So sorry I’ve been absent from the blogging world lately. I’m back now.

There have been a number of crises in the social media world lately: The Amazon.com GLBTQ-book rating problem, CNN and its @CNNBrk account-ownership issue and, of course, the viral video of Domino’s employees. ( Read more about them here.) Of course that doesn’t include the countless others that go on every day.

These problems are bound to happen. Sometimes you can expect them, and other times you can’t. This is why I’m a firm believer in having a game plan and knowing how to execute it properly when the time comes. Need help finding out how to do this? I’ve read dozens of blog posts that chat about surviving these times and how to come out on top.  You can find two here: How to weather a Twitterstorm and How to: Survive a social media revolt.

One reoccurring theme is that if you’re going to have a presence in social media, you need to be there all the time: when people are singing your praises and when they’re calling for your head. Too often companies run from this criticism, and stick their metaphorical heads in the sand.

But you can’t run and hide when you’re involved with social media. In fact, social media should make that communication that much easier. It allows companies to listen to the conversation and the buzz surrounding them.
Social media allows for better communication between a company and its customers. When a crisis hits, it’s an ideal way to communicate with the public quickly, which is something companies need to do. If you have a problem and people are talking about it – an official statement needs to be released even if it only acknowledges the problem. Why? Because it shows your customers that you’re listening and that you care — about them.

Sometimes this can be more easily said than done. And I completely acknowledge that. That’s why it’s so important to have all members of your company on board so there aren’t any hold-ups when the crisis hits.

Your customers will always be chatting and sharing on social sites (sometimes about you). So where will you be?

What are your thoughts? How do you think Amazon.com, CNN and Domino’s fared their storms? Any other examples?

According to the post, TotalFarkers were up in arms at the news, claiming they didn’t want Fark to become Facebook. However, founder Drew Curtis took it in stride and said if members don’t want to use the new features – they don’t have to – and on top of that, they’d probably never notice them.

Why the change? Curtis makes it sound like Fark’s just getting hip to the times by offering features new members may expect.

I, for one, am excited to see what they come up with.

“Social media are a vehicle for other industries, such as advertising, journalism, and software development,” – aschrock

I thought that was an interesting point. Social media consist of the tools and best practices to improve and impact industries. It’s a method to share and discuss whatever’s on your mind — or on the Web. It has the possibility to save an industry, but I’m still not convinced it IS an industry.

Which leads me to another point. The concept of social media may always be around in some form – because it’s not the sites we use – but the techniques, ideas and skills that allow us to be successful.

I think another comment said it well: “Being able to use Twitter is not a ‘skill.’ Knowing how to communicate with an audience or individual *is,*” –Aaron Richard.

So no matter what the next hot site is – since yes, Twitter may one day become a site of the past, the skills we’re learning now are invaluable and can be applied to the next site – or the next initiative we take on.

Some food for thought.

Agree? Disagree?

Read this: The world’s most lucrative social network? China’s Tencent beats $1 billion revenue mark
– and just wait until you hear where 70 percent of the revenue came from.

This is huge – especially since many social networks in the United States aren’t nearly as profitable. According to the article, MySpace brought in $800 million and Facebook made $250-$300 million last year; a majority of those earnings came from online advertising. But in my opinion, there’s only so much you can do with online advertising. There are only so many places on a page that you can place an ad (without overwhelming the user), and there’s only so much you can charge for those advertisements. On top of that, you have to think about your audience and if your advertisers want to target that group.

Because of those issues, I think it’s extraordinary that MySpace and Facebook have done as well as they have. But it’s encouraging to learn about Tencent’s business model.

So how does the site make money? Not solely through online advertising, but another avenue: Virtual goods and “Internet value-added services,” or IVAS.

IVAS, which includes avatars and memberships, accounts for more than $700 million of the site’s profits. That’s huge.

It’s also a great business model. Users may simply glance over online advertisements, but they’ll actually participate when it comes to online goods. It’s another way to engage the community.

It appears that countries like the United States are just learning about the potential of virtual goods. However, IVAS may not be the saving grace of all social sites. The article brings up a good point – maybe Chinese users are more likely to purchase goods than users from other countries.

Either way, Tencent has proven to the world that social sites don’t need to depend on advertising; they can be successful simply by being creative.

Along that line – 5 Cute Animal Sites to Make You Go Aww

But what if 50 isn’t enough? Check out this site:

83 Social News Sites – Now, I’m not crazy enough to cross-check these lists, but at first glance there are obvious differences. Whereas Maki offers visuals and brief descriptions for each site, this list is simply that – a list. Separated into interest groups, this list is particularly useful if you’re looking to target that niche audience.