It’s a fact of life for businesses to use the Internet in various ways to achieve success. One of those ways is social media. Companies of all sizes have web sites and Linkedin pages and Facebook and Twitter accounts. They HAVE them. Are they using them appropriately?

You’ve been told that you must have these accounts. But just having them isn’t the key to using them to your advantage. Social media must be updated regularly to have any impact on your business. Tweets and status updates may be scheduled in advance and blogs can be written by ghostwriters. Easy, right? Except for one thing… Who is monitoring the comments?

The idea of social media is to be social. This implies a relationship between what you are putting out there as a representation of your company and the followers who respond to the information. If you post something, someone replies, and you never check for replies, this person will likely be unimpressed and feel slighted.

The other issue with not monitoring your social media comments is that someone could post something very derogatory or negative and you wouldn’t know. That could turn into a snowball of bad comments and company bashing. By the time you figure it out, you may have lost customers.

So, what do you do if someone does leave a comment for you? Let’s start with a positive one. If someone is complimentary, thank them and feel free to pursue further what it is they feel positive about. This gives you a look at what your clients want and like. If someone posts a question, find the answer and post it. Be honest. If you don’t know, find out. If it turns out to be something unpleasant, it probably needs attention anyway. You can let folks know you are fixing it.

The most difficult kind of response is to a negative comment. Those comments can make you feel defensive or angry and want to engage in a way that isn’t productive. Consider these carefully, because your comment can start an all-out nightmare or turn you into a great role model in the eyes of your clients.

What you should NOT do is ignore the posts. That is leaving someone who felt strongly enough about something in your company that they sought out your page and left you some information. It may not be information you want to hear, but they left it for you. Do not ignore it.

Resist the urge to hit the delete button. Deleting the comment will only cause more fallout in the long run.

Absolutely do not respond in a negative way. No name-calling, no angry posting, nothing that you wouldn’t say to your grandmother! And don’t try to cover it up with excuses .

The only way to deal with negative social media comments is directly, professionally, and thoroughly. If the person has a problem, acknowledge the issue, apologize sincerely, and try to solve the problem. Imagine that the person is standing in front of you and you are in charge of customer service. If you wouldn’t say it to their face, certainly don’t type it on the page.

Yes, use social media to promote your company. Just remember to monitor comments and address each one individually as if the writer was standing in front of you… and your grandmother was watching over your shoulder.

New York City, in an attempt to decrease crime, had adopted a "stop and frisk" policy in 2003, providing police the legal ability to stop and search anyone whom they had a reasonable suspicion was involved in illegal activities. The primary reason for designing the program was to locate weapons.

This seemed like a good idea at its inception, giving police more latitude in their ability to stop suspicious suspects and detect potential crimes early. Mayor Bloomberg was in support of the policy, attempting to decrease the crime rate in NYC. But “stop and frisk” gave police officers the option to employ the practice to anyone they viewed with “reasonable suspicion”. This phrase was undefined and as such, used with great latitude by police.

Unfortunately, "stop and frisk" has turned into "controversy and politics". NYC police have been accused of using the policy in a racist manner. 87% of the 4.4 million people stopped under the rule were black or hispanic. Police did not cite the specific reason for detaining these people as due to race, but rather reasons such as "furtive movements". Of those people detained, 90% were not charged with any crime. Also, in more than 98% of the 2.3 million frisks, no weapons were found.

Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled last week that the "stop and frisk" policy was indirectly targeting young black and hispanic residents of the city and humiliating and demeaning them with body searches. Often, a bulge seen in a pocket, used as “reasonable suspicion” was merely a cell phone or wallet. She stated that it was a violation of the constitution. She has ruled that the policy be halted effective immediately. The ruling that the procedure was unconstitutional and musts be discontinued was promptly appealed by Mayor Bloomberg.

The next question is: What will happen when Bloomberg steps down in December? Will a new mayor continue to support "stop and frisk"?

The bottom line is a question of the appropriateness and statistical proof of effectiveness of the racial profiling used by the police on the street. Does this violate our 4^th amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure? What about the 14th amendment protection of equal rights under our laws? States are prohibited from discriminating against particular racial groups. Since we know the police are obviously targeting black and hispanic young men, is New York in violation?

The judge has ordered a federal monitor be appointed to oversee reforms, though not the complete end of “stop and frisk”. So the city is in the process of trying to reform the policy to be more fair and less racially motivated. Judge Scheindlin suggested having the patrolling cops wear small body cameras that can be reviewed for nondiscriminatory and fair behavior, and these would hopefully discourage police from inappropriately stopping those that are not behaving in a suspicious manner. This was suggested as a pilot program in addition to community meetings to discuss reformation of the police department’s current strategies.

Only time will tell whether the policy will be reformed or dropped completely.

As an entrepreneur, you may find that you need to have a deeper understanding of your craft or of marketing yourself, or even economics or sociological behaviors. Also, as an entrepreneur, you may not have the extra money or time to attend college classes.

There are many obstacles to pursuing education while also building a business. Thankfully, several Universities from around the world are offering free online course materials for public use. Some offer simple reading lists, either providing them for download or recommending books. Some present audio or video classes for viewing. While none will provide college course credit, they will provide knowledge.

An unlikely but very useful place to start is iTunes. Known predominantly for their music, apps, and media, iTunes also offers iTunes U. The last category on the top menu bar, iTunes U provides information sorted by college or subject. Anyone with a compatible device can now download the iTunes U app to access courses from a huge catalog of digital content. The app is free and the educational content and courses are free as well. The app has recently been updated to check for course updates automatically. If you have an iPad, or any Apple device, this is a fantastic resource. Sample courses: Yale Astronomy; Ohio State General Chemistry; Stanford Programming Methodology.

Open Culture offers a list of 750 free online courses. Most are available via YouTube, web video, or iTunes. The course list is broken down into categories of study, such as Business, Computer Science, Psychology, Sociology, and more. If you are looking for written content, this is not the best resource for you.

Einztein beta calls itself “the social learning network for higher education and lifelong learners”. Members may join Learning Groups, such as Business & Management Strategy. Within the group, members discuss various aspects of the group’s subject. Some learning groups are affiliated with colleges, such as the University of Notre Dame OCW. This is a social networking approach to learning. If you believe that this method – mainly discussion – is conducive to your learning style, try it out.

Coursera offers a variety of courses from around the world for free. Users may browse through courses that are starting soon and use filters for languages and categories to make wading through over 400 courses more manageable. At the moment, there are 39 Business and Management courses from business models to risk management, to social psychology. Some classes receive a Statement of Accomplishment upon completing the course. One of the nice things on Coursera is that they have negotiated with several educational networks and publishers to offer access to chapters and normally fee-based websites for free.

Education is an ongoing process. Lifelong learners make the best entrepreneurs. By taking free courses from these sources, you are able to continue your education and build upon it, improving your understanding of business concepts, human behaviors, technology, and more. The generosity of the universities and websites is truly exceptional. Take advantage of the opportunity to better yourself and don’t forget to contribute back to these institutions when you become a success!

Paula Deen, a Food Network staple, who has served up Southern Cooking to clog the arteries through her television shows and cookbooks is no stranger to controversy. Last year, she admitted that she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2009, while she continued to promote her sugary, deep-fried recipes. She may have managed to squeak out from under the criticism from that hypocrisy, but the latest scandal may be her ruin.

The Food Network star is in hot water amid accusations of using racial slurs and the ‘n’ word. The story begins in 2007, when she was helping her brother, Bubba plan his wedding. On June 19, the National Enquirer reveals Deen’s racial statements. According to court documents related to the lawsuit filed by a past employee, of Paula Deen Enterprises, Deen was asked what servers for the wedding should wear. Her response: “Well what I would really like is a bunch of little n-----s to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around.” Paula Deen laughed and said “Now that would be a true southern wedding, wouldn’t it? But we can’t do that because the media would be on me about that.” She also admitted to making racist jokes and using the ‘n’ word in other instances.

Paula Deen was invited to the Today show to discuss the issue on June 21. She did not show up for her scheduled appearance. In an attempt to control the damage, Deen, released three separate video apologies, stating the inappropriate language is “unacceptable” and “begs forgiveness”. The first two videos were apologies to the public. The third was an apology to Matt Lauer for her no-show on Today.

The fallout from the scandal has led to skewering on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show http://www.hulu.com/watch/503522, referring to Deen’s problem as Type II racism. On June 21, after Deen failed to show up on the Today show, the Food Network dropped her and cancelled her programs. On June 24, Smithfield drops Deen as a spokesperson. On June 26, Caesars drops the Deen buffets offered in their resorts. The same day, Walmart announced that they will no longer carry Deen merchandise. Even Novo Nordisk, the diabetes product Deen endorses, ended her contract on June 27. Also on the 27^th, Target dropped Deen’s merchandise, as did QVC. On June 28, Kmart, Sears, and Walgreens stated they will phase out her products. JCPenney stopped carrying Deen merchandise on the the 28^th as well. Deen’s latest cookbook was dropped by publisher Ballantine Books. It seems that companies no longer feel comfortable being associated with Deen.

The question that remains, other than the court decisions, is what will be next for Paula Deen? Will she be forgiven for her inappropriate behavior and racial slurs? Is she truly sorry for what she has done or is she sorry only because of the negative impact it is having on her life? Hopefully, she will learn to respect people of all races and realize that her behavior was truly hurtful to many people who worked for her and were her fans.