Tag Archive - strategy

Follow Friday 4/16/10

April 16, 2010 in Blogging, Social Media with 5 Comments

Last Friday I started a new feature to engage in Twitter’s popular “Follow Friday” in a new way.  Instead of listing a whole bunch of people on Twitter who I think you should follow, I’m creating a weekly blog post recommending a few of my favorite Twitter users who are worthy of your follow, as well as a blog you should check out.

Here is my Follow Friday (#FF) post for 4/16/10.

Twitter

@shaunking - Shaun is the Lead Pastor of The Courageous Church in Downtown Atlanta, Director of aHomeInHaiti.org and a 30 Year Old Husband, Father and Grad Student.  Shaun has an incredible story, his passion for people is contagious and he is spearheading a great work in Atlanta and in Haiti.
@foursquare - Foursquare is a social network that integrates the community building aspect of social media with location-based check-ins, giving you opportunities to earn points, unlock badges, discover new places, do new things and meet new people.  For example, based on my check-ins, I have been named the “Mayor” of one of my local Starbucks.  Some businesses even offer specials for Foursquare check-ins and Mayor specials. Foursquare is being hailed by some as “the next Twitter.” Today is actually Foursquare Day with people gathering at multiple events on 150+ cities. It’s a lot of fun.  Definitely sign up, follow them and check it out!
@kylelreed - Kyle is a 20-something who is blogging his way through life and looking to connect through community.  Kyle blogs at ThoughtsAboutNothing.com, which is one of my favorite blogs to check regularly.  I actually met Kyle through Twitter and blogs and have enjoyed getting to know him and what all he has going on.  Maybe we’ll actually meet in person one day. Imagine that! Kyle is awesome.

Blog

Jackalopekid.com is the blog home of Adam Smith a/k/a @Jackalopekid.  I came to know Adam through blogging and Twitter and his blog is one of my favorites… so much so that I took a flying leap and asked him if he would be my first guest blogger a few weeks ago, and he said yes.  Amazing.  Adam lives in Denver and his bio says, “I am husband to the amazing, @jasminerachel. I am a big-mountain climber who has a big dream of climbing the highest peaks on each continent. I love to play drums because it makes me feel inspired. I am a brand-builder of the jackalopekid. I am a mac user who will never look back. And most importantly, I follow the Creator. I do these things while blogging about it every step of the way. This is me.”

Are you on Twitter?  Do you blog? Leave a comment below with your Twitter name or link to your blog so we can connect with you!

 

Follow Friday 4/9/10

April 9, 2010 in Blogging, Social Media with 19 Comments

Call me a blog swagger jacker, because I’m totally swiping this idea from Travis Robertson, who got it from social media virtuoso Chris Brogan. :)

Every Friday, Twitter users the world over participate in what is known as “Follow Friday”, where they recommend some of their favorite Twitter users to those who follow them.  On one hand, Follow Friday is great because it’s an opportunity to get hip to some great new folks to follow, and I’ve met a lot of really cool new people.  At the same time, all the Follow Friday tweets can get a little out out of control.

As Brogan says,

“Follow Friday has become a bit of a mess to look at on Twitter, because every Friday, many people start posting 140 characters worth of names of people they feel you might benefit from knowing. [This new blog strategy] solves two problems: It gives you more than 140 to talk about the people you recommend, and it also cleans up Twitter so that we don’t watch a stream of @someoneawesome names rushing by all day.“

I concur and will add that there are some Twitter users who consistently recommend the exact same people every week, which can be equally annoying.

So, taking a cue from Brogan, I am switching up how I participate in Follow Friday.  Each Friday I will post a new Follow Friday blog and feature 3-5 Twitter users who I feel are worthy of your follow and why.  My goal is to feature at least one Twitter user from each of my primary focus topics of Faith, Life and Culture. In addition, I will also recommend 1 blog each week that I think you should check out.  I will then send a tweet to my Twitter followers with a link to that week’s post.  Fun times, eh? Fun times, indeed.

Here is my inaugural Follow Friday post

Twitter

@gritandglory – Alece is the Founder of Thrive Africa and a blogger at Grit & Glory.  I love the vulnerable way Alece communicates both the pain and hope in her story. She’s bold, honest and always has something to say that will truly challenge you.
@foodnetwork – I am a big fan of Food Network. I could literally watch it all day long, and I actually have before.  On Twitter, Food Network sends out a recipe of the day, behind-the-scenes show info, lifestyle and entertaining tips, cooking and food prep tips and more.
@LifeOnDiscovery – The official Twitter account of the new 11-part LIFE series on Discovery Channel, from the makers of PLANET EARTH.  This show is incredible and following them on Twitter is a backstage pass to additional info about the show, special offers and more information about the animals on our planet than you ever wanted to know. Good stuff!

Blog

TRAPPSTR.com is the homebase for writer Brett Trapp. Brett blogs from the frontlines of a fast-growing, for-profit company that merges business and world-change. Brett focuses his writing on Capitalism and Grace.  He grew up in Alabama, lived in Nashville and has recently made his home in Atlanta. Brett loves having a foot in two worlds as a student of fine business and a clumsy follower of Christ. By day, Brett serves as the Lead Innovator for a world-changing, Atlanta-based company that does financial development for schools & leadership development for organizations. I met Brett not too long ago and have really enjoyed getting to know him and reading his blog. I love what he has to say and how he says it.  You should definitely check out his blog!

Are you on Twitter?  Leave a comment below with your Twitter name so everyone reading can follow you as well!

 

I’m Getting My $7 Worth

March 30, 2010 in Culture, Food, Friends, Life with 11 Comments

Genghis Grill is one of my favorite places to eat.  In December 2004, I was preparing to leave Nashville and move to Dallas for a new job I had just been hired for.  One particular evening I joined several friends at Genghis Grill for one of what I remember being several going-away parties (which actually became quite the running joke).  I had been working on my bowl-building technique for some time and this was the perfect opportunity to do a Genghis Grill tutorial video.

And now, dusted off from the myspace video wasteland, here’s the masterpiece in all its glory…

A few things I’d like to point out as you watch…

  1. As you may notice, I have hair.  This was a little over 5 years ago and it’s not that it’s shocking or anything, but it certainly is weird seeing it. I don’t miss it.
  2. My friend Stan’s commentary is hilarious. “Man, you got a lot of shrimp.”
  3. By 1:15, the bowl appears to be full. Really full, actually.  But don’t let your eyes deceive you!  Where there’s a thin, flat vegetable, there’s a way!
  4. I’m not sure my video is the cause for it, but it is worth noting that Genghis Grill no longer has the long snow peas.  Instead, the long pods are cut in half before being placed on the food bar, making my Jericho Wall of Snow Peas pretty much impossible to construct now.  I would actually love to be able to claim responsibility for this.
  5. You’ll notice at about 1:25, when I begin building said Jericho Wall of Snow Peas, that I apparently have no shame and am doing so right in front of a Genghis Grill employee.
  6. I love the part at about 1:58 where you can hear the lady behind us tell her child that he can go around me.
  7. I believe I already mentioned the hair. Yes… yes, I did.
  8. It’s probably not worth mentioning, but all 4 of my friends seen, or heard, in this video (Stan, Chris, Anthony and Sam) are now married, but I am not. I am, however, apparently the proud owner of what appears to be 12 pounds of chicken, shrimp and pineapple!
  9. My favorite line: “And you’ll notice, because I built the wall with the snow peas, I can get so much more in the bowl. More than you could normally get.” LOL!!  Food Network, here I come!
  10. I should tell you that while I still really enjoy Genghis Grill, I build a very different bowl these days. :)

This video still cracks me up every time I watch it!!!  :D

Do you have any rituals and/or ordering strategies at favorite restaurants?