I've been slammed with the demand for skills that span the gamut. I love it. Not so much on the web end or social media end, since that's unfortunately taken a back seat to developing media and marketing infrastructure but also extended into business strategy and implementing practices and associated business software applications.

I absolutely love the topic of news and how it has evolved with the onslaught of social media and the web in general. Hacks have earned the accolade of online news sources. Seasoned news hounds from the stuffy print newspaper newsrooms have been scooped and charge around with chips on their shoulders. Print editors who have allowed stories to slip in favor of allowing someone to slide have been greeted with pink slips. And infotainment editors who charge their way into the Google News feed serve as little more than the day's muckrakers of sensational and sometimes fraudulent headlines who often perform as nothing more than human aggregators or regurgitators. Well, the first link of the lot is not necessarily focused upon the specific subject of muckrackers but is an interesting piece on user-led content and the terms breaking news. Also in the mix is audience targeting when crafting SEO content for your blog or other social media outlet. Conversion rates and followup are also covered. Get your business on.

Today's links focus primarily upon promotion of your business through social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook but also include business link building by way of calls to action. The favorite amid the day's links I've read is the Facebook Fan Page app for those looking to boost their brand page's functionality. There is also a link for those interested in youth marketing, which focuses on Generation Y, specifically the convergence of email marketing and social media. And lastly, for those looking for last week's news today, check out the sneak peak on Twitter's redesign.

VerticalScope Inc., owner and operator of the Internet’s largest network of automotive and powersports web sites, today announced that it has acquired Off-Road.com from Advanstar Communications Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “Off-Road.com is a great fit with our portfolio of premier auto and powersports web sites, which include brands such as Motorcycle.com, ATV.com and AutoGuide.com,” said Rob Laidlaw, CEO of VerticalScope. “We grow our business through acquisitions and we are extremely excited about adding Off-Road.com to our network. Both enthusiasts and advertisers will benefit from the content, community and cross-marketing synergies with our current network of 140 automotive sites and 65 powersports sites.”

Last week, on the crux of moving forward on several projects and completing critical phases of others I had a hard drive failure. Fortunately, I run my primary machine with multiple hard drives for real-time backup and likewise back them up via remote backup applications such as Carbonite. Now, in updating Google Docs for several real-time client collaboration folders, I figured it a good idea to further collaborate via Google Wave, and in doing so, I began to realize a powerful platform for every facet of my life in media. From managing editorial, business, ecommerce, advertising, marketing, publishing, planning and conceptualizing, Google Wave is a very interesting and highly extensible platform that ought to be considered for its potential power in communications.