A few of the most-followed people in Chicago gathered Monday night to share insights on being smart, cost-effective and lovable on social media.

The three social media experts gathered at 1871 to talk trends, metrics and what’s coming in 2015 on Twitter, Facebook and beyond. Blue Sky reporter Amina Elahi moderated the event, which included more than 150 attendees.

Panelists included Paul Rand, president and CEO of Zocalo Group; Katy Lynch, former president and founder of SocialKaty, which merged with Manifest Digital in July; and Mana Ionescu, president of Lightspan Digital.

METRICS

Elahi asked panelists which metrics are important and how to track them.

Lynch: When a company says it wants to jump from 1,000 Facebook fans to 10,000 in a week, it might want to think again. “Ultimately that’s a vanity metric. You’re really not getting anything besides a number.” Instead, companies should worry about factors such as impressions, reach and click-throughs. 

Rand: Tools such as CommandPost...

What happens when you bring more than 150 people together to discuss social marketing? For one thing, quite a few tweets. We gathered them here so you can catch up on what you missed at the Blue Sky Innovation "How to Boost Your Social Marketing Strategy" event Monday night at 1871, where reporter Amina Elahi led a panel of experts: Paul Rand, president and CEO of Zocalo Group; Katy Lynch, founder of SocialKaty and portfolio director, social media, for Manifest Digital; and Mana Ionescu, president of Lightspan Digital. They discussed social platforms, best practices and advice for 2015.

Rick Bayless discussed the entrepreneurial side of a career built around Mexican cuisine at a Blue Sky Innovation event at the National Museum of Mexican Art on Thursday.

Article I: Don’t bet your mother-in-law’s retirement savings on a business (even though it worked for him).

Bayless, whose brand extends to quick-serve restaurants, books, TV and packaged foods, told Tribune cross media editor Colin McMahon and more than 100 attendees that he’s conservative in taking on new projects: “I say no to almost everything.”

But Bayless, whose primary business partner is his wife, Deann, obviously takes on a lot and sees the need to keep growing, changing and trying new things.

We’ll share more of our conversation with Bayless in the coming weeks. For now, here are a few takeaways.

What makes you different? Bayless opened Frontera in 1987, not long after Lettuce Entertain You debuted Scoozi!, which was Italian down to the last detail. Bayless wondered how he’d compete, knowing he couldn’t...

More than 50 people gathered at a sold-out Blue Sky Innovation event in River North on Monday evening to discuss the future of 3D printing and other emerging manufacturing technologies.

Inventables CEO Zach Kaplan joined Julie Friedman Steele, founder of the 3D Printing Experience, for the on-stage conversation moderated by Blue Sky reporter John Carpenter, who has written about manufacturing technology, including Chicago’s growing “maker movement.”

The event was held at the new location of the 3D Printer Experience, 333 N. LaSalle, set to open to the public next month. Attendees viewed design software and machines as they printed various objects.

Both panelists noted that smaller companies and individuals have access to sophisticated manufacturing technology once available only to large corporations with specially trained workers.

Kaplan said the technology, along with new crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, are turning the old industrial model on its head. Where once large...

Don’t be afraid to talk to your customers.

No, really. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Steel yourself, and go talk to whoever you think might potentially buy your product.

That was the key takeaway from a Blue Sky Innovation event Thursday at Grind with a panel of entrepreneurs: Jimmy Odom, founder and CEO of WeDeliver; Dan Ratner, executive chairman and co-founder of Public Good Software; and Jayna Cooke, CEO and partner at EVENTup. Melissa Harris, the Tribune's Chicago Confidential columnist, led the discussion.

While many entrepreneurs want to protect the secrecy of their idea, it’s more important to put it out there, get feedback and test the potential client base, panelists told the audience of 45.

Cooke recounted her sales days at Groupon where, she said, the daily call target at the time was 60 calls. She made 120. They key to that is “not caring” what the person on the other end thinks of you, but keeping focused on the task at hand, assessing what parts of the script are...

He is an entrepreneur, investor, team owner and father. Mark Cuban was also the subject of the first Blue Sky Innovators talk, in conversation with reporter James Janega on Thursday night at 1871.

Clad in a red Indiana University football jersey, the self-made billionaire handled questions about the television show “Shark Tank,” his early career struggles and his gripes with the Securities and Exchange Commission with equal amounts casual confidence and aggressive spark in front of a crowd of more than 600. More viewers gathered to watch the livestream in a nearby auditorium at 1871.

This was a man uncensored, as few who watch him on network TV have seen him, dropping wisdom and a few f-bombs along the way.

Cuban also said he would be meeting Mayor Rahm Emanuel for breakfast on Friday while in Chicago. Both plan to attend the ongoing SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, in the coming days.

Here are some of Cuban’s notable comments from the fast-paced interview hosted by the...