This percentage has doubled from 19% in August 2011 and equates to around 18 million people in the UK. About 40% of the survey respondents feel that social media improves customer service for brands. Only 7% believed that social media would harm customer service.

The take-aways from the survey included:

• Don’t be paralysed by uncertainty
• Don’t let social media define you
• Make more of the emotional insight you have
• Pick your battles – but enter them fast
• Address structural barriers in the business, not headcount
• Fear not the #fail

Commercial factoring is a quick way to turn business receivables into cash. In an typical scenario a business owner will most likely have to wait between 30 to 90 days for invoices to be paid.  A commercial factoring company will  examine a business’ customers’ credit and may offer to pay that business the majority of what’s owed on the invoice in a short amount of time. Factoring can be a great way to build a business, because it allows a business to bring in cash quicker and put that cash to work quicker.

Additionally, some factoring companies may offer consultation and business growth services to supplement their primary factoring services.

At Midland American, we believe that factoring can be a much better way for many businesses to grow, as factoring can provide cash far quicker than a traditional bank loan.

• Lists – By far one of our favorites. Lists are both fun and useful. They don’t require a lot of reading and they tend to do well with social media. Even glossy magazines have used the top 10 hook for years and years–and it works!
• Awards – Who doesn’t like to win awards? Try creating an award for a niche industry.
• Surveys and Stats – Try conducting a survey and publishing the results and insights. Your readers may find this survey quite intriguing and even get around to writing their own thoughts and insights–it could be a fantastic conversation starter.
• Tools – Create a fun and newsworthy tool.
• Quizzes – Quizzes and even personality tests have survived the various incarnations of the web. Taking a quirky quiz can be fun (at times).

The deal with CBS will help the eCommerce company load it’s Prime product with a treasure-trove of off-air TV shows. More recently, the company struck a deal with NBC that would give it nonexclusive rights to Universal Pictures’ movie library.

As Amazon, plans to also take on Apple’s iPad with it’s own tablet, it will need the content network to strengthen the appeal of their new device with consumers.

Many of Countrywide’s former borrowers will receive somewhere between $500 to $5000 for the settlement. The company, now owned by Bank of America, is responsible for overcharging 450,000 customers.

The web hack took the shape of a mock article from Murdock’s The Sun, with the headline “Media moguls body discoverd”  [sic].

The group boasted on their Twitter feed: “We have owned Sun/News of the World – that story is simply phase 1 – expect the lulz to flow in coming days.”

The story was blocked within the hour. This attack seems to have corresponded with the UK investigation into the massive voice-mail hacking scandal and Murdock’s testimony.