We wrote last year about Atlanta’s phenomenal growth in Facebook users, which moved the area up to second, only behind New York. Now Chicago is experiencing similar growth, closely behind L.A. at No. 3. Chicago’s Facebook users have almost doubled in five months.

iStrategyLabs has been tracking Facebook use since 2007, using data from Facebook’s social ads platform. The agency’s CEO, Peter Corbett, correctly points out that concerns over privacy have not had an impact upon Facebook’s growth, with the U.S. user base growing 21.8% between Jan. 4 and June 8.

Which age group had the highest growth rate? That would be those over 55.

A quick note about our webinar…

OK, I’m going to depart from normal practice here to plug an upcoming webinar in which I’ll be participating. I’m partnering with good friends Tim Morrison and Brownell Landrum on a series of classes devoted to helping writers perfect their craft, build websites for themselves and their books, and market themselves and their writing through social media. Tim is a writing coach and Brownell helps people set up websites using the power of the WordPress platform. And, naturally, I’m the social media coach.

We’re having a free, one-hour webinar next Tuesday, July 13, at 8 p.m Eastern. You can find out more about our classes — and us — at our website. And you can sign up here.

– Since we often hear from people questioning social media’s value, we should mention five “surprise success stories” using Facebook and Twitter for business detailed by Rick Burnes of HubSpot His list includes an equine dentist, a manufacturer of prefabricated steel buildings, makers of specialized paint and paper and an aircraft maintenance and support company. And there are plenty more to come.

– It’s now possible to “follow” companies on LinkedIn. This new feature, quietly introduced in late April, enables users to keep up with companies, whether one is looking for a job, looking for b-to-b-opportunities or just wanting to follow business developments. It’s a primitive, one-way system compared to Twitter and Facebook, in which you can interact directly with a company. Nor can companies offer timely status updates. However, you can see the status updates of key employees as well as promotions and other company news, assuming employees and the company are updating their accounts..While LinkedIn has a lot of work ahead to keep pace with the major social networks, this is still significant step in the right direction.

–Are you a job seeker? Since we regularly work with a local jobs networking group to assist the unemployed, we thought we’d share 13 “essential tips” for finding a job using LinkedIn from author and former pro athlete Lewis Howes. Howes offers solid advice, particularly for those who are new to the business networking site. One follow-up comment: If you add your blog or Twitter feed to your LinkedIn profile — as Howes correctly suggests you should do — make darn sure what you write on those places is professional. Otherwise, you’re asking for trouble.

– We know a lot of folks — of all ages— who don’t “get” Foursquare. Many of these same people also still remain openly skeptical of Twitter (We’re trying!) While the business potential of Foursquare has barely scratched the surface, consider this: Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley told Business Insider’s Henry Blodget last week that the service is adding 15,000 users a day. Not exactly Facebook numbers, but numbers that can’t be ignored.

When starting a three-part series on Twitter several months ago I vowed to prove that Twitter isn’t fading, it’s not just noise and that it is, in fact, good not just for big businesses, but smaller companies as well.

What happened? A bunch of people suddenly asked me to help them use Twitter to meet their business goals. I am now working with businesses, non-profits and professional associations every day, coaching them or tweeting on their behalf and achieving objectives. While a few months isn’t nearly enough time to provide thorough case studies, I can report immediate results through Twitter. Such as:

– A group supporting environmental causes wanting to add new chapters asked me to launch a Twitter campaign less than three months ago. In the first week, they received a request for a media interview. They are now quoted regularly in national publications, building their brand awareness. A new chapter is about to form in a coveted area because tweets about the group caught the interest of a Twitter follower there. More chapters are on the horizon — thanks to Twitter and the dedicated followers it can generate.

– A writing coach hoping to expand his business is now connected to a large number of young, inexperienced writers and is now connecting to his ideal client — executives of large companies interested in writing books.

– A start-up that is licensed to sell a safety product in Georgia wants to expand its market. In just two weeks, response to the company has been remarkable.

It’s too early to document the details and name these groups/companies, but that day will come soon enough. These clients — and others — are already convinced of the power of Twitter to target those they most want to reach. More important, they have learned that the road to success is through building relationships and sharing valuable information with their followers.

That’s a sound business strategy anywhere and Twitter is just the tool to help them make that happen.

One post described the flawed attempt by college football’s Bowl Championship Series to start a Twitter account, ostensibly to communicate with fans, answer questions and spruce up the image of the much-maligned bowl system. Heck, fans, most coaches and even the president want a playoff system to crown a football national champion. (Me, too.)

The result? A PR nightmare, according to Social Media Today, as @InsideThe BCS tweeted about 30 times (now up to 57) while screenload after screenload of critics weighed in with negative comments. And SMT wrote whoever was tweeting (they suspect a PR firm) misquoted Florida coach Urban Meyer as being a supporter of the BCS system. He’s not.

While I salute the BCS folks for attempting to enter the social space, it’s clear they needed to think through a strategy and prepare in advance. They should have known they would face an onslaught. Now that the bus has hit them, it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.

The second post focused on a conference where discussion centered on how companies are turning to Gen Y employees to handle their social media marketing.

My take: As we previously wrote, age is no longer a factor in social media. Facebook is gaining more Boomers; Twitter is now attracting Gen Yers. In a bad economy, people of all ages are turning to LinkedIn. So why would companies look to Gen Yers only to handle their social media responsibilities? It’s not like they all have a special gene that makes them marketers.

Whoever handles your company’s social media profiles reflects upon your company. If that employee, intern, contractor, consultant or PR/marketing firm doesn’t know what they’re doing, they can do harm. Many companies have already been burned by well-meaning, low-paid and inexperienced people representing their brand.

I’m reminded of the large Atlanta law firm who advertised earlier this year for someone to manage their social media identity. These lawyers, who spend their days carefully crafting legal arguments for large amounts of money, were paying a miniscule salary and clearly wanted a recent college grad. Nothing against recent college grads — I have two children graduating in the next year — but it was clear this firm wanted the benefits of social media without a seasoned professional. Why would a group of lawyers open themselves to such risk? Let’s hope they were lucky.

If you own a business and you need help in launching — and sustaining — your social media profiles, you should think through who you put in that role. Do you really leave it to an intern? Or the IT guy/Webmaster who can code great things, but can’t spell or write a comprehensible sentence?

Updating Twitter or a Facebook business page doesn’t require technical skills. Anyone of any age can do it. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, the challenge is finding someone with a mature-enough marketing and business sense to meet your needs.

There is great value for businesses to gain through social media. Don’t underestimate that value if you need help. Hiring or contracting someone on the cheap could end up being very costly.

I try to show them that people of all ages are adopters of social media. Facebook alone has had dramatic growth this year at nearly all age levels, none more pronounced than women over 50.

Now there are new numbers available on social media users. The median age of a Facebook user has now risen to 33, seven years older than in May 2008. That’s not far behind LinkedIn, the business networking site whose 50 million-plus users have a median age of 39. The median age of a Twitter user has dropped to 31, which shows that Generation Y, which was not an early adopter, is now turning to the microblogging service. There had been numerous articles earlier in the year that Gen Y thought Twitter was pointless. Apparently, that’s changing.

Facebook getting older? Twitter getting younger? What does this mean? It means the old adage is no longer true that only the young are the early adopters of technology. And new social sites designed to attract the young away from Facebook and Twitter are reportedly not having an impact. The young are willing to use the same social media now used by their parents.

So much for age creating a digital divide in social media. (Yes, MySpace remains decidedly young — a median age of 26 — but its focus has shifted to mostly music and entertainment. And it’s certainly not the dominant influence it once was.)

While we’re debunking myths, let’s burst another bubble. Remember the study which found people were becoming more socially isolated because of technology, especially mobile phones and the Internet? Not so fast, according to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Pew found that these technologies do not have a harmful social impact upon people.

In fact, Pew found social networking sites provide an outlet for “discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds.” In other words, people have digital contact with a more diverse group of people.

Boomer business owners, isn’t that one of your company goals? Don’t you want to expand your reach to new people, new contacts outside your regular sphere?

Can’t wait for the next business owner to bring up age, or dismiss the merits of social networking. I’ve got some new research to share.

Writes Godin:

“Some people online are trying to flout Dunbar’s number, to become connected and actual friends with tens of thousands of people at once. And guess what? It doesn’t scale. You might be able to stretch to 200 or 400, but no, you can’t effectively engage at a tribal level with a thousand people. You get the politician’s glassy-eyed gaze or the celebrity’s empty stare. And then the nature of the relationship is changed. I can tell when this happens. I’m guessing you can too.”

While 150 friends sound like a realistic number — or perhaps even high — for the true relationships developed over the years, does that number really relate to a digital, and especially, social media world? What’s the right number of friends to have on Facebook, connections on LinkedIn, or followers on Twitter? Especially if you are using these tools for social — and business — purposes.

I’m certain that my 501 Facebook friends aren’t exactly thinking about me every day, even if I update my status quite often. People understand and are increasingly comfortable with the concept of digital connections, which allow people to connect and reconnect with others of their own choosing on their own time. They know full well that they are not building deep bonds with everyone on their list.

Yet last week when I mentioned on Facebook that I needed to borrow an LCD projector, two people I don’t know well immediately stepped forward to offer to help. While those acquaintances may not meet Godin’s — or Dunbar’s — standards for friendship or being part of my “tribe,” they certainly met mine.

The common wisdom in social media business circles is that it’s the quality of your followers, not the number that is important. That is mostly true. Yes, the people using automation to, say, inflate their Twitter numbers are annoying. No, they are not helping themselves with anonymous strangers ignoring their every tweet.

However, many small businesses are too apt to stay in their comfort zone of immediate contacts and known associates. Without stretching themselves and their reach, their opportunities for new leads will be limited.

So what’s the magic number of social media contacts for a small business? Start with your circle of those you really know. Add some people who are valuable sources of information on trends in your business. Now, the important part. As a business person, you have a sense of how many customers you need and how many leads you work before a close. You also have a sense of how many new customers you’ll need on a recurring basis to remain profitable. How many leads will that take?

Add it all up. You can do the math. That’ll give you a target to shoot for. And the number may be well above — or below — 150.

There was a time when that tactic might have driven significant traffic to your Web site. Or posing a question might have actually led to a good discussion.

There may be some Groups on LinkedIn where quality discussion takes place. However, those places are few and far between. Many people tell me they no longer open e-mails from the Groups. I’m about to join them.

What’s happened? LinkedIn Groups have mostly been hijacked by self-promoters whose idea of “discussion” is to endlessly promote their “free” seminars, blogs, products and themselves. My interest, naturally, has been social media, but there is very little “discussion” in those groups. There are plenty of people, though, who want to “help” me with their pitches, which they have the gall to present as discussion.

This morning, I received an e-mail from someone obviously involved in setting up a Group, inviting me to their “free” teleseminar. The e-mail subject line said it was an “announcement” from the Group. They said to hurry, seats are filling up fast. Impressive, since just recently this same individual was spamming me with another free session, and the seats were going quickly. I have serious ethical issues with an e-mail coming from a Group with an individual using the Group name to tout his business. Where is LinkedIn on this?

Another problem with LinkedIn Groups is that it’s hard to find true discussions that are all that informative. I can only speak for social media topics, but I can tell you most of the talk there is behind the curve. I find much more valuable — and current — information on Twitter or elsewhere. Yes, there are tons of spammers on Twitter, but I have the flexibility to unfollow or block users if need be.

Sorry, LinkedIn, no disrespect. I still think there is great potential for businesses in using the social networking site to grow connections and get introductions. They’ve established clear guidelines in that section of LinkedIn and crack down on people who violate the rules. (I also still think the Advanced Search feature is a goldmine of business intelligence.) However, I can no longer recommend that business people join Groups unless their business is a rare case where the self-promoters haven’t already poisoned the atmosphere.

Small businesses and professionals, what do you think? Are LinkedIn Groups relevant any more? Do any help you in your business?

As business owners, you want to see a return on using social media, especially if you’ve hired someone to help you. While the amount of money invested may be minimal, the amount of time can prove taxing. Results from social media require extended effort, even more than traditional marketing. A business owner wants a financial return on that money or time.

The debate around ROI essentially features three positions.

1. There is no ROI from social media.
2. ROI needs to be redefined differently in social media. While there may not be an immediate financial return, social media offers a Return On Influence, increasing brand awareness and online reputation, thus indirectly leading to new customers and revenue.
3. Social media actually offers more measurable ROI than traditional marketing.

Where do I stand? It’s a tad complicated, but let me explain. First, let’s rule out No. 1. While I understand the business view — and almost accept it — I think it’s short-sighted. To simply state there is no direct revenue from social media misses the bigger picture.

First, let’s think about traditional advertising or marketing. It’s been estimated that only 18% of TV ad campaigns yield a positive ROI. While advertisers are rethinking their media buys these days, they certainly stuck with TV for decades. Why? Because of the promise in connecting with consumers with that advertising — whether it was creating word of mouth, brand awareness or other strategies. Whether there was a immediate bump in product sales did not seem to be the top priority. Companies, while wanting returns, could see the big picture.

Now proponents of No. 1 are trying to hold social media to a higher standard than traditional marketing. Where’s the money? This is just a fad. Etc. Etc. The truth is that social media campaigns enable companies to engage directly with consumers, including existing customers and potential ones. Traditional marketing has been about communicating a message; social media leads to direct conversations about your message with consumers and developing customer relationships. Which has more long-term potential?

Now let’s turn to No. 2. Yes, it’s true that social media provides a Return on Influence, and that’s great. It’s great that many in your community are fans of your Facebook page or tweets on Twitter. Your online reputation is boosted; your search rankings soar. But does that necessarily translate to money in the bank? I’m not ready to drop the need for Return of Investment, but I see Return on Influence as a nice add-on to a business strategy. Return on Influence opens the door to Return on Investment.

So are proponents of No. 3 correct? Let’s look at just a few of the things you can track in social media.

• Site traffic gained from social media referrals
• Comments/conversations that you can minitor
• How often someone shares your brand message with others
• Number of followers, fans, connections from social media
• Increases in RSS feeds from your site
• What people are saying about your company
• Number of inbound links to your site or a particular page

Also,  there are specific social media campaigns that can be designed for immediate measurement. For example, the conversion rate can easily be tracked when offering coupons for a product or service through Facebook or Twitter. That’s just one possibility of a positive ROI campaign.

So No. 3 is true, but with two caveats. First, social media are not an automatic path to financial success. Second, they are just one piece of the puzzle. They should be used in coordination with other marketing techniques — email and traditional marketing. That is why major marketing companies now use terms like “integrated marketing” to describe what they do. They realize that marketing strategies require all these practices. And they realize any marketing campaign, traditional or social media, will take time.

The good news for small businesses and professionals is that social media are only in their infancy. The tools will get better, and the opportunities for real Return on Investment will only improve.

I handed him my card, and he immediately went into recounting the many ways social media adversely affect worker productivity. Others quickly agreed. The consultant told stories about a doctor leaving the operating room to use Twitter, office workers wasting time and other horror stories. I politely didn’t ask how he knew the doctor was on Twitter and not texting buddies to set up a tee time. (Not that texting is justified, either.)

I heard similar concerns the next morning from more business people at another gathering. Ironically, when I got home, the first online article I spotted focused on statistics from ScanSafe showing that 76% of companies are choosing to block social networking in the workplace, more than for online shopping, weapons sites or porn.

It gets worse. I then stumbled upon a report by Boston-based Nucleus Research, a company involved in IT research. In late July, Nucleus released “Facebook: Measuring the Cost to Business of Social Notworking.” (A salute to whoever at Nucleus wrote that clever headline.) The Nucleus report concludes:

“Companies that let employees access Facebook during work hours can expect to see total office productivity decline by an average of 1.5%.”

Looking further into the report I found such details as these:

“Those who access Facebook at work do so for an average of 15 minutes daily, with the range as low as one minute and as high as 120 minutes.”

Or, gasp!

“One in every 33 created their entire Facebook profile during work hours.”

So how does this social media advocate respond to these alarming developments? With common sense perspective.

Let’s travel back in time, shall we, to the invention of the World Wide Web. Eventually, computers with browsers invaded the workplace. Why? Because the business world was going online and using online tools was good for business. Same with e-mail. Most companies learned after years of restrictive company communications policies that there was a middle ground for what types of sites were appropriate for the workplace. Most companies now know that users want to be online first thing at work, around lunch and right before they go home.

Now here we are, moving beyond the early adopters of social media into the mainstream. Facebook, of course, is experiencing phenomenal growth among those 35 and up (and 55 and up). Just as companies once wrestled with Web browsers and e-mail, many now don’t know what to make of Facebook.

What the naysayers — and many in the business world — are missing is the shift in online behavior. People now spend more time on social networking sites than they do on e-mail. More and more, friends are suggesting to friends what sports stories to read, music to listen to, or products to buy. Social networking sites are rapidly becoming the portal through which consumers find what they want. Facebook apparently wants to aggregate all that content from all your social media. (See Aug. 16 post.) So the time spent on social sites is supplanting much of that time that used to be spent surfing online or e-mailing.

So it’s not that workers are wasting more time through social media. Wasting time in the office is an established American tradition. So the “15 minutes a day” on Facebook is hardly going to reduce the Gross National Product. That is 15 minutes interacting with friends online, instead of 15 minutes or more scouring stocks, sports scores, recipes or whetever workers used to look for. Or it’s 15 minutes not chatting in the break room or office cafeteria. It’s possible that 15 minutes on Facebook may be a time savings for many Web-savvy workers.

And, evidently, that 15 minutes probably is a good thing for your business resume.´ As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported in a widely circulated feature, more and more companies are now requiring social media skills for many positions.

Granted, there are people spending too much time on social media, just as others 10 years ago spent too much time surfing the Web, or using AIM. I’m old enough to remember people who spent the entire morning pouring over every word in a newspaper sports section, or checking their stocks. Those who are non-productive in the workplace are obvious, whether they are addicted to Twitter or online puzzles. Why should companies spoil it for everyone else?

Now I need to finish this post, so I can get back to work. My Facebook business page awaits.

1. Internet usage is peaking.
2. Social networking sites are on the rise while social sites with a single focus, like Flickr or Blogger, are not (except YouTube).
3. The blogging audience is peaking.
4. Video watching and sharing continue to grow, especially among young adults.

These are some of the findings from reports this week by Forrester Research, Universal McCann and the Pew Internet and American Life Project. What they tell us is that our media habits have somewhat stabilized. While Internet usage doubled in the past five years, TV viewing habits haven’t really changed, according to Forrester. People still spend more time watching TV than online. Radio, newspapers and magazines have been the victims of Internet growth.

So what does this mean for small businesses and professionals? They’d better be thinking about Nos. 2 and 4 and what strategies they can use for these worlds. Social networks and video-sharing sites are the hot zones.

It also confirms my experience. The best way to draw people to your blog or company Web site is through social media. Otherwise, people won’t come looking for you.