Do you remember the TV Christmas special, Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer? Rudolph runs away from home and goes to the Island of Misfit Toys. This is a place where not so perfect toys are sent – like the bird that swims, but can’t fly. That sounds like a penguin to me.

Many tweets are going to the Island of Misfit Tweets. A recent study by Weber Shandwick found there are 73 Fortune 100 companies on Twitter and most of them don’t get it. The tweets are not engaging their followers; they posted very few tweets; and the tweets conveyed almost no personality. Plus, 50% of the Fortune 100 Twitter accounts had less than 500 followers. Wow, is this your organization?

Weber Shandwick offered 5 essential steps as a starting point for anyone wanting to create engagement and market interaction on Twitter.

1. Listen to conversations

2. Participate in conversations

3. Update frequently with valuable information

4. Reply to people who talk about issues that are important to your company

5. Retweet relevant conversations

Make sure your Twitter strategy includes these 5 steps, so your tweets don’t end up on the Island of Misfit Tweets. Hermy, the elf dentist, definitely has personality and a huge following.

It’s that time of year when everyone gets together for a big turkey dinner with family and to watch the Detroit Lions lose. And that’s okay, but Thanksgiving is more than just family, cranberry sauce and having a couple days off. It’s a reminder to be thankful for all you’ve been given.

That may be harder for some during these difficult economic times. Yet despite our circumstances in life – financial, health, relationships, etc. – we can still be thankful. Look around and begin to see all you’ve been given. In my case, I miss or take for granted many of the blessings God has given me.

This Thanksgiving take a little time to list the reasons you’re thankful. Regardless of where you are in life, this list is a lot longer than you may think.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

What are you hooked on? Despite the fact that we’ve outlawed texting during dinner, there is still the occasional covert text under the table. My 15-year-old son often explains that his friend needed an immediate answer.

In a 2008 AOL survey of 4,000 email users, 46% said they were “hooked” on email. Almost 60% of those surveyed had checked email in the bathroom; 15% admitted to checking emails during church; and 11% have gone as far as to hide the fact that they were checking emails from their spouse or a member of the family. Sounds a lot like my son.

My guess is those of us using Twitter and other kinds of social media may even be more “hooked.”

There are constant tweets, beeps and vibrations alerting you that someone has sent you a message. As a result, you could spend a large portion of your day reading messages and related links. The question becomes are the things you’re “hooked” on making you more productive and successful, or are they just wasting your valuable time?

I’m okay with the bathroom, but please not in church.

Continuing with our Charlie Brown Halloween Special theme, Charlie goes trick-or-treating on Halloween in his ghost costume. After each house, the group would announce what they got. Do you remember what Charlie got at every house? His classic line is, “I got a rock.”

How many of us feel like Charlie Brown when opening an email, letter, website, Facebook invitation, etc.? Does your offer deliver what the customer wants or do they get a rock?

Here are some rocks:

1. Any offer with an * or the dreaded **. You know what that means. It’s never as good as it sounds. It’s a rock.

2. Offers that don’t match your needs. I got a credit card offer a few years ago where I could earn points for industrial tools. I can barely use a screwdriver, so I doubt I’ll ever need an industrial jack to change the tire on my dump truck. It’s a rock.

3. Free offers that aren’t free. You go to the website to get your free item and realize you have to sign a two-year contract. It’s a rock.

4. Offers for low-priced items, only to pay extravagant shipping charges. It’s a rock.

5. Offers that are really boring. A lawn care company sent me a postcard offering a free list of services. Why would anyone get excited about a brochure? It’s a rock.

No one wants to look in her bag and say, “I got a rock.” So make sure you deliver the treats, not tricks. I like candy corn and caramel apples, but please don’t give me that awful orange and black wrapped Halloween candy.