Monthly Archives: August 2009

Twitter 101: Friends and Follows II

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2nd Main Way I find People to Follow:

  1. Brute Force – you’ll know it when you see it…(consider this the “browse” option.)
  2. Pattern Matching – You know who you want to follow, just need to find them…
  3. Backtracking – someone’s following me…should I follow them?

Geekette Alert: Did you know the three I listed are also common computer algorithms? An algorithm is a problem solving method with specific execution instructions. See their wikis here: Brute Force search, Pattern Matching search, and Backtracking
algorithm.)

Pattern Matching

You know exactly who you want to follow…you just don’t know their username, their official Twitter page (versus the other 300 that get returned), or how to start looking for them.

i.  Twitter’s “Find People” – Twitter’s tab at the top right part of the page (search engine.)  I kind of hate it…I find it hard to quickly find anyone…however there are a couple mildly redeeming tabs:

  • Suggested Users - offers a list of probably 200ish tweeps to start following.  List ranges from celebrities to causes to companies.  Good way to get the blood going before you start brute force following.
  • Find on other Networks – check your Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo accounts for Twitter users registered with a particular email address you have stored.  (I was surprised to find my mom registered…it can be an interesting task that takes 2 seconds.)
  • Invite by email – paste in a comma separated list of emails you’d like to encourage to join and follow you on Twitter.
  • Find on Twitter – Twitter’s uber excellent search tool, allows you to search by “Username”, “First Name”, or “Last Name”
    • This goes back to the importance of picking a good username AND specific first and last name.  Practice finding yourself using names, logos, nicknames people looking for you might also try.  Should be intuitive.

ii.  Twitter’s Search box – when on the home page (where all the tweets are displayed) there’s a text box to the right where you can search Tweets for usernames and hashtags.

  • See Twitter’s advanced search here.
  • Notice you can search by “Place” – another reason why your location should match that to what user’s are most likely to search by.

iii.  Google – good ole’ Google.  I normally use this before I try Twitter’s search.  Normally I search for “twitter <whatever I’m looking for>” as concisely as possible.

  • Normally start search string with “Twitter” (don’t know if it always makes a difference but it has occasionally.)
  • Use this technique if I’m looking for a company, business, entity, person
  • If multiple results are shown there will be an indention in the search results that includes a link to “Show more results from twitter.com”…then you only see profiles (or content found in tweets) on twitter.com

Examples:

“Twitter half price books” found the correct @HalfPriceBooks

“twitter ruff ruff man” found my daughter’s favorite PBSKids show @RuffRuffman

“twitter sports illustrated” found @SI_24seven*

*Notice their username…even if the username is already taken (for example someone already has @sportsillustrated and @SI, I would’ve tried @SI24x7, @SI247, etc before picking something long with an underscore.)  I like their tweets and I’m already following though so I’m ok with it.  :-)   Just another consideration.

DoW: Best Deals of the Week!

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money copy My WoW posts boast the best Websites of the Week, in an economy where the DOW and stock markets don’t always treat us well, my DoWs will!  Deals of the Week (DoW) will be coupons, discounts, and other deals I’ve found, and consolidated to one organized section.  Depending on what’s available I’ll include more or less in various sections of the post.

Retail

  • On 9/17-9/20, shop at participating malls, spend $75, show receipt at guest relations and get $10 gift card!
  • North Star Mall is offering 122 (as of this post, originally 500) $10 gift cards merely signup! Bring voucher to mall, 9/17 – 9/20!
  • Payless Shoes offers 20% off entire purchase using “33231” at checkout, expires 8/31!
  • Banana Republic taking off 20% of entire purchase using promo code: BRSAVE20.
  • Now’s the time to shop at New York & Company, 30% off entire order (promocode: 3060 including REDLINES!)
  • Express is offering $30 off $75 purchases, “3891” online…expires 10/12 (“3892” to get $15 off $30!)
  • Lucky Brand Jeans has a promo for 30% off entire purchase, just use “9SEPAFF“!
  • Take advantage of Steve Madden’s 20% all items, FREE shipping, until 8/31!

Gifts

  • Excited for football season? NFL is giving 25% off entire store merchandise to help pysch fans up – use “COMEBACK25” until 12/31!
  • Shop PBS and get 25% off ENTIRE order! Great education gifts, with meaning and support of PBS.
  • Barnes and Nobles offers 30% off one toys or games item, use “Y3M7K9X” to take advantage by 9/1.

Arts and Crafts, Party, Home Office

  • Michael’s offers 20% off ENTIRE purchase (8/30-9/5)!
  • Oriental Trading offers 20% off entire purchase – “SU1012427” by 9/3.
  • Office Depot has 15% off with NO minimum if you use “11533462” by 9/14.
  • Target is offering 10% entire online purchase, no minimum either, with “S6BP388J” by end of September.

Food

  • Be one of the first 250,000 people to join the Chicken Wave at Chick-Fil-A and get a FREE chicken sandwich.
  • Hungry? $1 off large Jack in the Box combo meal!
  • Several GREAT coupons from Marie Callender’s here (exp. 9/4) 20% off entire bill, buy one get one entrée free x 2.
  • Panda Express has 2 coupons, buy one get one free and 10% off $25 purchase, here.
  • Help Cheesecake Factory stamp out hunger, bring 2 cans of soup and the first 500 guest will get a slice of Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, a gift, and enjoy listening to live music.

Twitter 101: Friends and Follows I

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Listed below are 3 main ways I find people to follow:

  1. Brute Force – you’ll know it when you see it…(consider this the “browse” option.)
  2. Pattern Matching – You know who you want to follow, just need to find them…
  3. Backtracking – someone’s following me…should I follow them?

Geekette Alert: Did you know the three I listed are also common computer algorithms? An algorithm is a problem solving method with specific execution instructions. See their wikis here: Brute Force search, Pattern Matching search, and Backtracking
algorithm.)

Today’s post will only cover the first, I have gone into detail and to combine all 3 would be a lot. I didn’t want to overwhelmed new Twitter users.

Brute Force

This option works well if you’ve done a preliminary sweep and are following those you wanted to. Also, this method works well when you’ve sat down at the computer for a no-brainer evening. Use the brute force method when you’re not in a rush and would like to browse potential tweeps.

Browse Following List: Be a copy cat and follow the people someone else is following. To browse their list, simply go to that person’s Twitter account and find the link underneath the number of people they’re following. If you know the name of the user you can go there directly by inserted the @USERNAME into the following URL:

http://twitter.com/USERNAME/following

i.e. http://twitter.com/MeeseMusic/following for @MeeseMusic

Click on the button to automatically start following anyone you’ve found interesting. Convenient because you don’t have to leave this page, and go to each Twitter profile to click follow. Quickly add several people instantly by going down this list.

The Twitter profiles are displayed in “Most Recently Added” order.

*The follow button is only available if you’re not already “Following” them. Since I’m following @JoeSingleFile in the second picture, I don’t have the option to follow him again.

Follow @geekettebits!!

*Check out who I’m following – I’ve kept it relatively clean and tended to added in groups (lot of food tweeps in a row, then sports, then beer blogs, etc.):

http://twitter.com/geekettebits/following

My list doesn’t have everything but there are a couple random ones you might enjoy…benefit from the time I took to go through a whole bunch of other people’s following list.

The brute force method is a great to use when you’d like to browse by a particular genre. For example, if someone is following significantly less people then they’re being followed by, see who they’re following. A lot of companies only follow local branches. Some bands only follow upcoming unknowns to help get the name out there.

Another good idea, while on their profile, check out who they starred in their favorites list. A chef might mark all the recipes he was particularly fond of, another person might mark a tweet with a special date.

Check back soon for the final two methods.

WoW: Borders crossing Educational Borders

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NOTE:  Educator Appreciation Week

Twice a year, teaching and retired educators and instructors will get 30% off including everything (even the Seattle’s Best Coffee!) for professional OR personal use.

    9/29/2009 thru 10/7/2009 – Tell a teacher and make a difference in their classroom!  During this time, 10/10 at 6pm at Borders locations will be a Where the Wild Things Are rumpus!  Come for activities, crafts, and other giveaways, this Friday!

Website of the Week (WoW): BORDERS Teaching Zone

Quick Bit: I was very impressed with Borders Book Store’s thoughtful, one stop shop for back to school teachers (preschool through high school, librarians, and homeschool educators.) Check out their list of why to join
with information about fundraising for your school, getting required reading lists out there, to events your students can enjoy throughout the year.

They also offer different media teaching resources online with suggested books, online videos from other educators. I’ll do a longer post high lighting other awesome offers from Borders online…I really wanted to spread the word on opportunities that educators may not have known about. Please let your child’s teacher know about this incredible savings opportunity.

$$$-Saver(s):

  • 25% off Classroom Discount Card – save 25% off list prices of books and CDs, 10% off
    DVDs, sign up, in-store with proof of teacher card, not just once but EVERY purchase!
  • Educator Appreciation Week
    – twice a year, teaching and retired educators and instructors will get 30% off including everything (even the Seattle’s Best Coffee!) for professional OR personal use.
  • FREE E-cards
    – send one to a fellow co-worker or a teacher that’s made a difference in your life! Parents, sit down with your children and send one to your child’s teacher…start the school year off right! No gift could be more meaningful or encouraging!
  • 20% off Toy Coupon
    – look at age appropriate gift and classroom toys, use their coupon!
  • Used Textbooks
    – search through Borders Used Books catalog to save up to 90%!

Time-Saver(s):

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Borders-Teaching-Zone/119980846515

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bordersmedia

E-mail Group: Signup now to receive awesome email alerts!

Twitter 101: Friends and Followers

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Class Objective: Friends and Followers

  • Considerations when making friends on a new playground
  • Finding friends to follow

First Day of School – How to be a Follower

It’s hard to be the new kid in the cafeteria…while some people jump in head first, most like to dip a toe in first.

Q: How do I start following @MeeseMusic
on Twitter?

A: @MeeseMusic
can be followed doing the following:

Go to their page: http://twitter.com/MeeseMusic

If you are not already following them, you’ll get the option to “Follow” them. Click on the button.

Before: Option to follow

After: Confirmation you are now successfully following
@MeeseMusic.

Numbers don’t lie, so keep the numbers in mind. (I minored in math so I <3 any numerical).

@MeeseMusic has 789 people following them (at post time.) However they are only following 56 people:

Number of Followers >> Number of Following

I.e. 789 >> 56

Normally in this case (where the numbers are so significantly different), the people @MeeseMusic are following people are the only people they want to show they care about. This is a good indicator that these tweeps are well worth following and time has been invested to only follow a select subset.

Why do some tweeps not follow everyone following them? Possible (and perfectly valid) reasons:

  • They have 2 million+ followers and know they won’t be follow that much tweet traffic (remember twaffic) so they only follow pertinent tweeps they’re more likely to respond to.
  • They appreciate being followed but only want to see tweet messages they know about.
  • They are already a household name and don’t need to follow people to be followed. A lot of times, to get to the word out about your tweets, you’ll follow people to get them to follow you back. Your number of tweeps grows from this over time.
  • They want to promote specific tweeps. For example, @GoogleVoice has almost 17,000 followers but they’re only following 3. These three are part of the Google Voice team…anyone looking at their profile will instantly ask, “Hmmmm, why is @GoogleVoice only following 3 people?” You feel compelled to find out who are the 3 and why!? They were very specific about who they followed because they wanted to attract attention to other tweeps. Consider if it’s important for people to know who you’re following before you start following everyone under the sun to your timeline.

    Many restaurants only follow the local chains on Twitter; this is the case with many businesses. *Will you have multiple twitter accounts specific to location, etc.? Take the time to create a standard naming convention: twitter.com/MAINzip or MAIN<[4 char of street name, etc.]> That way, regardless of where you are, the user can find your business again in another area. (Keep it short and simple.)

    For example: Bello Pizza has restaurants all over America and each one will have a Twitter page.

    @BelloPizza will be the main head quarters/HR department…and @BelloPizzaSATX & @BelloPizzaLACA will be regional locations that can offer specific discounts or events.

Several ways to find people to follow:

I’ve only been actively been using Twitter for about a month now and a half so I’m not expert follower. (However, to instill confidence I HAVE already written a couple Perl programs with the Twitter API – details in a subsequent post…)

3 Main Ways I find People to Follow:

  1. Brute Force – you’ll know it when you see it…(consider this the “browse” option.)
  2. Pattern Matching – You know who you want to follow, just need to find them…
  3. Backtracking – someone’s following me…should I follow them?

Geekette Alert: Did you know the three I listed are also common computer algorithms? An algorithm is a problem solving method with specific execution instructions. See their wikis here: Brute Force search, Pattern Matching search, and Backtracking
algorithm.)

Although I originally planned to keep all this information in 1 post, my next 3 posts will highlight these three methods, turned out to be just too long for 1 post!

Future Twitter posts will also include details about specific Twitter tools I used for efficient delivery, calculating your Twitter grade (see how you’re doing…), and how to write your own Twitter program!

WoW: One Stop Print Marketing Shop

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Website of the Week (WoW): www.vistaprint.com

Quick Bit: If I was on an island with restricted Wi-Fi and could only visit 10 websites, Vistaprint would ALWAYS make my list (even though I wouldn’t be able to receive mail, I could have it delivered to my loved ones back home.) I probably randomly found this website two years ago and have loved it since.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vistaprint

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vistaprint
Supported M-F 9am-5:30pm EDT by the company’s PR team…above and beyond to me!

E-mail Group:
Exclusive Offers to sign up for!

This print marketing website offers a plethora of products and services at INCREDIBLE, unbeatable prices. I have never paid listed price for anything on the site. If you sign up for their mailing list you will get emailed competitive rates every couple of days. I don’t normally like to get emailed that frequently but it’s well worth it and I even included Vistaprint in my Top 8 Mailing Lists to Join post (if I could only pick 1 of the 8, I even said I’d only pick Vistaprint…) Normally the only thing we have to pay for shipping/processing (you’re allowed to order approximately 10 FREE products at a time, details here) saving you hundreds of dollars.

Rule #1: Do NOT pay for anything on this site unless it’s shipping, photo/logo uploads (AND you’re in a time crunch and can’t wait for an offer with FREE photo uploads…)

  • Join their mailing list and create a separate email folder for: Vistaprint@e.vistaprint.com
  • When you’re ready to print, go through a couple of the most recent offers to find the best one. Offers normally last for a couple days to a month.
  • Don’t take the first offer! Hold out for the one you want…sometimes they’ll only have a couple products for FREE but a lot of times EVERYTHING will be free. (Note: It will be difficult to narrow everything down to 10 items in your shopping cart.)
  • Best offers include free photo/logo uploads (which also counts towards uploading templates to the site…details below.)

Rule #2: Sign up for their mailing list now: http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/insider_offer_signup.aspx

All in all, the quality is great, the service is great, the creation/checkout/re-order process is great. It’s simple and intuitive. I <3 Vistaprint!

$$$-Saver(s):

  • Templates – normally uploading your designs would be costlier to the business. Vistaprint takes the hit, and with good coupons uploads for free. Practically every product can be started from scratch, with multiple file types available! Review their usage and tips before starting. *I have never had an issue upload a template and it will also check for print quality/clarity!
  • Refer-a-Friend
    – have a friend that would be interested in this? Get $10 for every friend you refer! I haven’t done this yet (learned about it while writing this post!)
  • Partner Offers – before adding a product to your shopping cart, Vistaprint quickly asks if you would also like to take advantage of offers from their associates. One that I like is Google Ads, normally $25, get it free! It’s very easy to say no if you so choose and the checkout process is pretty painless.
  • Every email is a money saving opportunity. Every email. And they even let you forward the email to friends so they don’t have to wait! (Emails after purchases are less beneficial, hold out for the major holidays or random giving away the farm emails.) Search you inbox for “free uploads” too…most important. (Even half-priced uploads is a good deal.)

Time-Saver(s):

  • You don’t have to wait for the best offers to start creating. Know you’re going to need business cards for a convention in 2 weeks? Holding out for the Premium Business Cards to go on sale? Make your card in the mean time. Then when you get the offer just check out.
  • Want to repeat an order? Vistaprint keeps track of your entire order history. Modify existing purchases, duplicate, quick and easy!
  • Do the gift giving and wrapping ahead of time. Instead of Christmas shopping for 25 family members we made a magnet, a personalized card, and a personalized family calendar in October! Wait no longer, have some on standby for any gift giving opportunity.
  • During checkout, take advantage of their “other products you might be interested in” suggestions. Using the information you input to the original product, they’ll also auto-generate other products you might be interested in. While I don’t always say yes, when I was doing the print advertising campaign for my blog, I used it a lot!

19 VERY flexible Vistaprint products

Not convinced? Thinking outside the box, how can you say no?! Everything listed below are projects I’ve actually used Vistaprint products for. (Confirming they came out perfectly.) :-) Let me know what you ended up doing so I can add to the list! :D

  1. Business Cards – these are just two things I’ve made with business cards template. Besides making business cards to scatter the world with (250 FREE!) I’ve also made gift labels for whenever my daughter has a birthday party to go to (can order with mini envelopes that can also be personalized – she has the blue below and also pirates.) I also made gift labels for the holidays, choosing this template out of some 300 options (modern, classic, etc designs…fun to browse through.)



  2. Calendars
    – (magnets/print) During my significant other’s family reunion (mother has 8 sisters and 1 brother, breathes new meaning into the word reunion) I took many pictures (since when does everyone get together like that…) I was able to upload some of the family pics to Vistaprint (for FREE with my free upload coupon) and order a set of 10 calendar magnets (1 set, 10 magnets, FREE!) At Christmas I gave the gift (with my personalized labels) and was a bit hit with his family. Took me two seconds but I definitely appreciate how much it meant to them!

    Another time I made a personalized wall calendar for my mom with all the important dates for our family. I was able to put a corresponding picture for not only each month but also the special holidays (symbols for the first day of school.) The calendars have many different templates and settings but you can also start from scratch and include little captions for each picture.

  3. Car Door Magnets
    – while I’m going to order one for my website, I have already used the car magnets…not for my car but at work. We have a metal cabinet next to the desk where we do our IT support on-call shift. Like anywhere else we get asked the same questions. To mitigate these questions, I included everything they should’ve done or thought about or known about before walking up. That way we efficiently help each other out.

  4. Hats
    –
    this was a cute one…my daughter is very much a tomboy and loves anything carpentry. (Make sure you read my post about taking your kids to Home Depot/Lowes to make your FREE wood working activity…) She loved being able to pick out the image and the wording:

  5. Lawn Signs
    – throwing a bridal shower? Having a baby? Instead of paying a lot of money for a one time sign, plan ahead and just order it for when the baby arrives. Then you’re not caught up in the heat of the moment when you’re willing to spend more money then normal.

If you work on your neighborhood’s HOA or social committees (like I have) use Vistaprint to get signs for annual events. Then you really get your cost of shipping worth by reusing signs for Neighborhood Night Out, garage sales, and swim meets.

I’m not a gardener but I could also see making a cute sign at the entrance of your garden or your child’s playground. Again, limitless.

  1. Magnets
    – free Christmas gifts! In a set of 25 small magnets (1 set FREE!!!) I took a CUTE Christmassy picture of Jaden* decorating our tree. Then, all by herself, she wrote a short holiday poem, we slapped that puppy on a magnet and we had 25 personalized gifts for all the family:


    *Child wishes to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.

  1. Mouse Pads
    – I haven’t made mine yet but what better way to get the word out at work then have a mouse pad with your website’s logo and URL…what a conversation starter! Don’t have a website, no biggie, include a favorite phrase, a picture of a pet/family member…
  2. Note Pads
    – I am a little scattered and LOVE to-do lists. However I can never find one that has exactly the fields I would need to fill out. It’s pink (I like pink), I can circle the to-do type (errand, work, email, call, etc.), and easily fill in the date. I can take notes if I want to and then create a follow up check list. I have made a couple different to-do lists that I finally actually use because they’re so handy!

  3. Pens
    – I can personalize it with my blogs URL for anyone that wants to borrow it or I can let my daughter entertain herself by picking the colors, pictures, and wording and then go to school with the coolest pen ever!
  4. Postcards – I used these when I wanted to communicate helpful information at work (stick a calendar on there even!) Announce a grand opening, make save the date cards, and invite people to the Christmas holiday party!
  5. Return Address Labels – Personalized sticker labels for your kids, let them pick it out and stick them on school supplies, snacks, clothes, etc. I also made my daughter address labels (again all this for FREE!) that I shipped to family members so they could write her back. They loved the gesture and she got closer and enjoyed checking the mail. You can make fridge expiration labels; just include pertinent information, where this was, when I got it, when I should throw it away. Instead of squinting you’ll be able to quickly see what you need to get rid of.
  6. Sticky Notes – Just like the to-do lists, I can’t always find post its that had what I wanted! Geekette Bits waits for no one! And I used their template (cause it was cute!!) and added my own text.


  7. Tote Bags – In an effort to be eco-friendly and generate conversations about my blog, I ordered a tote bag that I take to Half Price Books and other stores with my blogs logo, URL, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Very simple (although I know it sounds busy)…you could also do pictures of your kids, favorite Bible verse for Grandma, and encouraging word about recycling…
  1. Window Decals – during the election my best friend had a birthday. My politically enthusiastic buddy also LOVES Obama. I browsed through Vistaprint’s many templates and found one I could add text to. Perfect! I sent it to my friend who hung it on her mirror! (Decals allow the option of hanging on the inside or outside of a window, depending on the situation.)


These are just 19 products out of many more, some listed below*:

All Vistaprint products/services: Banners, Business Cards, Calendars, Car Door Magnets, Checks, Creative Services, Email Market-
ing, Envelopes, Flyers, Hats, Invitations and Announcements, Keychains, Lawn Signs, Letterhead, Logo Design, Magnets, Mouse Pads, Note Cards,
Note Pads, Pens, Posters, Postcards, Postcard Marketing, Presentation Folders, Rack Cards, Return Address Labels, Stamps, Sticky Notes, T-Shirts,
Tote Bags, Websites and Window Decals.

*List and links taken from Vistaprint’s Facebook page.

Let me know what you came up with!

***See Career Opportunities:
http://careers.vistaprint.com/

Twitter 101: Twitter Terminology

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Class Objective: Twitter Terminology

  • 1. Find out what everything means.
  • 2. Understand Twitter ettiquette and syntax.
  • 3. Learn what you can do with Twitter and why you might want to!

Now that you’ve setup your account you might think it’s time to starting making friends on Twitter! Nope, that’s the next post. Before you make your Twitter debut (which technically you should assume you’ll only be making once) take a second to understand everything you can and can’t do on Twitter.

You’ll save time by not having to stop and learn as you go. You can be organized from the get go and avoid any Twitter party fouls.

Twitter Term: Are you a Leader or Follower?

On Twitter you can be both!

Maybe you don’t plan on requiring a huge fan base for your business or entertainment group…but you want to find out particular information, as it becomes available – you’ll probably spend more of your time looking for interesting people/places/things to follow, then getting people to follow you.

Maybe you’re a new band (like the one that opened for the Fray – @MeeseMusic) who is looking for another channel to get their music, concerts, and other events out there…you’ll probably be looking for more followers then people to follow..

Following

 You following Someone - When you decide to “follow” someone, you’ll automatically receive all messages they post on your newsfeed (timeline of Tweets).

  • The person you follow receives an alert you’re now following them. They can then decide to become your follower too or decide maybe later.
Follower

 Someone following You – Someone who will now read your Tweets in their timeline.

  • You wouldn’t add everyone as a friend on Facebook (although some people do…), don’t take it personally if everyone you follow doesn’t become you follower.

@GeeketteBits is following 655 and has 415 followers.

Tweeting!

Ok, so now you’re ready to start tweeting. What does that even mean? Below I’ve listed common Twitter actions/terms:

Re-tweet (RT) Re-Tweeting Tweep’s Tweets – reposting a snippet someone else posted and giving them FULL credit. Now everyone following them AND everyone following you will see the message.

* Tweeps take this as a compliment as many’s main goal is to get to word out.

geekettebits Thanks 4 this info! RT:@weatherman – it’s going to rain Sunday!

fisherman RT: @geekettebits Thanks 4 this info! RT: @weatherman – it’s going to rain Sunday!

Notice the first time I re-tweeted a message someone posted. It will automatically pre-pend my message with my Twitter name – my examples are what they’d look like in someone’s timeline.

The second time @fisherman thought others could use the information and they gave credit to @weatherman delivering the news and to @geekettebits for finding it.

If you want to get your message out, make it easy to re-tweet! A lot of times I have to abbreviate a lot of the message – which takes time, each time. Short, concise messages are much easier to copy paste. (Remember you only get 140 characters, with URLs and )

*NOTE: Right now there is no re-tweet button on Twitter’s website. They are in the process of adding this functionality incorporating RT functionality into its website.

@username Within any Tweet (message), a “@” followed immediately by a Twitter name will automatically create a hyperlinked reference to that person.



Happy Birthday @BarackObama!

That way, anyone reading the message can easily go to that person’s Twitter profile.
Mention Whenever you name drop in a tweet, normally a “@username” in the middle of a tweet. (Normally not the first word in tweet, see Replies.)

Happy Birthday @readersdigest, hope you had a good one!


@orangecup always posts the BEST specials on frozen yogurt.
Reply Official Reply - Click arrow next to each message to respond to THAT specific message. Each message has a unique ID so other Twitter tools can easily display entire “conversation” threads.

Unofficial Reply – Replies normally start with @username in front of the message.

@Dove_Chocolate, I’m replying to an official msg OR I’m just letting you know I had a great time at dinner.
#hashtags Hashtags – a label/tag that hyperlinks automatically to other tweets with the same #search term. Twitter search is no Google search.

Interest groups use the same #hashtag to easily find each other’s tweets. Businesses use them to easily find what their customers are saying, for example: #usaa.

You can have multiple tags on the same message.

Use this code to get #FREE movies @blockbuster #movies #coupon #promo

Now everyone using the hashtags “#free” OR “#movies” OR “#coupon” OR “#promo” will potentially see my message…instead of just the people directly following me. People use this to find Tweeps with similar interests.

One very popular hashtag is #FollowFriday (or #FF) – where you let your followers know who you think is worth following. Remember you get only 140 characters so another way to let your readers know who you follow is listed below.

Timeline (Home)

The “timeline” page is the homepage which displays tweets from all the people you are following. On the sidebar (column on the right of each Twitter page)

*Notice that the screenshot in the previous section is what’s displayed in my PROFILE – different sidebars!

  • Profile Sidebar – public information, displays my micro-bio, location, website, my favorite tweets/tweeters, and friends that I’m following.
  • Timeline Sidebar – private, for my eyes only.
@geekettebits All your replies and mentions are displayed, most recent first. Quick and easy way to see who’s talking about you.
Direct Messages Links to your Inbox/Sent messages (140 characters or less) that are privately sent to and from you.

  • You can only send a DM if you are “following” them AND they are “following” you.

    *Often people ask you to follow them so they can send you a private message asking for your e-mail or other personal information.

  • Often, DMs are automatically sent when you start following them (like a welcome note.) Instead of “Thank you for following me” Personalized DMs carry a lot of weight with me although including a link to a Facebook Fan page is a good idea too.
Favorites Bookmark Tweets – lists all starred tweets, anything you found interesting or want to keep track of.

  • Star yourself as a way of filtering messages you really want people to read
  • Make announcements/filter through messages with this link.
  • Instead of Follow Friday, starring a good tweet from a favorite tweep is another way to let people know who you enjoy following.

Other Fun Twitter Terminology

Term Definition
co-twitterer Many business-oriented Tweeps have multiple people writing and responding for their account – thus the need.
mistweet Hitting “send” before you were ready, later regretting what you tweeted.
twaffic Twitter traffic, sometimes heavy twaffic slows down the site, frustrating tweeps.
twapps Twitter applications or tools to assist the Twitterer.
tweeple Tweeple are tweeple. Twitter users (plural).
tweeps Followers on Twitter (“Good night tweeps!”).
tweetheart Awww, loved one on Twitter. <3
tweeting Verb, in the process of writing a new tweet.
tweet Multiple meanings – could be referring to a specific message (“Did you check out my latest tweet?”), something you do (“I tweet a lot.”)
tweetup Organized meet up (in person or online) by someone and/or a common interest.
*Frequently accompanied by FREE stuff! (To get people there.)
twitosphere Community of Tweeps.
twitterer Person who tweets.
twittering Writing messages on Twitter.

Now that you know what it means to follow, be followed…and post and respond to tweets, check out my next post for the best people to follow on Twitter and reasons to keep in mind. We’ll also go over ways to organize those lists so you can cleanly keep track of messages without accidentally missing one. After that we’ll start talking about more advanced functionality within Twitter including responding to tweets, even when you’re not home and finding out what kind of grade your scoring, compared to the rest.

By reading my blog posts, you’ll save hours from trying out multiple accounts and functionality…take advantage of the work I’ve already done.

Before

Feel like a Twit?

After

Hopefully not anymore!!

Twitter 101: Twitter Basics – The 5 W’s

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Class Objective: Twitter Terminology

  • Twitter Basics – Who, What, Where, When, Why
  • Account Considerations – selecting the name, bio, and logo that will make your BEST statement.
  • Creating an Account
  • Settings – what everything means, preparing your account for the public!

Although it’s easy to setup an account, the site is not completely intuitive. Instead of fending on your own in frustration and time-consuming troubles, I have created a series of posts on Twitter. Most people have heard at least heard about this micro-blogging site but don’t know much more than that. Take my Intro to Twitter and you’ll be tweeting with the best of them (or at least following them!)

Twitter:

Who: Anyone including but not limited to businesses, restaurants, stay at home mom’s, deal finders, finance experts, politicians, retailers, bloggers, know-it-alls, celebrities, chefs, the family cat…anyone with 140 characters on their mind…there is even a dust bunny.

What: Twitter is a social-networking site where users post concise status updates (140 letters, numbers, and other characters or less per message.)

Where: Tweets are submitted online, through SMS text messages, and many other online and desktop applications created for Twitters.  Right now tweets come from all over the world!

When: Frequency ranges from monthly/yearly users to weekly/daily/hourly or even every couple of minutes. Tweet when you want to spread the news, vent, alert people of bad highway traffic, congratulate someone else…limitless.

Why: Why not? Find concise information in one spot based on information interesting to you. You only read tweets from people you are interested in. No two Twitterers are the same.  Some people treat it like a forum or chat room, some only tweet with themselves and make to-do lists that friends can view and remind them.  Businesses have used Twitter to communicate changes, triage poor customer service experiences, alert consumers of great deals! Politicians make announcements, movie stars tweet about their set and location while filming, support groups are easily formed.

I did not jump on the Twitter bandwagon immediately. It took me some time before I started using Twitter…and even longer for it to catch on. However, everything I’ve included in this post were roadblocks I ran into and resolved. Your experience will be a much happier one.

This series of posts will not only include the basics (how-tos), it will also include information to take into consideration when creating an account and planning your social media campaign, automating as much as desired (best Twitter tools I’ve found…), finding people to follow (and getting people to follow you.) I will even look at it from a slightly geeky perspective, introducing you to the Twitter API (if you’d like to write your own Twitter app…) and also explaining the different standard Twitter URLs…making your experience as pleasant as possible.

Before you get started:

You hear how Twitterpated everyone around you is and you’re ready to jump onboard.  Here’s how and some things to take into consideration when creating an account:

1. Twitter username:

  • Does not have to be your full [company] name – actually better if it’s not.  You only get 140 characters so the longer the name, the less content you’ll get when people share your content with others.
  • That said, name should not be obscure, should easily tie back to your originating identity.

2. Availability:

  • What’s in a name?  EVERYTHING!  Found this on Digg – it includes 3 great sites to check for name availability, checking across 100s of social networking sites, read here.  After deciding on your name, you make sure your name is available across not just Twitter but also YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc…Consistency is KEY!  Followers should easily find you on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and anywhere else.

3. Logo:

  • For branding purposes (and to be incredibly efficient), already have square version of your logo prepared.  When users click on your logo, they’ll view a larger version.
  • Image should be clear, simpler is sometimes better.  Not everyone will be on a computer when their reading your Tweets – will your logo look as good on a tiny cell phone screen?

4. Bio:

  • You guessed it!  140 characters or less here too!  Describe yourself as succinctly as possible. Displayed on your public profile, this is the only glance people get – you don’t just talk to strangers, engage and connect them immediately to your brand.
  • If you’re a business or blogger wanting to push people to your website, suggest that they check it out and give them good reasons why!

Getting Started:

Now that you have everything together you’re ready to begin!  (Trust me, it’ll make the account setup quick and easy…a little extra time spent now saved you having to change names, create new accounts, search for pictures, get additional approval later.)

1. Create an Account:

2. Filling the Form:

  • Registration process – incredibly simple
  • Full name – this will sometimes display instead of your username (email alerts sent to followers displays your name with your username in parenthesis.) Do you want people to know your real name? (I keep my full name and username exactly the same.)
  • Keep in mind, users can search by Real Name – is knowing your name important? You might want to include your real name for classmates. If you’re a business, are consumers going to find the name of your company or company appointed tweeter?
  • Same thing with location. Although “Beautiful Aloha” is refreshing and fun, when people are searching by specific places, they might miss your profile based on semantics.

You have now created your new Twitter account!  Please stop now and take a mental break or continue on to “Setting Settings”.

Setting Settings:

Don’t jump the Twitter gun, take the time to personalize your account!  You only get once chance to make a first-impression, if you’re looking to collect followers, take the time to setup a worthwhile page instead of them hitting one under construction with a faceless, colorless profile!

Click on Settings on the top right corner to mess with the following:

1. Account:

  • Modify display name, username, see URL.
  • URL will always be twitter.com/USERNAME
  • Time zone – some apps and search engines pull information based on timezone, also allows people to include you in searches for that time zone.
  • More info URL – Do you have a website?  Include it here…
  • One Line Bio – this will be the About Me in 160 characters or less…
  • Location – there are several Twitter apps that display users based on locations (“Click here to see all Twitter users in THIS place.”)  Other GPS apps dynamically update status with location, or show what people are Twittering about in THIS area.
  • Protect My Tweets – check this box if you’re using Twitter to network and Tweet between friends, or even just yourself.  You don’t want the rest of the world reading your 140 chars and that’s fine.

2. Password:

  • Change password – do yourself a favor and use a strong password.  While writing this post, Google returned over 41 million results for “twitter account hacked“.
    Many celebrities and businesses have fallen prey to hackers who get into your account and spam your followers.  Immediate turn-off when a big name spams its Twitter followers.  Take the time to make a STRONG password.

3. Devices:

  • Twitter from your iPhone or other mobile device.
  • This tab asks for your mobile number, including country code.  Then sent txts to Twitter that will automatically post!

4. Notices:

  • Spam much? Check these boxes if you want to get an e-mail every time someone new starts following you or sends you a direct message.  (See Twitter Terminology in next post.)
  • Consider this – some people want to know when someone new follows their website…they can immediately send out a personalized note, welcoming them! Others get 2,000 new followers a day and getting an email each time is unrealistic.

5. Pictures:

  • Logo – you’ll already have this ready from your initial planning period, immediately upload the image.

6. Design:

  • Select a Theme – 12 standard themes for the unimaginative (or content-based Twitterers.) People know what comes in the box, if show your readers you took the time and made effort.
  • Change background image – a little more creativity?  Upload your own image (either use full-sized or tile.)  My background is actually the same square image, tiled, over and over again to make a pattern. I made mine on this AWESOME website – used the same on my website and Twitter page giving a nice, consistent look.
  • Change design colors – pick the html colors (maybe specific colors that correspond to your website?)  Use this site to pick out complementary colors, find one color you like and it’ll suggest the exact matching/complementary colors to use.
  • IMPORTANT - Play around with the colors and images on different browsers (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome – when downloading new browsers don’t forget to UNCHECK “make this browser my default” unless you don’t want links to automatically open in new browser) and different mobile devices (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)  Will it look the same on Windows as it will on a Mac?  Quality is a determining factor for many.

7. Connections:

  • Connections – which Twitter apps are you using?  These apps pull information from your account…use this tab to verify you have allowed them to.  We’ll go into much better detail on my post on Twitter Tools and Applications.
  • Twitter Download – The download page shows possible apps you might consider using, based on your Twittering needs.  I’ll go into detail on future posts, but if you’re tech savvy, be my guest and let me know!

Now is a good stopping point, let everything sink in.  Next post will discuss what everything else on the site means…as well as commonly user Twitter talk.

Future posts will also include information about scheduling posts, analyzing your Twitter metrics, and finding the best tools for your Twitter purpose in life.

Now that you have an account – don’t forget to start following me @geekettebits! I post a lot coupon and promotional deals that can also be found on my blog, without a Twitter account here.

WoW: Google, You Talking to Me?

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Website of the Week (WoW): https://www.google.com/voice

Quick Bit: Imagine being able to pick your own number (mine ends in “BLOG”) that forwards to all of your personal, business, and cell phones. Depending on who calls determines which prerecorded voicemail they’ll hear. Unknown numbers will get a standard response, employees will get announcements for the day, family will get yet another.

Let’s say someone leaves you a voicemail and you’re in a meeting? Imagine that the service then transcribes the voicemail and sends it to you in a txt or email. The information is important for your husband’s travelling plans and without having to interrupt your meeting, you forward the email version to him. Too good to be true? Not for Google!

Although it’s invitation only right now, sign up to make this mobile fantasy a reality! (I have one account for my blog and one for my personal use and each took about a week to receive the activation link.)

Google Voice (an enhanced version of the original GrandStation site) offers a generous array of incredibly cool features! Although some are highlighted below, view the complete list here. Answer the call on your computer, switch midway to your cell phone.

The transcript service is not perfect but I’ve used it several times with very accurate messages. I like how you can setup multiple voicemails, groups, forwards, and email conversations immediately, I also like how it keeps track of the different call logs. I think it’s incredibly functional, especially for small businesses that would like to route calls in the best way possible. Even allowing particular numbers to reach a specific “message of the day” would be beneficial to many groups.

Google Supports the Troops: http://www.google.com/militaryinvite (loved ones overseas can now communicate for free to US numbers – call from computer to cells phones and send text messages.)

$$$-Saver(s):

  • Conference in multiple callers
  • Free calls to US & Canada phone numbers
  • Send/Receive/Store texts
  • FREE mobile apps – call for free from cell phone instead of using minutes

*One thing I would’ve liked for it to allow was registering for SMS texts from websites…5 digit numbers you text to subscribe to receive coupons from does NOT work right now. :-( I’ve commented on their blog and customer support forums, you should too!

Time-Saver(s):

  • Listen to voicemails as they’re being left, pick up midway through voicemail!
  • Automatically transcribes voicemails – read past voicemails, forward to a business partner in email
  • Listen to voicemail online or via normal phone
  • Personalize voicemails – greeting based on caller groups
  • Forward to multiple phones
  • Record entire conversations or start halfway through

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ (view search results nothing official looking…)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GoogleVoice

Blog:
http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/

WoW: Pingg – the Party Request & Response Site!

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Website of the Week (WoW): www.pingg.com

After exploring 5-6 different online invitation sites, my favorite is Pingg, an online invitation site with exactly the kind of functionality, versatility, and intuitiveness that I’m looking for.

To be fair, I also signed up and tried the following:

…but the site that impressed me the most was Pingg.

Quick Bit: From a geeky standpoint, ping is a networking term/tool used to test if a server (“host”) is reachable. If you try to log onto a website but get a blank page, you can send out a request for a response (i.e. ping) from that website to make sure it is up (letting you see if something is wrong on your end or their end.) Since this is an online invitation with a “host” who’s sending out requests for responses, I thought this was very clever and wanted to let you know where the name probably came from.

This website boasts an incredibly CLEAN, intuitive interface. Although I’m comfortable maneuvering around websites, not everyone is. I’m not going to advertise an awesome website the average internet users can’t figure out. For me, this website is a complete one stop shop.

Send any combination of the following:

  • Online invitations – charity events, showers, special events, grand openings

    -and/or-

  • E-cards – Save the date cards, announcements (Birth, promotion, grand openings…)

    -and/or-

  • Printed versions – wedding invitations, birthday parties, dinner parties, holiday parties

Your Pingg Dashboard keeps track of current (and past) events, sorted by date (sort also by event name.) Copy details from a past event easily, so you never have to start from scratch. Select from free or premium images to attach to invite – stunning photography, incredible choices in both sections. I’ve used this site for several parties I’ve thrown with 50+ attendees and did not lose track of one response.

Time-Saver(s):

  • Entertainment Tips
    – loaded with hints for every affair, in addition to invitations, Pingg has an entire section dedicated to a diverse range of party help tips!
  • List Manager
    – saves past invitees by group in address book, no need to retype the same thing twice, EVER! Drag and drop contacts from one list to another, add tags (i.e. “VIP”, “SA Friends”, etc.)

    Another feature I liked was being able to paste in a spreadsheet of my guest list instead of having to update list manually, person by person!

  • Dashboard – for each event, you’ll have an event dashboard which helps you manage guest responses. See which emails failed to be delivered, keep track of who said “yes”, “no”, “maybe”, or hasn’t responded yet (and only send updates to those who haven’t/have responded). You can also see who’s “viewed” the invitation but not responded.

    Easily export your entire guest list to spreadsheet format for additional sorting functionality.

    ***Party Tip: Print out the list ahead of time and easily write down who gave what for the guest of honor if presents are involved (so right next to the gift giver, you’ll already have all the contact information!)

  • Facebook/Twitter – easily post invites as Tweets in Twitter or Messages/Wall Posts in Facebook. Send reminders/links to invite website to remind guest about event.
  • Money Collections – instead of collecting cash at the party or coordinating ahead of time, Pingg allows easy online donations through PayPal so guests can contribute to a group gift, party expenses, or even charitable events. You can display goal amounts for charities or keep that information private.

    ***Right now they’re also working on selling tickets through your website for events!

  • Reminders – instead of having to remember to remind you guests, upon creation of the invite, schedule a couple reminders to RSVP (or come in costume, whatever!) I recently sent out an invite 3 weeks before a “Stock the Bar” engagement party, scheduled reminders for subsequent Fridays, including the day of the event.
  • Thank You Cards – you just threw the event of your life, you’ve cleaned up the house, do you really want to write thank yous? Write them, personally, to each guest, thanking them for attending…and Pingg will send it out AFTER the event! No more looking for addresses, remembering who attended, Pingg will send individual responses!
  • Personalized Party Website – personalize your event website that is automatically created when you create an event OR save the date e-card. Guest can RSVP, leave comments, see who else is attending. You can add pictures, Flickr albums, gift registries, other links, Google maps to the party, etc! You can even edit the website’s URL so it’s easily included in online or print invitations.

Details about all features here.

$$$-Saver(s):

  • COMPLETELY FREE for online invitations, ecards, websites, guest management, and more! Only pay for printed postcards or cards/envelopes, premium images (free images are fine!), and non-ad websites (regardless, ads are unobtrusive.)
  • Let Pingg Print/Mail/Stamp – Use promotional code “PRINT20″ at checkout and Pingg will take off 20% (you don’t have to but if you are printing anyways…)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pingg.wellsent

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pingg

E-mail Group:
https://www.pingg.com/login/register – Register for an account to receive promotional newsletters and to start sending invitations today! Newsletters aren’t too frequent, sent monthly, with additional emails sent around major holidays. Well worth it.

Tasty Byte: Roaring Fork’s Smoking Hot!

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Geekette Bit’s Tasty Byte Highlight

Name: Roaring Fork

Where: NW Loop 1604 Huebner, San Antonio, TX

*Disclaimer at the bottom of each menu:

Happy Hour may induce a state of euphoria. Please proceed with caution.

It doesn’t have to be Happy Hour to leave Roaring Fork in a state of Euphoria, a wonderful place to watch the game on a casual Sunday afternoon or while celebrating an intimate, special anniversary with a loved one. I have enjoyed each trip to Roaring Fork, a relatively recent addition to San Antonio’s eating scene.

As a frequent visitor, this eatery consistently boasts wood-fired cooking, a contemporary ambience, and incredible Happy Hour specials. Smoked or simmering over a calculated blend of hickory, oak, and pecan, the menu boasts an eclectic assortment of meats infused with a rustic, wood-grilled taste. Although large, 7,200 square feet, the restaurant conveys a romantically, intimate setting for friends and loved ones with its private feeling booths, low lighting, and unobtrusive wait staff.

A victim of Pavlov’s conditioning, I’m salivating at the mere thought of their extensive, comforting, and indulgent menu. Lunching there after church one Sunday, my only disappointment was that the lamb chops were not served in the afternoon. It was only a temporary setback before my taste buds were immediately appeased by the pan sautéed rainbow trout with roasted almonds. Pair with a Roaring side, the sautéed spinach and red onions were a perfect compliment. My lunch buddy went nuts over the Roaring Fork “Big Ass” Burger with longhorn cheddar cheese and smoked bacon. As the name suggests, our waiter delivered a behemoth slab of ground beef, mounded with hamburger condiments. It also came with crispy, French fries – slender, each bite packing a crunch.

Another visit, an anniversary, was preemptively planned with a phone call reservation from my boyfriend. Upon arrival we were immediately congratulated by the gracious hostess on our good fortune and whisked to an intimate booth with a wonderful view of the patio and fireplace (lit with Christmas lights.) In celebration of the 8 nights of Hanukah, the appetizer special (rumored to make a reappearance) that night was potato latke with smoked thinly sliced salmon, capers, diced tomatoes, sour crème, and chives. Every bite was incredible, the capers made my tongue dance in contrast to the sour crème and crispness of the thin, flavorful latke. We still talk about it often. It set a wonderful tone for our main courses to follow. I quickly ordered the lamb chops which came out, a perfectly grilled, as requested, medium…served with Yukon mashed potatoes, this dish left me wishing I could discreetly gnaw the bones. The rich wood flavors drew out the lamb’s wild flavors. The evening ended with a surprise sweet treat, my very favorite dessert, crème brulee…with Happy Anniversary written richly in chocolate on the plate.

Menu

  • Brunch – although I haven’t made it for brunch I plan to! A lot of Tex-Mex inspired breakfasts delight brunch goers (Smoked Salmon Benedict, Breakfast Flatbread, Chicken Enchiladas and Eggs and several other tempting choices.)
  • Lunch – wonderful place to treat yourself (and co-workers??) during a lunch break, several options from the dinner menu at special lunch prices!
  • Dinner – sections of the menu entrees include tantalizing descriptions like “Wood Rotisserie”, “Wood Grilled Steaks, Chops, and Ribs”, and “Fresh Fish, Sandwiches, and Salads”.

Get the Deal(s):

  • San Antonio’s Restaurant Week – Radio station Q101.9 and Tanji Patton of Good Taste with Tanji came up with the perfect pairing to support United Way and Bexar County. A 3-course menu will be offered at Roaring Fork (and other San Antonio restaurants) with $5 from EACH meal going to the community (order of the menu instead and $5 still goes to United Way)! August 17th through the 21st.
  • Rewards Program – Sign up by going to the site and clicking “Reward Program” to get 10% credit for EVERY dollar spent after $50! Card works at all Roaring Fork locations.

Did you know?

Spurs?! The idea to open Eddie V’s in San Antonio stemmed from a Spurs player asking owners in Austin, “When are you opening in San Antonio?!”

Instead of a beer flight, enjoy their Margarita flight! (Choose 3 from their extensive ‘rita menu.)

Tuesday, Aug. 25 from 5pm-11pm -
Flicks and Food has organized a Tweetup at Roaring Fork this month! Come meet other Tweeps and enjoy:

  • FREE appetizers from 5-7pm
  • Half-priced margaritas (),
  • $5 martinis, Mojitos, & select wine
  • $2.50 draft beer
  • $1 off all other drinks
  • $4 off apps that aren’t free!

RSVP here before it fills up!

Feature(s):

  • Giant outdoor fireplace and patio area provides a wonderful fall escape during lunch or dinner
  • All Roaring Fork locations and online reservations here.
  • Possibly having appropriately timed blood drive on Halloween? Very clever!

Job Hunting? Apply here.

E-mail Newsletter:
http://www.eddiev.com/ (Click on “eNews” and select multiple restaurants and locations – special promotion and coupon notifications.)

Twitter:
www.twitter.com/roaringfork_sa

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/roaringfork

Price:
to
Roaring Fork on Urbanspoon
– Bargain

– Moderate

– Upscale

– Expensive


Career 101: Finding a Career Field

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Inspired by the current state of the economy and job market, this new series of posts will cover the following topics:

  • Finding a Career Field – getting over Peter Pan syndrome and deciding what you want to do when you grow up.
  • Finding the Perfect Job – where to look when everyone else is looking!
  • Landing said Perfect Job – get the competitive edge in this uber-competitive market
  • Keeping said Perfect Job – without living in free of losing your job, quickly move up the chain of command in your new position.

I graduated from high school in the top 10% of my class, enjoyed my classes, had fun learning…no clue what I wanted to major in. Committing to one major consistently lead to hyperventilating…that’s why I’m taking the time to focus on that possibility. You might have already graduated with a bachelors degree AND master’s degree but still don’t feel completely comfortable in your current field. This post is about gaining insight to yourself based on very scientific approaches. :-)

I knew that I wanted to work flexible hours, I wasn’t always detail oriented, and definitely enjoy thinking outside the box. Before college, I thought Aerospace Engineer was for me. I liked math and science and I was a member of the Aviation Club at my elementary school. I started college, got cold feet, worried I wouldn’t hack the math and declared an Architecture major. That lasted for a semester before I switched to Psychology after an elective class opened my eyes to this introspective career choice. Then I had my daughter and thought, well, can I afford to be in school for at least the next 7 years before making good money in a field that I might not even want to be in, in 7 years? I took a broad range of elective classes, looking for my sweet spot. On a whim I took an intro computer programming class. I had always played around with electronics growing up, taking them apart, fixing them. I was also the resident computer expert. I took the class and aced it (with 100%…) and was hook. It was the perfect field for me and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I may retire and go to culinary school…but for now I <3 it.

Who am I? – During the journey of self-discovery I found the following online resources to help me figure out what I liked, didn’t like and other things to take into consideration. You’re worth it – spend a little extra time now so you can find a position you love.

  • Personality Test – many people are willing to join EHarmony in hopes of finding their perfect match. A career should be NO different, a couple strategic tests can help you identify the following:
    • Have to Have’s – characteristics of the job/career that you HAVE to have in order to enjoy/love/be successful.
    • Can’t Have’s – is it important to you to go to work at 8 and leave at 5, everyday, Monday through Friday? I needed a more flexible work schedule, as a mom and as an ADD-er. Listen to yourself, these are IMPORTANT
    • Nice Have’s – it would be nice to have in the job description but you don’t have to. While Can’ts and Have’s are non-negotiable, this list could help you narrow a close choice or hard decision down.

    NOTE: Make this list now so that when you are job hunting you don’t cater your list to the job you found. This list can change over time but you just like in dating, you don’t want to be blinded by the initial glitter and find yourself trapped in an unhappy job a couple months later.

    The Jung-Meyer-Briggs Personality test is a GREAT place to start. You’ll be amazed at how a simple, short test can accurately depict your personality type. Once you get your results, Google it…mine, consistently is ENFP:

    General: ENFPs are both “idea”-people and “people”-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to both help (at least, their own definition of “help”) and be liked and admired by other people, on both an individual and a humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another.

    Test takes 5-10 minutes…take it! Afterwards, that site will also link you to possible career options and detail type descriptions. Find out what personality types you’re compatible with and more importantly, WHY! It’ll also list famous people with your personality type.

  • Occupation Outlook Handbook
    – although you can buy the printed version of this inclusive career book, DON’T! Search easily online and browse through multiple fields. Search for something specific or browse through numerous jobs – each including the following sections:
    • Nature of Work – detailed job description
    • Training/Qualifications/Opportunities for Advancement – lists job requirements and nice to have’s employers are looking for
    • Employment – details about self-employment, nationwide employment…
    • Job Outlook – are there going to be any positions when you get out of school? Is employment on the rise or fall? Based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics…
    • Earnings – average salaries for different positions within that field
    • Related Fields – sounds good but not quite? Lists similar positions within the site.

    Check out sources for the handbook, by state, and also their hints and suggestions about job hunting. I especially liked these questions to ask yourself when evaluating the position before accepting.

You could spend hours, days, months, years pouring over the information in the 2 sections. I think it’s great to take the test every couple of years or re-read about your field. Does it still work for you? Have your tastes changed?

Please also take the time to make the following list and stick it on your mirror or fridge. Make a list of 10 things you HAVE to have in your career, 10 CAN’T haves, and WOULD LIKE to haves. Writing it down will force yourself to think about it. Make the time. Even if you have a job, check the list – it’s it what you still want? Are you in it for the right reasons?

Check back next week for the next post – Finding
the Perfect Job.

*FYI – I graduated debt free from college by helping friends and peers through the entire life-cycle of their job search.

WoW: Now that’s Entertainment

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Partially in tribute to my WOW loving co-workers (you hear the funniest things when you stop to listen to World of Warcraft conversations…), I have chosen the same abbreviation for my ‘Website of the Week’ (WoW) blog post. This will highlight a website I feel especially impressed by. It might be a great money-saver, like this week’s, or it could be a wonderful web app. Something stands out enough AND I don’t think enough people know about its awesomeness. Some weeks I might post multiple, there are so many out there it’s hard to get through them all.

Website of the Week (WoW): www.entertainment.com

Quick Bit: “The premiere source for discounts and promotions”, I agree. I love that the HUGE coupon book, neatly organized with perforated pages, has a corresponding online membership with ADDITIONAL coupons!

About: Started in 1962 by a suburban Detroit couple created local coupon book, Entertainment has expanded exponentially as a wonderful discount resource AND fundraiser of choice by many schools and programs. Take the time to look through the entire books, some coupons only appear once and if you’re skimming you might miss a GREAT deal! Cut them out and paste then on the calendar when the outing is planned.

$$$-Saver(s):

  • Normally $25 at the start of the year, buy yours now for $9.99!
  • Buy 2010, get 2009 FREE! (Aug. 12th)
  • Coupon Book – based on major cities, find offers for:
    • Dining out – local eateries and chains included
    • Casual and family dining – relaxed family joints
    • Fast food and carryout – chains, bakeries, ice cream shops (hint hint during THIS summer!)
    • Entertainment and sports – included Dave and Buster’s, 2 for 1 movie tickets to several different movie theaters, 50% off pre-season Spurs tickets, 2 for 1 admission to several museums, mini golf and real golf courses, tubing, the circus, Disney on Ice, theaters, fitness gyms, and MORE!
    • Travel and hotel – travelling for a friend’s wedding, used their hotel voucher for an ADDITIONAL 20% off, also include discounts at www.hotwire.com (an already severely discounted travel site), 25% off Nickelodeon Family vacation packages, and GREAT savings on car rentals (although I would check Hotwire first if you’re renting a car), etc.
    • Retail and services – during Valentine’s Day they had free delivery for 2 dozen roses, $19.99, Netflix, video rentals, car washes, World Market, home security alarms, Walgreens, photographers, oil change, spas, dry cleaners, seriously, the list goes on and on and on!
  • Membership Card – found inside the book, use at local participating restaurants and online travel agencies to get additional savings
  • Website – register w/ member ID. Use the membership ID to register on their website. You’ll find additional printable and online coupons, receive weekly emails, and get other member only promotional offers. I love being able to easily search through their website. I normally check here and www.retailmentnot.com whenever I’m looking for deals. If I used up all the coupons at a favorite restaurant in the book, I just go online and print out additional coupons for the same place! Everything found in the coupon book PLUS more! Check out the different sections here. Another nice thing about the book – if you’re going on vacation just print out coupons for that city without buying that book… Nice little Back to school section on the website.

*Side note: When I first used ATT, they had an incentive to join (through their moving package I believe) that also included 10 vouchers for 10 coupons from this site. This is what they were talking about.

***Charity/Schools – learn more about their fundraising programs. Not limited to the coupon book, learn about selling cookie dough and other fundraising ideas for schools, non-profits, sports, and churches.

***Career Opportunities – in this economy you never know or might be looking, start here.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Entertainment-Coupon-Book (I wrote to make sure this is the official site, will update post if it’s not.)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/entbooksavings (not easy to find either!)

E-mail Group: Once you setup an account online, you can modify your account preferences to receive semi-frequent email alerts, based on your interests. (Definitely worth it!)

Did you know? Post directly from Office 2007?!

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This is a test. Apparently Microsoft Office Word2007 allows bloggers to post directly to their blogs. Here‘s a list of current service providers, including mine, WordPress. I am never the first to sing Window’s praises…but I’m curious!

Why would I or anyone else be interested in this functionality? I have started to create templates (so I can efficiently post blogs in the same series.) I have tried several different WordPress plugins for post templates and have not been happy with any of them. It would be nice to use my Word templates without having to copy them into my website…one stop shop.

It’s also a lot easier to hyperlink in Word (button to the right of the windows key (looks like a list with an arrow) + “h”.)

No wheelin’ & dealin’ at Discount Tires!

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I have a few mantras in life and they all include saving time and money.  As I’ve gained experience through the years, one of the best ways to do this is not only by taking the time to find coupons and specials…but through preventive measures.

 Let me give you the perfect example.  Tire maintenance.  I can spend outrageous amounts of money buying all 4 tires at once (as I did today) OR I can go to Discount Tire and take advantage of their FREE to EVERYONE air pressure and tire check drive ins. 

As I sat there for a little under an hour, I saw elderly ladies, tattooed motorcyclists, soccer moms, and a 360, pull up, get out and grab a free water.  Literally by the time they sat down, took a sip, and opened a magazine, their name was being called as I wistfully watched on.  Although not everything can be prevented…a lot can.  Take the time to let them check your tires and air pressure; it makes their job easier when you come in a rush, expecting them to see instant results.

Let me tell you, the Discount Tire I went to, off Bandera and 1604 treated me, potentially the perfect sitting duck, incredibly well.  I came in armed with my tire size and the brand I was looking at (based on online reviews) prepared to face the judgment of my poor tire maintenance.  They didn’t judge, they said not to list to the website, just call – there are often appointments available.  They even drew pictures so I could understand the difference between steel and alloy rims.  They scheduled me for a time and when I came, they drove my car in immediately.

I watched many disgruntled customers come in, disgusted to find their cars ready without being alerts on their cell phone.  I watched and their cars were ready just as they got there.  There are a lot of younger mechanics working as quickly as they can, there was no admin, manning the front.  They all efficiently took turns.   I was just so impressed with this well oiled machine.  They kept their sense of humor and just brought a lot of light to the room. 

Be patient, they are trying and they want to make it as easy as possible for you.

They broke the bad and worse news to me gently – I’d need 4 new wheels and 4 new tires.  (NOTE: wheels <=> rims are used interchangeably.)  They showed me why, they showed me what to pick and why, and they did it without making me feel miserable. 

Find the nearest store to you!  And go in armed with current promotions.  Don’t forget to subscribe to their mailing list with specials.  Become a Fan on Facebook and follow on Twitter, I am!

When I go back in 50 miles (just so they can make sure everything is working out as designed) I will bring not only a smile but cookies and other baked goods.  Also, they’ll sign you up for email reminders, whenever you need to come in for your FREE rotations…

Classic like the Sunday Newspaper

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Growing up, reading the printed newspaper with my dad while he drank coffee was always a special tradition.  In order to remind people while online isn’t always best, I decided to post about great deals and alerts I found in different sections of the local newspaper…I’m sure the paper in your city has similar deals as well!

The newspapers website offers online articles, contests (I won season tickets to Splashtown once!!), and other great interactive online resources.  Use their Twitter directory to follow individual sections – sports, food, etc.  You’ll be surprised how many people are Twittering!

I’m also a big fan of their food section and their annual Reader’ Choice Awards, here’s 2009.  List includes picks for different types of eateries and entertainment venus (1st, 2nd, 3rd, & my favorite – Critics Choice.)

Although you can subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News paper online, the best deals are offered in front of HEB or Walmarts where they’re desperate to sell and have additional bonus and great discounts.  You can order it Monday-Sunday, Sundays only, Fridays-Sundays…

Favorite Newspaper Days of the Week (and why I like them):

  • Wednesday – Food section of the newspaper!!!  Local cooking classes, events, highlights of local eateries, interviews by local chefs, recipes from restaurants, and other fun food trivia.
  • Friday – Weekender!  Highlights everything going on this weekend, upcoming music venues, movie reviews, and other events you might have missed…there is also a “kids event” with a lot of interesting tidbits as well.  Car review – I like to see what car is being reviewed…the section also includes Click and Clack’s Cartalk column…another family tradition.
  • Sunday – about to go into detail but the deals, deals, deals!  The advertisements, coupons, etc!

Sunday Newspaper Deals – different sections of the paper

  • Express-News Star – (Gossip section) not only read celebrity gossip for the week but also includes pictures of the locales at recent events (include your pictures by uploading to mysa.com KEYWORD: Entertainment.)  This weeks included pictures from the “Happy Hours, Happy Tails” pet adoption, “Julyfest” at the Polish American Center…
  • Advertisements – obviously you’d find a lot of good deals here, some examples this week include:
    • Petco – join Petco P.A.L.S. to get coupons, FREE food/grooming, exclusive pet friendly event invites.  (Petco is also a fun, FREE outing for kids – kid sized shopping carts, and opportunity to walk around and see all the different animals.)
    • Academy – register instantly for the CCA Texas/STAR Fishing tournament running through Sept. 7.  (Who knew you could register at Academy sports + outdoors…)
    • Office Depot – purchases receive 20% at all Foot Lockers coupon, Project Backpack (create unique design on blank canvas backpack with sharpie to win!), FREE glue with $5 purchase, 2 for 1 printing sign coupon…
  • Travel – Coupon alert!  Aiport Security Park offers 1 day FREE (with 2 day stay)!  Also, on the bottom left-hand page was a small blip about the Tourism Development Corporation of the State of Nuevo Leon offers deals to tourist for coming thru Dec. 2009.  Details at www.nuevoleonsesuma.com (although the front page is in Spanish, the tabs are in English – print maps, coupons, and find out where to stay, when!)  Offers include 2 nights/3rd night free, buy one entrance to park or activity/2nd free, refunds on tollbooth expenses, buffets also buy one get one free!
  • Front Page section – Buying Gold & Silver at 2 hotels near the airport (Holiday Inn Airport & Comfort Suites (next to Cracker Barrel, exit Rittiman.))  Do you have old gold or silver coins?  Old paper money?  Coin collectors unite!  Bring misc. items too – sterling silver, fine jewelry, diamonds, lamps, toys (metal, pre-1950)…7 days only!
  • Classifieds – Job Fair, Tues. Aug. 25, 9am-3pm at Crossroads Mall.  The Sunday before newspaper will include a preview of employers set to attend.  Free seminars offered throughout the day.  (Want a booth?  Call 210-250-2387 for details.)
  • Entertainment – not only were there multiple sections on volunteering opportunities, there’s also a poetry section, tributes to the arts, home decorating articles, and a “Bookmarks” section that includes info about local literary events.
  • Metro – this week’s section of the paper included an ad from the San Antonio Water System with details about the water restrictions and days.  On your day you can water from 3am-8am and 8pm-10pm with a sprinkler, soaker hose, or irrigation system.  Hand water anytime. Details on their website and to find out your day….
  • Sports – I have always found good deals here (nestled away…coupons to Rodeo, Spurs family nights…don’t miss this section…even during the week!)  This week I found a coupon for La Cantera Golf Club…Two for One golf, valid through Aug. 30th, starting at 1pm, $45…great deal! Great course!  Ad must be presented at tee time…deal valid for up to 12 players valid.  Right next to that was the 16th Annual Project Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive Aug. 7th from 7am-7pm…bring supplies to any area Walmarts!