We came to an erect halt and everyone looked around in wonder. That’s not supposed to happen. I can see the train moving on the tracks beside us, but in the opposite direction. The business men beside me are talking about resort skiing through powder and trees. I used to ski. I’m dressed like one of their kids. First thought in my mind is “we got a jumper”. Morbid I know. I blame TV for that. We hear mumbling over the loud speaker and I instantly think of 1984. My mind races and I imagine being trapped down here. I’m glad I have coffee and an almost full bag of Reece’s Pieces minis to tie me over. iPhone is full battery. I forgot headphones. I begin to feel a familiar pain in my chest, anxiety. I remember I have cigarettes and a lighter and I know it’s no smoking but if I never get out of here, I will die happy. The train begins to move. My heart beats normal again. The skiing man smiles at me and we’re moving. The end. * I wondered why the subway was above ground and realized I got so into my story, I missed my stop. Rosedale to Wellesley here I come.

Read this article today by Brian Solis on paidcontent.org. He’s a leader in the world of digital communication and I really like reading his stuff.    He does a lots of studies on charging markets and research etc. Here’s a few excerpts. I’d say give it a read if you are a brand, a blogger, a robot or a human. Some good meat in the report.  “Digital influence is one of the hottest trends in social media and it is also one of the least understood. Like some relationships on Facebook, “it’s complicated.” Klout, PeerIndex, Kred and many others are investing millions of dollars to understand how our social media activity translates into influence. Within the last 90 days alone, Klout took in a Series C of $30 million from Kleiner Perkins at a whopping valuation of $200 million. PeerIndex also recently announced aninvestment of $3 million. The market for influence is only heating up with more entrants expected to debut and acquisitions or mergers likely on the horizon.” Scores do not matter as much as the context of relationships Brands need to take responsibility for translating these numbers into insights Businesses need to develop meaningful social influence strategies and define desired outcomes. Entire report on The Rise of Digital Influence:  In other news, I’ve been added to a second panel for NXNE Interactive that will look at The Business of Influence and How to Influence Influencers (just kidding! hahahaha). Panel is about Making Social Giveaways a Win-Win for Brands and Online Communities. Will have more details on date & time along with some NXNE tickets to give away. Have an awesome day!