Have you read these?

A smattering of interestering and valuable posts on marketing and business development

• “Are Buyers Irrational When They Don't Select Me?” from The Captain’s Log. Surprisingly enough, most buyers don’t make purchase decisions based on logic alone. Even buyers of legal services. Even if the buyer thinks the decision is purely logic-driven. Sounds obvious? It isn’t. This post adds clarity to the issue, while at the same time reminding lawyers that it’s all about the client. Lawyers: read this. You’ll be glad you did.
  
  
• “Social Media Decision Tree” from Chris Brogan’s Community and Social Media blog. Read this post, Brogan’s explorations around the question of whether your company should blog / be on Twitter / be on YouTube. His answer? Nothing is black and white: you need to figure out which social media tools work for you, your brand, and your organization. This post gives you some useful ideas to ponder as you do that.
  
  
• “5 Things to do when you're unemployed. Hint: It's not job hunting.” From Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist. This is an extremely valuable post, and the advice becomes more relevant with each new layoff announcement. Yes, you need to find a job, but there is no denying that you should be spending significant time while unemployed doing what Trunk recommends: “learning and growing.”
  
  
• “How to 'network effectively'” from Rachel Levy’s Job Search & Social Networking blog. This post, based on an interview of Diane Darling, is chock-full of useful networking advice. Not looking for a job right now? Read it anyway: you’re never out of the networking game, and you can use a refresher course on its rules.
  
  
• “Networking Slut” from Some Assembly Required. Thom Singer explains his personal policy on making social networking connections. Being on Linked In, Facebook, etc., does not automatically oblige you to accept every connection request that comes through. It’s your profile, and if you see no value in connecting, don’t say yes. Bottom line? Set your own policy and stick to it: it will save you time and stress down the road.