by Brad Friedman | Social Media
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a guidance to help financial advisors determine when it is appropriate to use social media. The guidance helps to clarify Section 206(4)-1(a)(1) of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940. This section of the rule makes it unlawful to publish, circulate, or distribute any advertisement that refers, direct or indirectly, to any testimonial of any kind concerning the advisor or concerning any advice, analysis, report, or other service rendered by the advisor (i.e. the Testimonial Rule.) Even though the SEC has not specifically defined “testimonial,” they have interpreted it to mean “a statement of a client's experience with, or endorsement of, an investment advisor.” According to Institutional Asset Manager, whether public commentary on a social media site is a testimonial depends upon all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular situation. (more…)
by Brad Friedman | Social Media
A couple weeks ago, news broke that the social media network Pinterest is worth $5 Billion after another $200 million funding round. The news is only the latest example of the rapid rise of the network, which now ranks 4th (behind Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) in eBiz's social networking ranking. So how will Pinterest's latest funding round impact your business? (more…)
by Brad Friedman | Social Media
In early 2014, Facebook announced plans to focus on B2B marketing and perhaps challenge LinkedIn’s domination. (more…)
by Brad Friedman | Social Media |
So, what's up at Facebook? Facebook finished April with a bang when it held its f8 Developer Conference for Facebook app publishers in San Francisco on April 30. In the course of the day, we learned about several developments that will become important for any business looking to build or maintain an app for Facebook. Here are the most important developments for app publishers: (more…)
by Brad Friedman | Social Media
While many people are under the impression that their social media feeds are private, simply based on their own privacy settings, that simply is not the case.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have grown in popularity exponentially since their entrance into the mainstream. Social media after all is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family that are scattered across the globe, but social media has its pitfalls. Social media feeds of individuals are now being used in litigation, especially divorces. Even dating website profiles are considered fair game in divorce proceedings. (more…)
by Brad Friedman | Social Media
You’ve probably noticed when you search for a service on Google or Yahoo, some of the listings indicate customer reviews. Google links to them. Yahoo shows the average rating. Both also list reviews by Yelp, a popular review site focusing on local businesses. (more…)
Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a guidance to help financial advisors determine when it is appropriate to use social media. The guidance helps to clarify Section 206(4)-1(a)(1) of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940. This section of the rule makes it unlawful to publish, circulate, or distribute any advertisement that refers, direct or indirectly, to any testimonial of any kind concerning the advisor or concerning any advice, analysis, report, or other service rendered by the advisor (i.e. the Testimonial Rule.) Even though the SEC has not specifically defined “testimonial,” they have interpreted it to mean “a statement of a client's experience with, or endorsement of, an investment advisor.” According to Institutional Asset Manager, whether public commentary on a social media site is a testimonial depends upon all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular situation. (more…)
A couple weeks ago, news broke that the social media network Pinterest is worth $5 Billion after 
In early 2014, Facebook announced plans to focus on B2B marketing and perhaps challenge LinkedIn’s domination. 
You’ve probably noticed when you search for a service on Google or Yahoo, some of the listings indicate 
