This week one small business got a self-inflicted tough lesson in online transparency, and that Lego are amazing (but we already knew that).

Ring Of Ire: Jewellers vs Facebook Pages

If you have a Facebook Page for your business or service, you may know that you can allow other Facebook users to administer your Page. I, for example, administer several Pages for myself and on behalf of clients. Being an Admin is generally straightforward, but sometimes one can forget to switch and may post something using the wrong identity.
Skillens, a jewellers in Co. Down, discovered this to their cost this week. Having run a ‘Like and Share’ competition, they posted a photo of the winner.

Apparently there were some grumblings about the winner’s connection with the business, and she responded on the Skillens Facebook Page (now deleted).

See what happened there?

Once fury and mockery was unleashed by disgruntled competition entrants and passers-by alike, Skillens responded first with a very convoluted explanation, then with threats of legal action and finally by taking down their Page.
The lesson? With Google and social media, it’s increasingly difficult to hoodwink punters. It’s best not to try lest your business be tainted with the association of dishonesty.
(via Broadsheet.ie)

Doing it right: Lego

When 7-year-old (and wonderfully-named) Luka Apps wrote a very honest email to Lego, he got a rather wonderful response. His dad tweeted the whole thing.

An email @LukaApps sent to LEGO after losing a figure and the perfectly aimed reply he received back. pic.twitter.com/3SxE7wqX

— Simon Apps (@simonapps) January 7, 2013

Install This: Springpad

Memorably described as what happened when Evernote and Pinterest had a baby, Springpad is a very visual way of organising online information.

Springpad uses bookmarklets, browser extensions as well as mobile and tablet apps to grab information off the Web for tagging and organisation. Your content can be collected into Notebooks which can be kept privately or shared.
Here are my public Notebooks for you to explore. For example, I frequently stumble upon site that I know will be useful some other time. I just click ‘Spring it’  in Chrome then a window appears inviting me to tag and sort the site and that’s it.

Daddy’s Mp3reet: Julie Feeney

Another week, another talented musician from Galway called Julie. Julie Feeney is on her third album of Baroque pop [my review] and has this week been shortlisted for the third time for the Meteor Choice Music Prize in Ireland (similar to the Mercury Music Award in the UK).

She won in 2006.
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Enda Guinan is a consultant and trainer offering advice on social media strategy for individuals and small businesses. Get in touch to see how you can make the best use of your time and energy as you put together your social media plans.