we seem to be moving further away from. Particularly when we are willing to listen to – and believe – total strangers.

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Over the past few weeks, the Costa DeVault team has compiled a list of our favorite tweets – ranging from informative to amusing. Here they are, in case you missed them.

A special thanks to @hdueitt, @CHSHeather, @copyblogger, @AngelaHernandez and @indefensible for your insight, content sharing and good humor.

It often seems like professional development books are a dime a dozen. In fact, a search of Amazon.com yields nearly 40,000 books to choose from. If you’re looking for something to read and don’t feel like sifting through thousands of options, take a look at our recommendations – you might find a good place to start.

Nathan: Now Is Too Late 2 by Gerald R. Baron

Alexis: Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Ashley: Ben & Jerry’s Double Dip: How to Run a Values-led Business and Make Money, Too by Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen

Doreen: StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath

Deborah: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Jenni: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Have we missed one of your favorites? Share your suggestions in the comments!

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If you’re looking for good public relations case studies, just open a history book. Recently, Gary McKechnie, author of USA 101: A Guide to America’s Iconic Places, Events and Festivals, spoke at an event for one of our clients. He gave an excellent historical example of a phenomenal fund-raising effort.

Most people know that the French built and funded the Statue of Liberty. However, many forget that America was tasked with raising money for its pedestal. And it cost a lot – almost as much as the statue itself. Traditional fund-raising campaign strategies to erect the statue faltered. After all, it’s hard to get excited about this call to action:

Raise money for

The Statue of Liberty’s

pedestal fund

Enter Hungarian immigrant Joseph Pulitzer, successful journalist and owner of the New York World newspaper. In an editorial, he chastised the wealthy for not getting behind the project. He also challenged the middle class to raise money, because he proclaimed this was America’s statue – not just a rich man’s gift. In a clever PR move, he promised to publish the name of any contributor to the fund-raising campaign.

Regardless of whether you were an aristocrat who donated $500 to the cause, or a paperboy who donated five cents, your name was printed in the paper – in equal point size.

The result? 120,000 people contributed a little more than $100,000. It brought the country together to show that Lady Liberty wasn’t a “New York statue,” but an American icon. As an ROI side note: It also increased Pulitzer’s newspaper circulation by 50,000.

The successful approach of bringing small and large donations together for a common cause rings true today. Just look at the Haiti text messaging effort, which has already raised more than $800,000, and the Obama fund-raising campaign model. History repeats itself.

Photo credit: Itinerant_wanderer