I recently posted a blog mentioning some of the good things McDonald’s was doing on social media. Today comes a cautionary tale from the fast food giant about Twitter hashtags. The Huffington Post reports (or whatever you call it when an aggregate news site reposts stuff):

From there, the #McDStories hashtag was born, but probably not in the way McDonald’s was hoping. Negative tweets about the fast food giant began to proliferate, prompting the New York Observer to remark that "some stories are better left untold." Tweets ranged from tweeting about being high while eating McDonald’s to throwing up the food.

While the hashtag grew steam, McDonald’s also had a back and forth with PETA on Twitter, in which McDonald’s tried to correct some of PETA’s allegations about using mechanically separated white meat.

This isn’t the first time that a fast food company has lost control of its hashtag, points out MainStreet.com. Perhaps even worse than #McDStories was Wendy’s hashtag of last year, #HeresTheBeef.

In a column for Inside INdiana Business, Larry Gigerich of Ginovus lays out the case for right-to-work in plain English.

1. Percentage Growth in Non-Farm Private Sector Employees (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 12.9%
b. Non-right to Work States: 6.0%

2. Average Poverty Rate-Adjusted for Cost of Living (2002-2004)
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 10.1%

3. Percentage Growth in Patents Annually Granted (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 33.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 11.0%

4. Percentage Growth in Real Personal Income (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 26.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 19.0%

5. Percentage Growth in Number of People Covered by Employment Based Private Health Insurance (1995-2005):
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 0.7%

As noted above, right to work states create more private sector jobs, enjoy lower poverty rates, experience more technology development, realize more personal income growth, and increase the number of people covered by employment-based private health insurance. These facts provide public policy thought leaders with compelling information regarding the importance of being a right to work state. Many of the states that are faring most poorly in terms of unemployment rates and economic growth are non-right to work states. Most assuredly, this is not the only reason, but it is an important contributor to these states’ struggles. It is important for state-level policy makers to remove any barriers to economic growth in their state. A non-right to work state changing to a right to work state is an excellent example of how leaders can improve a state’s outlook. Elected officials in non-right to work states should seriously examine this issue and consider the potential benefits to their citizens.

With recognizable company names from Warsaw to Bloomington and spots in between, most people probably realize that Indiana is a player in the medical devices industry. A new study, though, reveals we might be a bigger player than many realized.

From Hearts to Hips: Indiana’s Leadership in Life Sciences was recently released by BioCrossroads. High economic output, exports and employee wages well above the state average are all part of the mix.

The medical devices industry is one of Indiana’s most valuable economic assets employing over 20,000 people and generating more than $10 billion of annual economic output. Today, the medical devices sector accounts for more than 40 percent of the jobs in the state’s life sciences industry, placing Indiana as the fifth largest state in percentage of medical technology industry employment.

And in 2010, Indiana’s medical device companies manufactured more than $2 billion worth of exports, or approximately $100,000 per employee. The industry provides high-paying jobs with the average employee earning $60,000 annually, more than 56 percent higher than the state’s average private sector worker.

“From small towns to larger cities, the economic impact of the medical devices industry is significant and is well-distributed throughout the state,” said David Johnson, president and CEO of BioCrossroads. Major companies such as Biomet, Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, DePuy, Medtronic, Roche Diagnostics and Zimmer are either headquartered or maintain major operations within the state and develop a wide variety of medical devices for from cardiovascular to urological to diagnostics and orthopedics.

“This report is proof that Indiana’s medical devices sector is robust and resides on a solid foundation that positions us well for future growth,” added Johnson. “There are still many external factors like the economic, regulatory and health care reform environment that pose real challenges for this industry.”

The report delves into external challenges the industry faces today. In addition to the current economic conditions that have lowered the demand for some medical devices, the industry faces even bigger challenges to overcome in the next decade including:

• A rapidly changing health care market

• Tax policies that discourage innovation

• Increasing regulatory uncertainty

• A shift to overseas production and expansion to overseas markets

• Technological changes requiring more worker education

• Increasingly competitive global market.

Widespread broadband access is a noble goal. The question comes down to how expansion of current networks takes place. The Coalition for the New Economy wants to make sure such investments are both effective and efficient.

Read its latest study, released earlier this week. The group’s press release is below:

The Coalition for the New Economy today (Monday) released a study by Dr. Joseph P. Fuhr, Professor of Economics at Widener University in Chester, PA. The study outlines the complex and problematic history of government-owned broadband networks (GONs) and looks for alternatives for achieving universal broadband access.

“Policymakers around the country are hurriedly trying to find ways to extend high-speed broadband access to all Americans,” said Fuhr, “This is a noble goal, but in their haste some local lawmakers have made bad business decisions, opting to build public networks that often leave taxpayers deep in the red.”

The report cites several case studies that show GONs:

• Do not meet their stated goal of universal service;

• Fail financially because they lack clear, sustainable business plans, based on realistic cost-benefit analyses;

• Are often duplicative;

• Create an unfair playing field between the public and private sector; and

• Are so costly they crowd out spending on other essential social services, including law enforcement, healthcare and education, as well as stifling innovation.

Fuhr says, “At a time of declining local revenues and rising budget deficits, taxpayers have the right to scrutinize how their local leaders are spending precious tax dollars. They deserve to know GONs are simply not the best, fairest or most cost-efficient way to achieve universal broadband access.”

In his study, Fuhr outlines a more effective way to extend broadband access, advising municipalities to explore public-private solutions. “For example, reducing the tax and regulatory burden on private telecommunications firms could be enough to compel these companies to invest in, and bring jobs to, underserved areas,” Fuhr says.

The Coalition for the New Economy (CNE), which commissioned Fuhr’s study, is dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to innovative technologies and that policies are fair, fiscally responsible and will allow for increased access and adoption.

Despite your position on the merits of the Big Mac, you may be able to benefit from some social media tips from the king of fast food chains. PR Daily reports:

As one of the most successful businesses and most recognizable brands in the world, McDonald’s is no stranger to the particulars of marketing and PR.

But how does the company manage social media?

Rick Wion, director of social media for McDonald’s, spoke with PR Daily about the ways the Golden Arches manages the wide world of social media. From that conversation, here are seven tips for social media success, including how you can take action at your organization:

1. Determine why your company is using social media.

Wion said that McDonald’s uses social media for three main purposes:

1. To sell products;
2. To build the brand;
3. To engage with customers and manage issues as they emerge.

Take action: Sit down with your communications, marketing, and PR departments (and whoever else you think should be involved) and determine your objectives for social media. This way, your team will understand its goals and have structure.

2. Employ different strategies for different platforms.

The social media team doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to social media. It has different strategies for the various platforms on which it operates. “People want to see videos, polls, and brand entertainment,” Wion said of the McDonald’s Facebook presence.

Instead of posting nothing more than updates (or, God forbid, linking your Twitter feed to your Facebook page), set out to entertain your audience, Wion advised. Poll them about current events, post funny pictures and videos, and share stories about your brand.

Wion and his team use Twitter for “general communication, customer satisfaction, and building awareness.”

Take action: Which social media platforms make the most sense for your business? How do you plan to use each platform? When posting, keep the purpose of the platform in mind.

3. Make sure measurement jibes with your strategic goals.

“The blessing and the curse of social media is that you can measure in dozens, if not hundreds of ways,” said Wion. “The problem is that there aren’t any standards for what success looks like.”

As a result, McDonald’s has found that the best way to measure is to do so by campaign, because what is being measured varies by product and brand.

Take action: Don’t measure just for the sake of measuring. Have specific objectives in mind. Figure out what you want to see.

4. Entertain people.

Would you visit a boring Facebook page or regularly check a mundane, repetitive Twitter account? No? Your fans don’t want to, either.

Wion suggests publishing “unexpected posts” on your social media channels. From sharing posts that provide little-known information to drafting humorous updates, you can surprise and delight people and separate yourself from the millions of other updates.

Take action: See what other people are doing on social media and then experiment with your own content. What time of the day do people tend to engage with your page? What kind of posts does your audience respond to most? Respond accordingly.

5. Get organized.

Though there’s something to be said for spur-of-the-moment creativity, it’s not always sustainable or practical to live by the seat of your pants. Wion and his team use an editorial calendar, created using Excel, to manage posts and stories. Your team can use one to ensure that posts are relevant to upcoming holidays, events, and times of the year.

Take action: Create a calendar with your team. Mark important dates and ensure your team is aware and on top of the schedule.

6. Give your social media content some personality.

Wion knows that different social media platforms call for different social media “voices.” On Twitter, the McDonald’s team lets the personality of the Twitter team shine through because “people want to connect with actual people on Twitter,” he says.

The official McDonald’s Twitter feed features a link with the bios of its social media team. On Facebook, McDonald’s understands that people want to connect with their brand, so they use a “voice” that best represents the McDonald’s brand.

Take action: Determine your brand’s target audience. Use the voice most appropriate for that audience and the channels on which you’ve chosen to promote your brand.

7. Provide opportunities for consumers to ask questions.

McDonald’s hosts Twitter chats under the hashtag #MCDChanging to give fans the opportunity to speak with people like the company’s vice president of sustainability and, most recently, its chief marketing officer.

Take action: Find opportunities for your fan base to connect with decision-makers. Show them that they have a voice and that you’re listening to them. You can easily create a Twitter hashtag and promote your chat on your blog, on your Facebook page, and through your Twitter account. Follow other chats first to get a feel for the format and what to expect.

Some not-so-cerebral ex-Capitol Hill staffers now find themselves unemployed after Tweeting about their exploits on the job — including drinking Jack Daniels at work and referring to the Congressman they work for as an "idiot." To Rep. Rick Larsen’s credit, they were fired immediately upon discovery. The Washington Times reports:

Staffers of Rep. Rick Larsen boasted over Twitter that they were drinking and otherwise goofing off on the job, according to a story in the NW Daily Marker.

The website said the tweets gave off the impression of "a staffers-gone-wild bash" in the Washington Democrat’s office, including insults lobbed at the congressman himself.

"My coworker just took a shot of Jack crouching behind my desk," one staffer tweeted, apparently referring to Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

Later, the staffer tweeted that he "couldn’t pass a field sobriety test right now."

Bryan Thomas, a spokesman for the congressman, said that the office became aware of the tweets at noon Thursday and that all three staffers involved were fired a little more than an hour later.

"Neither Congressman Larsen nor his other staff were aware of the actions by these three staff members before today," Mr. Thomas said. "Congressman Larsen is disappointed by their actions and takes this very seriously. He has made it clear that he will not tolerate this kind of behavior."

The three staffers were a legislative correspondent and two legislative assistants, according to NW Daily Marker.

In other messages, staffers called the congressman everything from "my idiot boss" to unprintable derogatory terms such as the one George W. Bush used to refer to a New York Times reporter in 2000.

So let this serve as a reminder to folks in all sectors to watch out for rogue Tweeting by your employees — and it never hurts to draft a sensible social media policy. If you need a reference, our soon-to-be released Model Employee Policies Handbook – 6th Edition contains valuable information and sample policies on the topic.

Those in the Indianapolis area have likely heard of Interactive Intelligence by now. Founded in 1994, the company has emerged to become one of the world’s leaders in business communication systems. And now, behold this prestigious honor, as Forbes has ranked the company eighth among America’s best small companies:

Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ), a global provider of unified IP business communications solutions, has been ranked No. 8 by Forbes Magazine among America’s Best Small Companies.
 
This is the second year in a row Interactive Intelligence has made the Forbes list, which is composed of the 100 best-performing American public companies with under $1 billion in revenue. Last year Forbes ranked Interactive Intelligence 26th on its list.
 
The Forbes America’s Best Small Companies ranking features firms with remarkable sales and earnings growth in a host of industries, according to an article in the magazine titled “The Top 20 Small Public Companies In America.”
 
Interactive Intelligence had sales of $192 million for the 12-month evaluation period ending June 30, 2011, with 20 percent sales growth and a 31 percent return on equity.
 
Interactive Intelligence was also included on Forbes list of 15 Small Company Stocks You Should Own Now.
 
“Our inclusion for the second year running among Forbes Top 20 Small Public Companies in America affirms our continued customer-focused approach with an emphasis on long-term value,” said Interactive Intelligence founder and CEO, Dr. Donald E. Brown. “This approach has spurred significant demand for our cloud-based contact center offering and it’s fueling an ever-increasing number of sales to the very largest global enterprises.”
 
Interactive Intelligence develops business communications software that provides contact center automation and unified communications functionality for mid-size to large organizations. The company’s software can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud, and is ideal for all verticals, including financial services, insurance, teleservices, and credit and collections.
 
“With exciting new development efforts underway that marry social media with mobile technologies to yet again transform customer service, we look forward to another opportunity next year to make Forbes most worthy list of best American companies,” Brown concluded.
 
Candidates for Forbes Magazine’s America’s Best Small Companies ranking must have been publicly traded for at least a year, generate annual revenue between $5 million and $1 billion, and boast a stock price no lower than $5 a share. The rankings are based on earnings growth, sales growth, and return on equity in the past 12 months and over five years. Stock performance versus each company’s peer group counted as well. Shares of last year’s members outpaced the Russell 2000 small-company index by an average of 10 percentage points.
 
More information about America’s Best Small Companies can be found in the November issue of Forbes Magazine, or on its website at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2011/10/19/the-top-20-small-public-companies-in-america/.