It’s been said many times over, “It’s never too late.” This is especially true when it involves props, singing, and spreading smiles.

Case in point: Grafik’s 2011 Holiday E-card which was sent out to clients, friends, and our social followers early this week. Yes, it may be a bit tardy, but it’s still darn worthy of the mere 30 seconds you need to view it. So if you haven’t given it a look, click on the image below. Immediate smiles guaranteed!

Yesterday, Facebook + Media released the list of Most Shared Articles on Facebook in 2011. As a sucker for “top” and “most” lists and the like, I look forward to the last quarter of the year, when they start popping up left and right on any topic you can possibly think of, because they are somewhat descriptive of the past year. Much longer than other year-ending rundowns, this list surprisingly had a really good mix—funny and serious, informative and seemingly useless, print and multimedia. This list left me almost in tears (of both laughter and sadness), but most of all, it has left me a bit confused. Its wide variety of subject matter and type of content makes me wonder about what all this means.

With online video and multimedia consumption emerging, only 11 of the 40 stories are videos or have a video component, and only four are primarily based on photos or have an interactive feature. With 44% (and growing) of Facebook users accessing the social networking site via mobile, does this mean that multimedia content has yet to be better utilized for mobile consumption despite Facebook’s recent push for mobile? Or do text-only articles show no signs weakening? My bet is on the first rather than the latter.

I also noticed that reputable news sites such as CNN.com, NYTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com and Yahoo! News dominate as the most popular sources. As someone from a journalism background, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that the online community still primarily refers to the respected and esteemed news outlets for content—at least I’d like to believe that. Much of the sharing could be better attributed to Open Graph apps which has increased Yahoo! News’ traffic by 600% and garnered the WaPo more than 3.5 million users via the Social Reader app based on early statistics.

With this in mind, the majority of the articles are content primarily originating from, or touching issues directly affecting, the U.S. despite 75% of Facebook users living outside the United States. With topics ranging from Steve Jobs, job hunting, laughing babies, the U.S. deficit and Japan tsunami, this list is indeed indicative of this past year. It would be really interesting to see analytics and demographics on who shared what. Check out the list and let me know what you think.

Most Shared Articles on Facebook in 2011

1. Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami (New York Times)

2. What teachers really want to tell parents (CNN)

3. No, your zodiac sign hasn’t changed (CNN)

4. Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps (CNN)

5. Father Daughter Dance Medley (Yahoo)

6. At funeral, dog mourns the death of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan (Yahoo)

7. You’ll freak when you see the new Facebook (CNN)

8. Dog in Japan stays by the side of ailing friend in the rubble (Yahoo)

9. Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines (Yahoo)

10. New Zodiac Sign Dates: Ophiuchus The 13th Sign? (The Huffington Post)

11. Parents keep child’s gender under wraps (Yahoo)

12. How to Talk to Little Girls (The Huffington Post)

13. Stop Coddling the Super-Rich (New York Times)

14. Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior (Wall Street Journal)

15. Twin Baby Boys Have A Conversation! (Yahoo)

16. Man robs bank to get medical care in jail (Yahoo)

17. Why You’re Not Married (The Huffington Post)

18. A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs (New York Times)

19. Ryan Dunn Dead: ‘Jackass’ Star Dies In Car Crash (The Huffington Post)

20. Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’ (Yahoo)

21. Notes From a Dragon Mom (New York Times)

22.  A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not “Crazy” (The Huffington Post)

23. Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit in one graph (Washington Post)

24. Penn State, my final loss of faith (Washington Post)

25.  Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Captivates Internet (Yahoo)

26. The most typical face on the planet (Yahoo)

27. Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis (CNN)

28. Permissive parents: Curb your brats (CNN)

29. A father’s day wish: Dads, wake the hell up! (CNN)

30. Laughing Baby Loves Ripping Paper! (Yahoo)

31. Epic Cover Letter: How To Get Hired For Your Dream Job (Pic) (The Huffington Post)

32. New Zodiac sign dates: Don’t switch horoscopes yet (Washington Post)

33. Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know (Yahoo)

34.  The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s Death (The Huffington Post)

35. Where Children Sleep (New York Times)

36. Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth’s axis (CNN)

37.  Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies (CNN)

38. China’s latest craze: dyeing pets to look like other wild animals (CNN)

39. Grant Hill’s Response to Jalen Rose (New York Times)

40. Steve Jobs’s Patents (New York Times)

LinkedIn, Aim, Digg, Myspace, Squidoo, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit express some holiday cheer!

It’s now November and Christmas is just 52 days away. Gift shopping, turkey feasting, and snow shoveling (Hope I don’t jinx it!) seem to occupy the top of your to-do list, and tweeting and posting may not be such a priority. Anyone who engages in social media, either personally or professionally, knows that it’s one of those tasks you know you have dedicate time to, but when things get crazy busy with work projects and personal schedules, it’s what usually gets pushed aside. Here are a few basic tips to keep in mind that will make sure your Klout score doesn’t suffer during one of the busiest times of the year.

1. Start now and plan ahead

Take a cue from department stores that are already playing Christmas songs and selling holiday decor. Start thinking about what topics you should be blogging, posting, and tweeting about now so, when you have to leave work early for that holiday party, you’re covered. Tools like HootSuite and Crowdbooster allow you to schedule tweets and Facebook posts to be published at a future, predetermined time which is really useful when you’re out on vacation or just plain swamped.

2. Be timely and newsworthy

The risk you encounter when you schedule tweets and posts is that your content may be stale (or as Eric would say, “So nine minutes ago!”) by the time it gets pushed out. For your content to stay relevant, don’t just say what happened, but include your take on it. Don’t tweet “It’s 52 days till Christmas,” but say “Tips for tweeting your Christmas countdown.” This is where your brand’s voice comes in giving your content added value.

3. Go mobile

If you haven’t already, definitely get access to your social platforms on your smart phone. Some of you might be thinking that this is a given, but just this week, I’ve encountered a few people who work in the online media field who don’t have Twitter and Facebook apps on their phone. Enough said.

4. Keep your audience top of mind

It’s important to remind yourself when generating content, that your audience is in the same boat. They’re also as busy as you, if not more, and you have a smaller window of opportunity to engage them. Echoing number 2, be smart about when and what you tweet. If you know that most of your audience tend to comment on Facebook during their lunch break, then concentrate your Facebook activity at that time. Crowdbooster has a useful feature that gives you suggested times on when you should tweet and Facebook post based on previous clicks, replies, and shares on your content.

5. Get in the holiday spirit

One “perk” of this busy season is since there is a lot going on, there’s more to talk about. Do your coworkers decorate their offices? (Yes, Danielle, I’m talking about you.) Is your company holding a holiday marketing campaign, sale, promotion or the like? These all make for good ideas for blogging, posting, and tweeting. Tis’ the season to be jolly after all.

These simple and somewhat logical tips do not only apply to the holiday season and can be quite helpful if practiced throughout the year. Just based on my informal research, people rarely follow all of the above which can save you a lot of time and maybe even your sanity. If you have any other tips in mind, please do share!

My Facebook profile is being stalked!

Do you remember when you were a child and your mother told you not to take candy from strangers? Well, this general rule still stays true as an adult, and apparently also in the interactive space.

TakeThisLillipop.com is a website that has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter for the past few days and presents a terrifying interactive experience that taps into everyone’s inner fears of social privacy issues. When you first enter the site you’re tempted by an image of a lollipop (with a “hidden” blade) and a simple, but provoking statement: “I Dare You.” If you do dare enter, you are prompted to grant access to your Facebook account—not much different from when you use social apps or games on Facebook. Now, I only proceeded because Brandon swore it was harmless—well, I guess only physically. You are then taken though your own little personalized, Halloween-appropriate, horror film. The victim? You.

Without divulging the details of the experience (you have to go and experience it for yourself!), the three-minute video showcases what could happen if a Michael Myers/Norman Bates/Chucky-type got ahold of your Facebook profile, and used your information to hunt you down. There is a disclaimer on the homepage that states your information won’t be saved, but it does teach everyone a valuable lesson: use social media wisely and know your privacy settings. Digital marketer Jason Zada is the mind behind the site, and in an Ad Age Digital article, he spoke about how “the scariest part is that your information is in the video. The piece is scary because a person is violating your privacy, not because it’s bloody or there’s anything jumping out.”

Social media is a very power tool for communication available to basically everyone, but everyone who uses it should have a basic understanding who sees what, and what granting access to your account means. Facebook has a very straightforward and informative Privacy section in its Help Center. I suggest everyone take 10 minutes to get to know the basics of protecting your information. I generally would have preferred less shock value—I still get the creeps thinking about it—but this site is certainly diabolically brilliant.

The actor who plays the stalker, Bill Oberst Jr., gives such a creepy stare.

Facebook stealthily made two fairly big announcements yesterday afternoon—one is the launch of the long-awaited Facebook for iPad app and the other is the announcement of social apps being extended to mobile platforms. These two announcements seem to come hand in hand showing the network’s strong push to go mobile.

Just based on a glance at my Twitter feed and a few opinions from colleagues, not many really care about the new iPad app. I, however, am quite happy that it’s finally available. If you are a casual Facebook user and just need basic access to notifications and the News Feed, existing apps such as Friendly and MyPad should more than suffice your needs. But for someone who spends a considerable time logged in for both work and personal reasons, I often find that those other apps are not as easy on the eyes and to use as they could be. That is another story all together. The major difference between these apps and Facebook’s is that the native app is as robust (if not more with a few cool additional features) and easy to navigate as viewing in a browser. It mimics the browser experience which is crucial for me who manages a few pages and groups on top of a personal profile.

The left menu allows for quick navigation such as accessing Grafik's page

In light of that, the rift between the browser and mobile Facebook experience is further closing with the start of social apps availability on the iPhone, iPad, iTouch and the mobile site with Android coming soon. Facebook Software Development Engineer Luke Shepard wrote on the developer’s blog about using social channels such as Bookmarks, Requests, and the News Feed to propel the use apps and create a more seamless integration of both the web and mobile experiences. You can view which apps and games are now mobile ready here.

Invitations to third-party apps and games can now be accessed and opened via mobile

According to a new study from ComScore, U.S. mobile web traffic grew 19 percent from last year to 116 million people, almost half of the U.S. population. That number is just likely to increase and these steps by Facebook show that this is definitely a market worth watching out for.

Are you fearless, brave and eager to apply your talent to our great roster of clients? Then you may be just what we’re looking for. Grafik is looking for a design intern aka design superstar.

Your job will be to work with our entire team to create the most strategic, effective and beautiful work possible. You will be required to LOVE what you do and share that genuine enthusiasm with others. You will have two hours a week to research new stuff and we will want to hear about what you find. You will collaborate, and be part of a company that is growing and evolving.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Ideally, you’ve had an internship before so you’re familiar with how agencies work
• This is probably going to be your first paying gig… cool with us
• You are proficient in InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator for MAC
• You are either a junior or senior level undergrad student, or a grad student.
• You have at least three to five work samples to share with us
• You follow directions and when the directions say no phone calls (as this post does)—you don’t call.

All resumes and work samples should be sent to careers@grafik.com—not to info@grafik.com. Remember, points for following directions;-)

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest intern, Brittany Emerson.

Before working at Grafik, I knew nothing about prostate cancer. Now after having the privilege of working with our client, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, I have become much more aware of the disease. Knowing what I know now, I’ve taken it upon myself to share this information with the special men in my life, particularly my dad. My dad Bert turned 70 this past Blue September and although he’s in great health for his age, he’s the type of person who isn’t a fan of doctor’s appointments. But with my weekly “Did you know this about prostate cancer?” tidbits, he has agreed to have more regular checkups. It’s a amazing what a little awareness and persistence can do. Okay, may be giving him the “Join the Fight” shirt may have helped a little.

My precious dad sporting his new "Join the Fight" shirt

During the month of September aka Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we have been talking to the special men in our lives about prostate cancer. You can see all our stories here or follow us on Twitter @grafikdotcom and the hashtag #whatitoldhim.

Last week, Mark Zuckerberg announced a major redesign of the Facebook profile. To be rolling out in the coming weeks, the new profile called Timeline aims to paint a more accurate picture of who you are.

“Timeline is the story of your life,” said Mark Zuckerberg. “All your stories, all your apps, express who you are.”

Timeline will essentially take all your profile’s content—photos, comments, activities, events, apps, etc.—and reweave them into a timeline format that goes as far back as the day you were born. The Timeline highlights the most important content, with what seems to have a strong emphasis on photos, wherein your more recent activities are in detail and then becomes more summarized as you go further down the timeline. Think of it as the scrapbook of your life, but all in one single Facebook page.

As I watched Zuckerberg explain the new features onstage at the f8 developer conference, it made me realize my reliance on the social network to learn about new and existing friends—consequently, also the importance of the accuracy of the profile.

The look of my Facebook Timeline

When I meet someone and I generally get along with that person, it has become my instinct to look for that person on Facebook and add them as a friend. If I want to learn about that person I just met or catch up on what my other friends are doing lately, I turn to their Facebook profiles—that is if I don’t readily have the opportunity to catch up in person. Just as the name suggests, Facebook is essentially an online book resource of who you are. But, does it really reflect who you are? Your accomplishments, interests and what you do? I believe to some extent it does express your basic info and what you have been up to recently, but it does not depict a true picture of who you are—the important events, relationships, and experiences in your life. And Timeline aims to change that with the use of new social apps.

One of the first apps I installed was Spotify which shows on my Timeline the music I'm listening to as well as what my friends are listening to.

The new Open Graph Apps seamlessly integrate within your Timeline. Divided in different categories such as games, media, and lifestyle, apps are a new way of showing your interests and activities on your profile in a much more robust fashion than the simple “Like” button. One interesting facet about these apps is how easy they are to add and use boasting about the ridding of useless prompts after the initial add.

I was able to get the Timeline profile yesterday and have just barely scratched the surface on how rich Timeline and the apps truly are. Overall, it may take some getting used to, but I like this change. I was starting to feel like the Facebook interface was getting cluttered with small add ons here and there and this fresh, streamlined look is a lot more pleasing to the eye, at least to mine.

You can view your Facebook Places check-ins plotted on a map

What do you think about Timeline? Love it? Hate it? I would love to hear your thoughts. If your profile hasn’t converted yet, watch the short introduction video here.

Due to a mixture of out-of-town trips, getting sick, and just plain piling up of work, I wasn’t able to post a social media review last week. But, there’s no need to fret. Although still a slave to seasonal allergies, I’m back with a more aggregated rundown of the interesting stories in social media this past two weeks.

Facebook launches a Subscribe button and Friend Lists

Facebook seems to be taking a cue from competitors Twitter and Google+ with the debut of the Subscribe button which allows users to follow anyone’s profile updates whether you are their friend with that person or not, and Friend Lists which enables users to arrange their various friend connections into lists. Doesn’t this sound familiar? If you subscribe to a user’s updates from someone who is a friend, you can keep track of more than just public updates and can also customize what kind of updates you would like see in your Newsfeed. With Friend Lists, users have the option to put their friends in either the basic, smart, or custom lists (see the differences here) and the lists are directly integrated with the chat and Newsfeed functions. Do you think Facebook is experiencing an identity crisis or is integrating Twitter and Google+’s key elements a smart move? Source

Twitter introduces an analytics tool and serves branded tweets to non-followers

It’s a little late in the game, but Twitter finally releases their own measurement feature called Twitter Web Analytics. The tool aims to give website owners a better grasp of how much of their content is being shared in the Twitterverse, how much traffic is driven to their website via Twitter, and how effective is their website’s Twitter integration. This means A LOT to companies and online marketers (given they are not already using a different tool that provides this insight) because this sheds light on just how beneficial a company’s Twitter activity is. Another new Twitter offering that greatly affects businesses, is branded tweets for non-followers of the brand. Last month, I blogged about the introduction of Promoted Tweets which allows brands to place their tweets at the top of their followers feed (take note: you must be a follower of that brand to see the tweet). This restriction has stunted Twitter’s revenue growth so now they have announced that brands can inject ads into users’ feeds, even if they are not brand followers. This is definitely great for companies wanting to advertise on this platform, but as a user, I would hate to get “spammed” ads from brands I don’t care for. Wouldn’t you? Source

100 million is the magic number for both Twitter and Klout

Twitter has reached 100 million registered, active users. Announced in a blog post, this milestone also marks five years since Founder Jack Dorsey aka @jack sent his first tweet to only seven followers. Twitter has definitely come a long way since then. Coincidentally, Klout also announced their 100 millionth Klout score via blog post. This means two things at minimum. First, there are 100 million Twitter users who identify the importance in engaging with social media, enough to actively tweet. Second, there are 100 million people who are strategically looking at their performance and influence over various social media mediums. Two years ago, I would start the day reading the paper versions of the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and WWD before going out to produce a video news story to be published at 6:00 P.M. when I used to report for an online publication. Now, I start my day reading news from the WaPo and NYT Twitter feeds and tweet my blogs and videos at any time of the day. Obviously, Twitter, and social media in general, has changed the way I consume and produce information. How has social media changed the way you communicate?