The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Social Media Marketing, Second Edition, covers cutting-edge techniques for small and large businesses alike. Ask the Author Q: How has social media marketing changed business and personal lives? A: The playing field has been leveled for business. No longer do you need a 6 or 7 figure budget to reach people around the country or globe for that matter. Personally, many lives have been affected. Many people more connected, businesses have grown because of the connections, TV and singing careers have been launched, money has been raised for charity, books have been marketed and purchased, and so on. Q: What has been the most challenging part of utilizing social media? A: I think the learning curve. With all of these sites . . . they come with no directions and no LIVE phone number. Q: What has worked the best and worst thus far? A: Facebook because of it’s broad reach really has worked for me, but many would argue that YouTube works the best; particularly since it is the search engine of choice with the 11–34 age group. Q: How can a person searching for a job use social media marketing? A: So many ways. . . . They need to be on LinkedIn with a professional looking profile, photo, and contact information. They could also utilize video to begin sharing their expertise. Candidates need to stand out in a crowd of millions so if they say . . . sent in a video introducing themselves and a video follow up email . . . that would wow them! Q: What is the newest thing since Twitter? A: I believe companies and individuals are starting to utilize audio for creating their own iTunes channel, and also location-based social media like FourSquare. I personally, am not sold on location based services as of yet from a safety point of view, but for retailers it can be a good thing. I believe video is going to explode in popularity in 2011 for the 35+ market as well. They just need to get comfortable being on camera!