via searchenginewatch.com

These more visual ads from Gmail feature an image ad block very reminiscent of Facebook ads. Once clicked they feature a full page display ad in your Gmail email content space and allow you to save it as an email or forward it. With the recent launches of Google Offers and Google+, the future integration of these ad types should be very, very interesting.

We definitely have an obsession with the pop culture of social media. It is just so much smiling-fun to read about, right?

If you are a social media professional, then we both know how precious your time is and how you do not have time to be on Twitter all day reading most of the crap all of us are guilty of putting out there.

Let’s take a look at some of the headlines that have been popular this week on Twitter. Some of these might sound like they are relevant to social media and your business:

• Why Groupon Is Poised For Collapse [Techcrunch]
• 10 Must-Follow Fake Twitter Celebs [Mashable]
• Facebook Expected To File For $100 Billion IPO This Year [Business Insider]
• Facebook Is Winning Silicon Valley’s Talent War [Fast Company]

Now there is nothing wrong with any of these websites or these specific articles. What gets us all in trouble is going on Twitter and Facebook looking to learn something and winding up reading ABOUT social media rather than LEARNING about social media.

The two rarely collide. And none of the above articles will teach you anything that can help your business today.

To be successful in using social media for your business, you do not have to know everything about the ecosystem. You do not need to know about viral videos or Twitter celebrities or the latest, greatest iPhone app.

If your goal is to waste a little time, build some relationships, and relax while watching the latest cat youtube videos, go for it. We all deserve that downtime.

But if you are consuming this type of content in the name of “learning social media,” I can now confirm for you, there is little actual learning happening on Twitter and Facebook, and you need to refocus your efforts.

This conversation is the sole reason I started the Social Fresh conferences 2 years ago. I was going to a ton of conferences for bloggers or for the internet or for tech enthusiasts. And no one was talking about what a business should be doing.

If you are looking to LEARN about social media, I recommend asking the question: “Is this teaching something I can implement today?”

At Social Fresh, we are creating an entire community based around a higher level of social media training for marketers. Based around training people can turn around and use right away. From THE industry experts.

We are all learning a little more about social media each day through Tweets and Facebook updates and Youtube videos. And spending time there is not the end of the world.

But it is always important to stop and ask ourselves how much of all this content is actually helping us with our business?