Facebook marketing experts were hit with a study this week that can only be described as depressing. Psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax has been making headlines with claims that Facebook can actually cause depression in teenage girls.

“Then they look at all the other girls’ Facebook pages, look at them being happy and think, ‘my life sucks, look at all the things those girls are doing and how much fun they’re having,’” Sax says.

Girls who spend too much time on Facebook aren’t nurturing real life relationships, he notes. But this isn’t just sad news for teenage girls and their families. For about two years, mental health professionals have been monitoring what they call “social media depression,” a sadness or deep depression caused by following other people’s lives on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Couple this with studies that link anxiety caused by reading news online, and it’s impossible not to wonder: What can business bloggers and social media marketers do to make the Internet less depressing?

First off, we should make it clear that we in no way think that some happy online marketing can make the problems go away — just as it’s impossible for an organization or company to say things to erase a person’s mental health problems. Still, marketers do have the power to send messages that add to the online experience of users. Blogs with positive themes or that teach readers something consistently rank as the most popular and widely read on the ‘net.

So why not use your company blog to teach your readers a thing or two? Instructional blogs aren’t just a good way to add positive juju to your blog, but they are also a clever way to inject your products and services into your posts. Baking companies like Duncan Hines and Pillsbury have been using their blogs and social media pages like this for years and you can easily see why. Coca-Cola is another big brand that uses Facebook for good instead of evil. The soda company has slyly slipped into the top position when it comes to social media marketing with the happy images and life-affirming messages on the its Facebook page. Coke’s Facebook page isn’t out to change the world, but it does make visitors smile with classic visuals and sunny branded messages from the past and present.

Whether it’s teaching your readers some new tricks or spreading a positive message, we as marketers can do our small part make the barrage of Internet information less drab and depressing. Plus, by offering readers solutions or laughs or good ideas, we giving them a reason to keep coming back. And that’s something for everyone to smile about!

When it comes to corporate blog creation, lately we’ve been seeing double. Or even triple. Many brands are finding that just one blog simply won’t suffice when it comes to talking about all the amazing things their business does. For companies with lots of little niches or several imprints and subdivisions, multiple blogs are an easy fix. A number of blogs can lighten the load for a primary blog while providing specialized topics and information. So when do you know if one blog isn’t enough?

A good, first question to ask yourself when considering multiple blogs is an easy one: Is my current blog successful? If you answered “yes,” then congratulations! You clearly have a well-read blog that could perhaps support spin-off blog that covers additional topics that just won’t fit in your current already jam-packed blog. But keep this in mind before you start spreading your blog love around: In order for your new blogs to be successful, they will require the same hard work, great content and diligent marketing that made your original blog so successful.

Next it’s probably best to figure out what your new blogs are going to cover. Multiple blogs from the same business can be great if they each have their own voice and specific areas of expertise. Readers are not going to come back to read the same information they already read on another blog. So pick topics from your corporate cannon that might not always get a chance to shine in your current blog. Also, multiple blogs can be great for limited campaigns and promotions, covering updates in company policies and new products. Whatever you use your new blogs for, make sure the SEO keywords and strategies from your original blog stay pretty much the same. Clearly your keywords are helping audiences find your blog, so you want to hang on to them for your new blogs, too. Consistent keywords, thorough SEO and solid blog content management, will help your new blogs achieve the same success as your first blogging blockbuster.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to add new voices to your multiple blogs. Different perspectives not only make for more dynamic content but prevent you from suffering a blogging burnout.

If you have plenty to say and a solid blogging practice already in place, why not give multi-blogging a try? Your blogging empire awaits!

When window-shopping around the net at different blogs for blog creation ideas, it’s hard not to notice how artsy things have gotten. From snappy original graphics on design websites to Tumblrs filled with bold images that transcend mediums, art is seemingly everywhere. In fact, it now seems like the cool thing to do to reference famous or undiscovered artists in blogs of all genres. Also, the number of blogs alone devoted to the arts is a testament to how seriously the web loves the arts. With all of these great-looking blogs with snooty-patootie artistic pedigrees floating around, we wondered: Did blogging help artists, or is it the other way around?

To get to the bottom of the question, one need look no further than free blogging platforms like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger. Blogging platforms are taking the blogs of artists very seriously, with Tumblr leading the pack. Tumblr, it seems, was born for art pimping. With its image-friendly layout, Tumblr makes posting images easy. Almost immediately after Tumblr’s launch in 2007, artists flocked to the site. Tumblr was quickly utilized by artists as “makeshift websites” where followers and buyers could easily find artists’ work without the artists having to sink big money into a traditional site. And Tumblr’s social nature made it really easy for artists’ work to get passed around and shared by other users. Tumblr is so serious about the arts that it has an artist outreach program and even boasts its own office gallery comprised of works by artists from Tumblr. And, naturally, Tumblr features several directories of artists that you can find on the site.

Other platforms are art crazy, too. A simple WordPress topic search for art will turn up blogs by big-time artists and art writers, while Blogger boasts blogs from the Guggenheim. Artists were clearly drawn to the ease of blogging and the rest is history.

The relationship between artists and blogs, it appears, is a mutually beneficial one. Artists can have their work seen by millions of blog readers and blogs can now elevate their appearance to compete with online magazines and tablet publications. But does all this art talk mean our blog content management strategies must now include original artwork? No, but some kind of image plan should be put in place. This blogging art explosion proves that fresh content now includes great-looking graphics.

“Blah, blah, blah” is the last thing you want readers to think after you’ve poured your heart and soul into blog creation. You want your company blog to excite readers about your brand. You want your words to keep ‘em coming back. But if you still feel like you’re getting blah-blah-blahed (accompanied by the required eye rolling and blabbermouth hand gesture, natch), then your blog may be too long. If, however, your scant-yet-efficient blog fails to garner comments over and over again, perhaps your blog is too darn short. So what exactly is the perfect blog length?

The minuscule line between full of information and too much information is particularly fine in the blogging-for-business world. Naturally, you’d like to give your readers and customers an in-depth look into your company, complete with all of your insights. But you don’t want to load them down with so much content that their heads begin to spin. I once had a creative writing teacher who had a perfect formula for this dilemma: leave them wanting more. His theory was this: Don’t give away your entire catalog of grade-A material. Instead, pepper your writing with the good stuff, knowing that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to dish out other nuggets of wisdom. Or, as another writing mentor of mine would say, “slow your roll.” Under this mindset, we can assume a great blog length runs in the 300-600 word length.

I found dozens of studies online, all claiming a different “perfect blog length.” But I tend to think shorter is better given our attention span and newfound love of reading blogs on smartphones and tablets. There is an art to saying what you need to say in a limited space. Plus shorter blogs are ideal if you intend to update several times a week.

However, those 800-1,200 word blogs certainly have an audience. Take a peek at some of the most popular tech and business blogs. Many of them are darn lengthy! And we can assume given the exploding readership of said blogs that people don’t mind and even enjoy getting an eyeful of content. By all means, if you’ve got a hot topic that needs 1,000+ words and your readers are dying to hear more, blog away! Our only rule of thumb is make sure the blog is engaging throughout. Just a catchy headline won’t hold their attention as they scroll for days to get to the end. Also by dividing your longer posts into easy digestible chunks, you make it easy and more appealing for readers to come back pick up where they left off if need be.

While there may not be an exact mythological answer to the perfect blog length, the power and potency of words is what matters. Still, we’re curious. Readers, what do you consider the perfect blog length? Do long-winded blogs delight or frighten you? Sound off in the comments section below!

Wanna see a perfect example of effective blogging for business pulled off with precision, coolness and humor? Then hop over to the Transportation Security Administration blog immediately. (N0, really.) It sounds downright impossible that an organization universally criticized for its ineptitude and crazy regulations would be so awesome at blogging, but the TSA has a secret weapon: Blogger Bob. Bob Burns, the official blogger for the TSA, gives readers a look into the kooky world of airport security with the skill, sense of humor and directness that every company blog should strive for.

Over the last two weeks, Blogger Bob has been making headlines, garnering both fans and criticism while facing controversies head-on. After an outcry in late February from breast-feeding passengers who argued they weren’t allowed to bring their breast pumps and empty bottles abroad, Blogger Bob hopped online with an apology and tried to put out the fire. Last Friday, Blogger Bob went head-to-head with another blogger who claimed he could defeat the TSA’s full body scanners. And even Bloomberg BusinessWeek jumped on the bandwagon when they applauded the coolness of Blogger Bob.

What makes Bob Burns such a great company blogger is his open and approachable look into the TSA.

“I call it the corny dad approach. I’m basically the Bob Saget of blogging,” Burns tells Bloomberg. “This isn’t really the most exciting subject, so I thought I should inject some personality into it.”

Burns himself served time on the front line of airport security, so his blog is peppered with the point of view of someone in the know. In addition to addressing current news stories involving the TSA, the blog also covers new regulations and hilarious real-life stories of passengers and what they try to get away with at security.

All of this adds up to compelling reading and the joining of a real voice to an agency many think of as humorless or soulless. Blogger Bob’s personality and fearless confrontation of sticky issues are techniques we can all inject into our blog marketing.

When you’re caught up in the daily blog writing whirlwind and focused on churning out fresh content, it is hard to see the impact or potential impact your words might have. Yet a breed of outspoken bloggers from all parts of the political landscape have proved that messages with passion and conviction will eventually find an audience. Andrew Breitbart, who was died last week, was one such blogger who turned his opinions into a media empire.

Love or loathe Breitbart’s methods and message, it cannot be argued that the 43-year-old former Huffington Post researcher had guts. Breitbart’s blogging star exploded with the famous whistle-blowing exposés on Shirley Sharrod and Andrew Weiner. But the journalist and publisher saw the power of blogging and blog marketing long before many of his contemporaries. In his memoir/manifesto Righteous Indignation, Breitbart describes himself as “reborn” after tirelessly researching the Internet in 1994. He then set out on a lifelong mission to turn the platform into a stage for his own beliefs and brand. After blogging for highly-read sites like the Drudge Report, he launched his own blogging empire which includes Breitbart.com, BigHollywood.com, BigGovernment.com, BigJournalism.com and BigPeace.com. Breitbart’s brand was built on his raging, loud and unbridled persona that most recently could be seen in a YouTube video where he screamed at OCCUPY protesters “stop raping people.”

While many (this blogger included) found his theatrics to be over-the-top, misguided and bombastic, his popularity can’t be disputed. His book was a No. 1 bestseller and is currently skyrocketing once again on Amazon.com, while the blogging conglomerate he owned and operated included some of the Internet’s most-visited conservative websites.

What normal blogging for business schmos like you and I can take away from the life and career of Andrew Breitbart is persistence. When it comes to blogging, every day counts. Small companies and brands only have a limited time to get their message across, and capturing the interest of fickle blog readers is tricky at best. Breitbart’s impressive content output, coupled with a strong narrative, is an example of how to keep audiences continuously on their toes and coming back to your blog.

We love it when some kick-butt blog creation and smart blog marketing catapults a normal, well-read blog into the big-time publishing atmosphere. And that’s exactly what’s happening in the world of Texas barbecue.

Laugh all you want, but blogging about which Lone Star State establishment has the best ribs is serious business for barbecue bloggers. Since 2008, a crowd of proud “barbecue nerds” have put Texas back on the culinary map.

“When we first started out there was no real chatter or blogging going on about barbecue,” says Drew Thornley, founder of BBQ blog ManUpTexas. “Now there’s a wave of enthusiasm sweeping Central Texas, and we’re riding that wave.”

Thornley even believes the state is in the middle of a “barbecue renaissance” — and judging by the response of the publishing world, he may be right.

Daniel Vaughn is another Texas barbecue blogger with credentials that are nothing to sniff at. Even Anthony Bourdain calls Vaughn “the Yoda of Barbecue.” For years, Vaughn has chronicled his love for barbecue —along with his every meal at Texas smokehouses — for readers of his blog, Full Custom Gospel BBQ. His blog leaves no stone unturned as he visits and reviews hundreds of BBQ joints. Now under the curation of Bourdain himself, Harper Collins imprint ECCO will publish a comprehensive guide to Texas barbecue restaurants as written by Vaughn. His book, The Prophets of Smoked Meat, is a “passionate full-color tour through and definitive guide to the best of classic Texas barbecue” which features reviews on 450 restaurants, recipes and fool-proof techniques.

Thanks to social media, blogs like Thornley’s and Vaughn’s are highly-followed glimpses into Texas barbecue culture. A documentary and two more books on the subject are due out in the next few months as well.

Amidst the talk of sauces and smokiness, these blogs are proof of what we preach here often: Be passionate for what you blog about and the rest of the world is bound to eat it up.

As we covered last week, Facebook czar Mark Zuckerberg is the latest celeb to join inspiration board site Pinterest. Non-stop buzz notwithstanding, Pinterest certainly has its limitations. Primarily, the super visual site simply won’t work for companies that aren’t image-based or don’t have physical merchandise. Pinterest is all about sharing pictures of things you love with followers who love the same things. So this concept won’t really be of any use to, say, a headhunting agency or accounting firm. But Pinterest can work incredibly well with your company blog if you happen to be in a “ooh, look at that” type of industry.

Food, fashion, interior design and exotic locations are the topics Pinterest users like to pin the most of. Therefore, any catering company, jewelry designer, furniture maker, or travel agent with a blog should really consider hopping on the bandwagon. If you’re in one of the aforementioned industries and you do blog, chances are you have tons of photos of what you do and what you’re working on to give your customers and readers a taste of your genius. Sharing those pictures on Pinterest is a snap and literally takes seconds. Once the photos are shared, users interested in your images will start pinning them, too. But the Pinterest possibilities don’t stop there. Art galleries, graphic designers, cartoonists, landscapers, wedding planners, ceramicists and florists who blog should consider “pinning” as a way to gather more readers, as well.

Again, Pinterest isn’t going to work wonders for every blog. Image-friendly blogging platforms like Tumblr seem to work better on Pinterest than text-friendly sites like Blogger. Also, Pinterest, like all social media marketing channels, takes time. As one would do with blog creation, Pinterest boards should be carefully curated and planned out to really convey your brand’s message. And like other social networks, gaining followers takes time and engagement as well. Don’t expect one fabulous photo of one of your products to bring in thousands of blog readers and buyers without a little work.

So let’s hear from you, readers: Have you had any success with marketing on Pinterest or do you think the whole thing is just something bored, crafty housewives like to do over a glass of wine? Sound off below!

We tend to live by the philosophy that any brand can improve their digital image with a great blog. Good blog writing can truly give any business a voice that other forms of online marketing can’t. Almost weekly now, we read a new story about an unlikely personality or company who has helped transform their digital image by writing a highly-read blog. And no blogger is more unlikely than Sports Illustrated model Chrissy Teigen.

Teigen, who graces the pages of SI’s 2012 swimsuit issue for the third time in her career, was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The beauty naturally answered questions about her shoot for the annual men’s magazine drool-fest, but the Journal was more interested in her blog, So Delushious: Personal Random Ramblings from a Girl Who Loves Bacon and Can’t Be Fat.

Teigen says Twitter was the catalyst that helped her get blogging.

“I was basically tweeting all these amazing recipes and I was getting more and more feedback. I had a couple glasses of wine and started a WordPress blog,” she tells WSJ. “I’ll go off on complete tangents—I’ll start talking about lasagna and then start wondering what I’m going to do with my life. It’s important for me to gain credibility in the food world. I’ll often show photos of me throwing out a dish I tried to cook but screwed up.”

In addition to culinary school dreams, Teigen hopes the blog opens the door for a food and travel television show. With her 100k-plus followers on Twitter and her highly-bookmarked blog, we see no reason why Teigen can’t go from bikini babe to domestic goddess of Martha-like proportions.

The lesson here is simple: Whatever you’re passionate about, whatever your business does best, whatever you love—blog about it! And watch the readers and customers come running!

Feeling those mid-winter, uninspired blahs when it comes to online marketing? We’ve got just the thing to get your brain moving: Our weekly list of five things you might have missed. This week’s fivesome features news stories, marketing innovations and social media ideas guaranteed to ignite your creative fires!

1.) Food + Fashion: This interview with Cupcakes and Cashmere creator Emily Shuman tops our list for proving that when we blog about the things we’re passionate about, the money is sure to follow. The former ad executive is making big dollars by covering fashion and food in her highly-read blog. Shuman is further proof of the blog as business model and we love it.

2.) The Golden Voice Returns: Remember Ted Williams, that homeless dude with the amazing voice? After a rough ride through the media ringer, Williams returned in a charity Twitter campaign for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese this week. Kraft donated thousands of boxes of mac’n'cheese for every #voiceoflove tweet they received to Feeding America. The campaign was a stand out on Valentine’s Day for showing the Twitter love for folks who really deserve it.

3.) Best Apology Ever: O.b. Tampons has made more than a few marketing mistakes over the last two years, so when the company pulled its o.b. Ultras from store shelves late in 2011, consumers were not happy. Instead of tweeting a “we’re sorry” message, the company came up with a now viral video that sets a new standard for creative corporate apologies. Without giving away the details, we’ll just say this hilarious and ingenious interactive spot is sure to put o.b. on the road to redemption.

4.) Even Zuckerberg’s Pinterest Crazy: We clocked Pinterest as the “it” social media site last year and having Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg sign up this week seems to confirm that prediction. Zuckerberg is already enthusiastically pinning and posting, proving that Pinterest is a social media force to be reckoned with.

5.) Here’s to New Voices, Too: With the sad passing of Whitney Houston and the downright bizarre Grammy awards from last weekend, it seemed like music could use a fresh face or two. Luckily, a super-viral Target commercial answered the call by introducing the planet to 11-year-old Denise Bestman from Staten Island. Her cover of Rolling in the Deep is evidence that talent and hope are found in unlikely places.