7 Random Things About Me

Thanks to Leah McChesney (who I was very happy to meet at the HUGE Novi Tweetup this past week) for tagging me in her 7 Random Things post. I actually did a 6 Random Things post awhile back, so I really had to think hard about this one because frankly...I'm not that random! I cheated and asked MAL for some help with this, but here are 7 random things not mentioned in my previous post:

1. My pinkie fingers and baby toe on my right foot are quite unique. The tops of my pinkie fingers curve inward. Basically, they are obviously crooked. It's really funny when people notice them for the first time. They always assume I broke my pinkie fingers, but I was told this happened because I curled my fingers a lot when I was in the womb. Who knows? My baby toe on my right foot is double jointed, so I can stick it out far away from the rest of my toes. Talented, I know. 

2. I haven't seen many of the classic movies (It's a Wonderful Life, Sixteen Candles, The Godfather, Top Gun, Goonies...the list goes on). There's no good explanation for this. I love watching movies, but never got around to these ones for some reason.

3. I beat out a bunch of kids to win my school's Spelling Bee in 5th grade. I also came in second place in the District Spelling Bee competition. I swear I wasn't a nerd in school...just a good speller :)

4. I'm obsessed with English bulldogs. I think they are cutest darn pups on the face of this planet. I begged MAL to get one until I learned about their health problems and short lives. That doesn't change my obsession, but I'm thinking twice about getting one now. 

5. I have really straight teeth, but I've never had braces. 

6. I'm right-handed, but I hold a golf club and hockey stick as if I were left-handed. My brother is the exact same way. It makes absolutely no sense.

7. I climbed a volcano when I studied abroad in Chile. My group and I couldn't make it to the top because it was too windy, but it was just about the coolest thing I've ever done. 

Brandon Chesnutt, Jeff Maj and Megs Tuss -- TAG YOU'RE IT! :)

Bloggers Have a *Real* Voice With BlogTalkRadio

I was checking out Twitter the other night to catch up on all that I had missed in the Twitterverse after a busy day at work, and I came across an interesting link from Chris Brogan (follow him on Twitter - @chrisbrogan). For those of you who don't read Chris' blog or follow him on Twitter, he is a 10 year veteran of using social media and technology to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations and individuals. Check out more about him here.

The link Chris posted on Twitter was for a show called Immediate Influence hosted by Ron Hudson on BlogTalkRadio. In a nutshell, BlogTalkRadio is the leading social radio network that lets you create your own live talk show that can be heard worldwide without the need for snazzy equipment or downloads. It gives bloggers the opportunity to interact with their audiences in a live, real-time manner. Chris chatted on the show about social media in general and various topics that he addresses on his blog. With BlogTalkRadio, there is a real-time chat component (just like Instant Messenger), so I was able to message back and forth with Chris, Ron and other people listening to the show as it was happening. This was great because it gave participants the opportunity to ask Chris questions directly and create conversations surrounding the topics Chris was discussing. My first question to Chris was, "How the heck do you juggle your job, speaking engagements, blogging, posting on Twitter, having a normal social/family life, etc.?" Answer: He doesn't sleep!

Now I will admit, I am blown away by social media and engage in it every day. BUT, I am nowhere near calling myself an expert and have a laundry list of about 3847572 questions and things that I still want/need to learn about social media. But participating in shows such as this one on BlogTalkRadio helps advance my knowledge and understanding of this changing-on-a-daily-basis medium!

It was hard to juggle listening to the show, contributing to the convos going on in the chatroom, tweeting about the show and jotting down soundbites from Chris, but here are a few extractions from what Chris discussed that I found interesting:

• Use social media to build relationships (whether business-related or friendships), but always remember to be strategic and human at the same time.


• Once you establish those relationships, listen to what people have to say, offer advice/tips, be helpful, connect to as many people as you can and share opportunities that may not be useful to you but definitely would be for someone else.


• Chris feels it's important to educate more "seasoned" executives so they begin to understand just what social media is all about.


• As CEOs and other top-tiered executives begin to grasp the concept of social media, PR/marketing folks need to be aware that these execs may think that PR/marketing can be done in-house versus outsourced.

There's a ton more I learned during the 30-minute show than those above snippets. Most importantly, I established new relationships and participated in creative conversation with interesting people. As a young PR pro, I believe it's my job to act as a sponge and soak in all that can be learned to advance my profession and industry in the future. If only there were 24 more hours in each day...:)