“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

Using Social to Make Smarter Business Decisions – The New Scientist looks at the results of a University of Cambridge study on how social data can be used to identify potential locations for retailers to open new stores and predict their success. The findings show the promise of combining social data with other inputs to make more informed business decisions.

People Share Happy - Time looks at content that is being shared online and how sarcasm and snark have given way to upbeat and positive because people want to share positive stories with their social networks. Positivity is more likely to be shared, which speaks to a shift in prevailing wisdom of content that ‘sells.’

Check Your Social User Perceptions – We’ve heard a lot about teens not using Facebook and older people not using social media in general, but as Pew Research Center points out, perception is not always reality with older users driving Instagram and Pinterest use and 94% of teens using Facebook.

DMPs are Growing Up - AdAge reports on the results of a Forrester study on Data Management Platforms and their ability to merge customer data with third party data. Forrester found, after evaluating the market, that Adobe is leading the pack. While the space is just getting started, many DMPs have come onto the scene but are facing challenges around mobile and privacy.