People love visuals. And people love food.  And food analogies that create a vivid mental image seem to really resonate with my readers.

And so, a new recipe for my blog has been simmering and is now finally ready to be served (you love food analogies, remember?!).

As I continue to educate, inform, entertain and enlighten you about all things social media, I am going to frequently categorize my posts in a way that make it very clear how I feel about the subject du jour.  Here are some of the ingredients I’m toying with:

One Smart Cookie – highlighting individuals or companies that really “get it” in terms of their social media activities.  For example, I’ve written about the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, and my most 2009 most influential Tweeters list!  And then there’s my good friend Leslie Irish Evans, who has unlocked a key to attracting quality “likers” to her Facebook fan page (1500 in less than a month).

Half-Baked – these are ideas or promotions or people that had “sort of” a good idea, but managed to leave a key ingredient out of the recipe, or perhaps took the project out of the oven a few minutes too early.  Kind of like restaurants that aren’t using Twitter or promoting a “Groupon” special without adequate followup.  Or maybe choosing to Tweet during surgery?!?

Crumbs – unfortunately there are too many of these types of examples, using social media as a way to blast info to all of us but have no clue how to use the tools to create conversations, relationships and profitable visibility.  Or they appear randomly and infrequently on their social media sites and have left us to wonder if they are past their expiration date. It would be easy to cite many of these “crumb-y” people, but I’ll try to keep it to a minimum!

On the back burner, several more categories are stewing, such as:

• One Tough Cookie –  for those that have made a bold move or overcome some obstacle to create success in social media
• That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles – for those those attempts or campaigns that just go bad for whatever reason and there’s nothing you can do about it (but might deserve an “A” for effort!)
• Cookie Cutter –  for those that show an utter lack of originality or *gasp* have been shown to have copied another’s recipe!
• Fortune Cookie – for those with a creative, forward-thinking idea that will change the way things are done – even if it’s a bit in the future (having a house for sale “tweet” about itself to attract new owners)

So there you have it – the recipe for the One Smart Cookie blog!  And like any good friend that always seems to end up hovering in the kitchen (no matter how small the house is!), you are probably wondering how you can help.  So put on your apron, pick up your whisk and send me ideas and examples – it’s a big ponderosa out there and even as hard as I try, I can’t read about everything! 

I look forward to your contributions below – ready, set, bake!

NOTE: Divine inspiration for this concept must be credited to Warren and Betsy Talbot, Betsy Moore and Katy Woodworth – ALL very Smart Cookies!