Anyone who has ever worked for me will tell you that I am a demanding editor. When it comes to writing, I expect perfection. But, that doesn’t just mean that I freak out when “it’s” is used as a possessive – or when “affect” is erroneously substituted for “effect.” It also means that I don’t believe what people say, just because they say it. And I don’t trust information that I haven’t vetted. Anywhere. Not in our office. Not in the media. And certainly not on the Internet.

Given free speech and all, people have the right to use blogs to promote their personal points of view. And in doing so, they can say hateful, despicable things. They can use innuendo at will and lie with abandon. It’s all protected under the First Amendment.

But, here’s the rub. Bloggers, if you want to “rage against the machine” or spew out all the bile that’s in your system, have at it. My problem is not as much with you – or even with the “news” organizations that use you as “reliable” sources. My concern is with the people who actually believe you. Blindly. Naively. Without thinking. Without verifying.

Nothing illustrates this any better than the Shirley Sherrod case, which has dominated this week’s news cycles. The former official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture was forced to resign from her position after a blogger appears to have manipulated and edited video tape that presented Ms. Sherrod as a racist. The tape was aired by a news network and portrayed as truth. As a result, the USDA asked Sherrod to step down – before anyone (including the NAACP, her boss or the White House staff) bothered to view the entirety of her speech. Had the proper fact-checking been done, it would have been crystal clear that the clip was edited out of context and that it bore no resemblance to the truth. Meanwhile, the network that broke the story accepted no responsibility for shoddy reporting and simply reframed it to redirect their audience’s attention. Shame on everybody involved.

Lots of folks are culpable here, and there’s plenty of blame to spread around. But, this is, I believe, a teachable moment. Lessons to be learned: 1) Opinion isn’t fact. Recognize the difference. 2) Don’t allow yourself to be duped. Do your own research; dig as deep as you can to identify the source. Then find out if that source is pushing a particular agenda. 3) Adopt a healthy level of skepticism. Understand that many bloggers simply masquerade as “journalists” and be aware that news organizations can and do manipulate the truth. 4) Balance your knowledge portfolio by taking the time to read in-depth articles penned by good, old-fashioned reporters writing for real newspapers or magazines. Sadly, there are fewer of them around than there should be, but their insight will give you much-needed perspective. 5) Use common sense. When you hear every talking head on radio and television – plus a litany of politicians – using exactly the same catch phrases on the same day, it ought to raise a red flag. Don’t think for one second that they haven’t been fed those talking points. I mean, come on.

So when it comes to making a pitch, promoting a client – or just expanding your own knowledge base – today’s reality dictates this: Verify. Verify. Verify. Then trust.

This stuff keeps me up at night. How about you?

Linda Costa is president and founder of Costa DeVault – a wordwise company. This is her first blog post.

In case you haven’t seen Old Spice’s newest smash ad campaign, it centers around an attractive, mostly shirtless young man who calls himself “the man your man could smell like” (with the use of Old Spice bodywash, of course). All the clips are available on the company’s YouTube channel.

Between the coy, almost ridiculous lines and the smart delivery of actor Isaiah Mustafa, the commercials transcended television and were a near-instant hit across the Internet. Given his popularity, it was only natural for Mustafa to do a round of promotional interviews on shows like Ellen, Oprah and G4.

Old Spice took another step and moved to capitalize on Mustafa’s popularity on social networking websites, including notoriously cynical Reddit.com and 4chan. This post, titled “The Old Spice Man Responds to the Internet,” invites Reddit users to submit questions. Then, he created video responses to the most popular comments.

I’ve watched all the videos Old Spice posted, and I’m impressed with how well this campaign was done. While some questions are about the commercials and the product, others are more random – for example, one Reddit user asked, “Is it true you tore the wings off Pegasus and ate them buffalo style to achieve the manliness you exhibit today?” (See Mustafa’s response here.)

What surprised me most was that some of the responses even include inside jokes and jargon from Reddit – indicating that someone on the team regularly participates in the community. Additionally, the campaign is even courting Anonymous from 4chan (the collective whole of the website, known for large-scale Internet jokes and attacks) – a bold move.

If the responses on Reddit and 4chan are any indication (nearly 2,400 upvotes on Reddit as of the time I wrote this blog), it’s been a smashing success, and a great example of how to reach out to social networks.

Photo source: OldSpice

The newest wave of instant gratification is coming out of Japan in the form of QR – or “quick response” – codes. The pixelated images resemble your average barcode, but are capable of decoding a variety of information. Just snap a photo with your phone, and voilà!, the message is revealed.

QR codes are most commonly used as an alternative to lengthy web addresses, but can also contain phone numbers and hidden text. But, there is a catch: you need to have the appropriate software installed on your phone before you can read the code. (I recommend Barcode for iPhone users.)

Recently, Calvin Klein replaced their usually racy billboards with QR codes encouraging passersby to “uncensor” the ad, which redirects them to an exclusive provocative 40-second commercial.

And, in one of the most creative uses I’ve seen, blogger David Fell uses a QR code to complement his business card. Snap a photo of the code and David instantly becomes one of your contacts, complete with name, phone number, email address and website.

Given that you not only need to have a smartphone, but also an additional application to reveal the codes, it’s unclear whether the codes will live up to their potential. Either way, it’s fun to decode the secret message … and even more fun to create your own.

Photo source: Mashable.com

A few members of the Costa DeVault team hung out with Jason Sadler of iwearyourshirt.com fame this week. A big thank you to Jason for speaking at the FPRA Orlando event yesterday and for sharing social media sensibility, salad and smiles (he’s a funny man) at lunch today.

Source: Bess Auer, Central Florida Top 5

Twitter is at its best when users are free to express themselves and share information candidly. That is why Costa DeVault pays special attention to those who do just that. Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite tweets from the past couple of weeks. Let us know which ones you like, and share your favorites with us, too.

Thanks to @tristanwalker, @ChristineNgo, @DavidSpinks, @NickSwisher, @pbarbanes and @Spirit_Helper for sharing your humor, insight and philosophies with us.

Move over Eclipse premiere, social media is claiming June 30 as its own – at least, according to Mashable.com. After noticing that the popular online activity, one that accounts for 22% of all Internet time, did not have its own day, the tech blog dubbed June 30 as official “Social Media Day.”

More than 580 events are scheduled to take place internationally. Locally, Wall St. Plaza (19 N. Orange Ave.) will host an event for social media enthusiasts featuring specials on appetizers and drinks. SeaWorld’s social media team will also be on-site with park tickets and merchandise.

Wall St. Plaza is no stranger to social media. In addition to its Twitter and Facebook presence, they were one of the first restaurants in Orlando to offer a Foursquare special to users and mayors. In fact, if you follow them, are a “fan” or subscribe to their e-mail newsletter, your first drink is on them.

For more information about Orlando’s Social Media Day event, visit Facebook or Meetup.

I’m a documentary dork, so I was intrigued when I read about Waiting for Superman, a documentary that focuses on America’s failing public education system. But what interested me more is that the film is not just entertaining and educating – it’s advocating.

When I visited the film’s homepage, there in bold 32-point type displayed the sad statistic that 42 percent of Florida students will not graduate from high school in four years.

Following these statistics is a link to a social action campaign about what you can do in your area to either support a school or help fix the system. It’s a comprehensive list of action items and informational links. There’s also a pledge to see the film, with Orlando ranking low on the leader board in participation so far.

The film debuts nationwide this September, but it has already opened at Sundance with positive reviews.  I predict the documentary’s loudest praise will come from its awareness about improving public education, which social media will help to drive.

Bill Gates was interviewed for the documentary, and Katie Couric has already voiced her support of the campaign on Twitter. This is going to be big. All of us – especially those in education-based nonprofits and those working in education-related fields – should take note. It is public relations at its best – and one of the reasons I love the profession (and documentaries).