That sentence has been gnawing at me since I heard it. Are online connections really gaining so much strength for Millenials? More importantly, what does that mean for marketers? Does that mean a phone call, Facebook poke or text is nearing the same impact as a face-to-face conversation?

Millenials have grown up with rabid texting, online gaming and social networks all being native in their daily lives. It appears that these types of connections are becoming increasingly more relevant and tangible to them. Now from an advertising/marketing point of view, does this mean that an online connection with a Millenial has more emotional weight than with any other generation? Would an online tech-support agent really make a Millenial feel better about a brand or product because they felt a greater connection on the computer than on the phone or in person?

As the Millenial generation grows and becomes increasingly important to marketers, let us keep in mind that the obsessive habits, like texting, that other generations can sometimes think of as ridiculous could actually be deep Millenial connections in the making.

More on this at their blog.

Check out a brief video on their history.

And this got me thinking about African American women. How will this affect them (if at all), and is this unique or are others picking up on it as well? It turns out that despite Oprah’s claim that she’s every woman, her audience is still disproportionately African American. While black women make up about 13 percent of all women nationally, they make up more than a quarter of Oprah’s readership. No big surprise there. So it stands to reason that her ability to sell just about anything will no doubt entice many non-iPad-owning black women into the market.

If that’s not enough, we have only to look at Essence magazine — also getting into the iPad business. It is important to note that Essence ran an article on May 24 discussing how the iPad was launching with a marked lack of African American–media presence. This is eerily reminiscent of the discussions of the iPhone launch. The iPhone and the Apple media platform in general have since improved in that area, so it stands to reason the iPad will as well.

Now anyone who has ever as much as stepped out of their front door knows that African American women have a unique relationship with their hair. And Essence intends to not only recognize this, but capitalize on it as well. The 2010 Essence Hot Hair special will roll out as a fully integrated, cross-platform initiative including print, iPhone, iPad and an interactive online database. These two initiatives are light years ahead of the steps taken to entice African Americans (men and women) to the iPhone.

While there aren’t any available statistics on iPad proliferation among black women, given these and likely other “follow the leader” initiatives, it’s a safe bet that they will be a noticeable portion of the overall iPad universe in a short period of time. The content and business offerings are just too compelling to think otherwise.

More on this at MTV.com.

Banksy, Fairey, Invader, Blu and others will be showcased in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit. Visit the museum’s website to see the full roster of talent and learn more about the exhibit.

So how can we better understand the current topic and how can we help push it toward fruition? Best to strip it down to the studs and start at the beginning.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve not done my own research on this. But I did find a really good study by Regus published this month that has some startling findings. Anyone who wants to read it can find it here .

Apparently, U.S. companies are really, really bad at turning social media into a profit tactic. Not only by their own metrics, but by global standards. U.S. companies ranked ninth among 15 ranked countries in terms of percentage of companies successfully using social media for business profit, well behind India, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands and others. Which, in a way, is sort of embarrassing since we’re the ones talking about it the most and supposedly driving the phenomenon.

What’s important to note is that U.S. small businesses are far more adept at turning social media into new customers. Forty-four percent of small businesses made it work as opposed to 27 percent of large businesses. So lesson one is that large businesses need to market socially like small businesses. Why is this?

As it turns out, the University of Maryland’s business school looked into this. And the findings are interesting. Small businesses aren’t social-media mavens. They use standard outlets, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, more than anything. Twitter has not gained a strong foothold. Small business teaches us that focus is more important than expansiveness.

The real “ah ha!” comes in two parts. Small businesses are extremely enthusiastic, with 45 percent of respondents saying they firmly believe their social-media efforts will pay off in the near future. This is as opposed to a large brand that has to invest and analyze many different media types. Sort of an “in for a penny, in for a pound” mentality. So belief, even possibly blind belief, is a critical success element.

Additionally, small businesses are transforming social media into a primary lead-generation element, as opposed to larger businesses that likely already have well-established lead-gen mechanisms (call centers, online destinations, direct mail, etc.).

But do these factors necessarily explain it? Not really. It’s very important to understand that social media is likely just friendlier to small businesses, which are traditionally more oriented toward success and profitability through customer-service relationships. But therein lies the rub. You aren’t likely to find anyone who honestly thinks social media is a passing fad. And as it becomes more persistent and better understood, the pressure will only increase on large brands to convert it into a successful, profitable marketing tactic not unlike e-commerce, or dare I say it DRTV, replete with cost-analysis metrics and LTV statements, etc.

If there’s one giant lesson in all of this though, it’s that social media isn’t like other tactics, simply because the consumer or end user has just as much say in the conversation as the brand or seller. And given the propensity for like-minded individuals to come together online, the brand can actually play a disproportionately smaller part of the conversation — especially if things become negative. Turning social media into a profit center will require managers and directors to re-orient their approach and better understand how to sell through a conversation as opposed to through a traditional funnel.