Friday's on Twitter Rock! Because this week will find me surrounded by family for the holiday and glued to The Masters Golf action, I will not have my usual computer access. Besides, I have been feeling squished by the 140 character allotment anyway for all these 30 incredible people have done for me, personally. So, I am doing something different this week for #followfriday on Twitter.

Twitter would not have grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me in to stay if it weren't for these Tweeple. I adore these folks and feel indebted to them. I want to share them with you. They did their homework and provided three words to describe themselves (some kicking and screaming like toddlers) shown in parenthesis.

Ladies First,

@sexythinker (intense, inspirational, cool) This passionate, upbeat, futuristic professional brought me to the Twitter party...and I never left! She is the heart & soul of Talent Revolution, a cutting edge career resource community and she captains so many bright minds who I admire. Follow this young visionary and she'll lead you to a better future. Trust me. I know! Link here

@MissIve (curious, grateful, excited) I was drawn to her from her spicy, toe-to-toe quick banter, and her diverse writing abilities. Her blog is an experience like rolling down the car window on a fast drive in the fresh air. Her antics are epic. She's the "she" in shenanigans! Be prepared to play with reckless abandon. (If not, she'll twist your arm! Really will I assure you.) Link here

@StaciJShelton (positive, happy, enthusiastic) When this enchanting lady landed in my tweet stream, my world got a whole lot brighter. Combining compassion, enthusiasm, business acumen in her tweets, she operates with relentless optimism. She adds sunshine to Twitter. Follow her & you'll feel her warmth naturally. Link here

@pifphoto (driven, inspired, humble) Darling, jazzy, bright and daring, Lindsay was one of the first photographers I followed. Instantly she struck me as a giant giving spirit. She created the photographer's resource community at Pay It Forward Photo with the intention of helping others achieve their goals. I reached out to interview her because I admired her noble endeavor, she nabbed me to interview for the pif team. You'll love her, but don't believe her when she takes credit for creating Post It Notes. I did! Link here

@modbird (silly, silly, and silly) Creative and friendly, this dear Floridian has a penchant for design an a knack for sincere conversation. It is evident that she finds Twitter a nice diversion from her computer workload. She breaks away for Yoga & time with real life friends but always comes back to us :) Link here

@RootedInStyle (intuitive, loyal, fiery) She told me that she loves textures and it made sense after I understood the multiple dimension of this great gal. Her website is welcoming, visually & mentally. Take a look: Link here

@Mama_Red (passionate, powerful, joyful) She's a dynamo. This woman loves people, laughing, coffee, her family....even us "adopted" ones from Twitter. Her mom sixth sense is remarkable as she can tell when your down by the sound or lack of your tweets and she'll find you and make you all better. Wonderful boisterous heart. Link here

@GravittPro (creative, optimistic, loyal) We are consulting our parents because we think we may be photographer, mommy, married to hotties, kindred spirited sisters separated at birth. She is the ONLY other person I know who accidentally killed daughter's grow-a-frog in the disposal. We're twins. Link here

@SarahRobinson (sassy, strategic, creative) High energy, noble hearted and devoted to a cause, Sarah is in many ways the girl next door. A Maverick Mom with a golden heart. She is the Twitter hostess behind #tweepletuesday which serves as a way to introduce followers to one another. And she’s a rascal which is why I adore her! Link here

@mmcgovern (curious, creative, engaging) A renaissance women creative & bright. Her view of the world is truly one to see. She mixes fashion and form brilliantly. She makes me think…which isn’t an easy task! Link here

@AnnaKDeLeo (fabulous, fashion, passion) Stylish, smart, charming, this gal is one I know I would sit down next to and not want to leave. This Bostonian is always a good solid read.

@OPCGal (funny, caring, colorful) When I was cyber bullied, she along with several of the other folks here immediately jumped in to help. She is dear and has a warm sense of savvy humor. Link here

@MelanieO (passionate, intense, fun loving) This wine loving, clever lady is a fun follow. She chimes in with humor and advice just when you need it.

@carece (energetic, positive, engaging) Carece has grace and a business mind that makes her fun to watch. Deeply caring, I have grown to appreciate her positive tweets. She puts things in proper perspective for me. Link here

@suzanneally (truth-seeker, fun-maker, color-painter) This bright and playful artist is a neighbor of mine here in Ohio. She always ready to join the fun and makes delightful company. Link here

And Gentlemen

@imjustcreative Graham is a bit of a twitter enigma, an individual always diverting the spotlight on the highlights of others and in doing so has developed a following or grateful creative admirers. He was the first person to bring twitter to life virally for me by making me a part of the mono expressions personal portraits feature. He is a robust creative, a wealth of knowledge, wry and ethereal all in one. A must follow, super cool, humble logo chap. Link here

@adbert (silly, neighbor, friend) The music man, full of heart and soul. He frequents the Twitter & blip.fm scene like a good Samaritan. Daily he sends me a smile whether he knows it or not. He's larger than life. Link here

@r27 (open, creative, driven) This gentleman offered to lend me a creative hand unsolicited, featured me in a blog, and has helped me at every turn. He has challenged me to evaluate my professional message vastly changing what I know about design and blogging. He is a noble businessman. For him, I am indebted and I am brainstorming how to return the favor in kind. Link here

@iamkhayyam (witty, charming, foolery) He is a playmate,cohort, and genuine fun fella. He's so versatile I have a hard time defining his many links make me smarter or make me laugh typically. He'll twitter wrastle and dish some satire now and again. He has reached out to me with a genuine heart that truly admire. Link here

@mayhemstudios (spikey, haired, troublemaker) The nice guy, it guy of all things twitter and design. He'll volley a few smack talking fun tweets just to show you he's not all business. I am fairly certain, the sweet man never sleep and had 8 arms based on his work load and Twitter activity! Link here

@unmarketing (geek, happy, grumpy) Hands down the shizzle on twizzle. This Canadian is a social networking demi-god with a unconventional business approach that hits home to his 20K plus followers. Mostly, he is all heart and seems to give a part to every single person he meets. To know him is to know him and appreciate him. He changed the way I Twitter with his daily tweet and upended my experience for the positive in Twitterland. Absolute "Awesomesauce." Link here

@ricklondon (tall, dark, humble) He'll be the guy in your corner and the guy who will make you bust a gut laughing. Loads of sound, fun, tweets. He's big ol awesome! Link here

@Dragoncade (thoughtful, photographer, blogger) THE sweetest dragon on twitter. This fella will greet you hello, bid you goodnight and do it with the purest of intentions. He makes Twitter a genuine, positive, nice place. Link here

@danlopez2012 (warm, engaging, witty) Super-charged, multifaceted, motivational and funny this dad is an all around cool guy. And on top of that he is a FOCUS coach...now where was I? Super follow.

@kyleplacy (driven, stubborn, creative) He's good clean business smart Twitter. His tweets are relevant & well fed. "Socially creative," great blog content and fabulous to follow. I do remember that he locked himself out of his office so I have a soft spot in my heart for him ;) Link here

@kufarms (caring, passionate, curious) He's the down to earth guy next door, compassionate father, engaging conversationalist, and bright professional. He seems poised and ready for anything. Link here

@Jon_Aston (enthusiastic, warm, giving) He sums it up in his description but he is also playful, committed to causes and community. On one occasion in particular, this kind man was relentless in helping me stop a cyber bully. He's like a twitter big brother to me.

@c_reed (sincere, edgy, lucid) Chris Reed's style is understate and totally stated at the same time. He created my logo and is my regular go to guy for all the technical mishaps I have on a regular basis. His tweets are thoughtful, clever & bold. He & Amanda Hite made the Talent Revolution website the coolness that it is! Link here

@danieljohnsonjr (connector, inspiring, teacher) What a nice guy. Down the road from me this man seems to be a magnet for tweeple and is genuinely interested in doing good with social media. I also like that he Tweeted: "I have regular stare-downs with the man in the mirror. I remind him that he's better than he thinks he is."

@mdrisser (helpful, creative, focused) He often puts a smile on my face from a tweet with clarity, wry wit or heart. He"ll claim that he's making a mess of things but I'd venture to say the opposite. Link here

When I think about motherhood and life in general, the images that come to the forefront first are the messy, tousled, coffee stained moments I spend with my children in the hours of sunrise. Maybe this is a product of being a photographer, but literally when I close my eyes I see this way. And perhaps you can understand why I feel so fortunate, every single sleephead morning.

The other day, while I was playing a game of Trouble with my daughter (8), "Mommy's little monster" decided to bring me my coffee. Both the stain and the sweet memory of his gesture remain. My son and I share a birthday, a happy spirit, and the inability to sleep in. This two year old alarm clock yells from his crib for me to join him often before the sun. Then once released from confines of his crib, he gathers blankie and sets off to wake his sissy (not an early bird).

We all sit down and slide step by step downstairs to start our day. On school days, it's all about getting the backpack loaded, the paperwork signed, the kids fed, the weather appropriate clothing on and we dash to the bus stop.

On weekends, we laze about. Checking email, Twitter, playing games, wrestling on the floor, playing with cars, cows, or coloring books. We deliver coffee to Daddy fighting over who gets to carry the newspapers. Then I burn bacon and we all laugh and open the windows regardless of outside temperature.
We giggle, I correct, sip our juice, coffee or milk and prep for the day. They chase each other like wild fools. I referee. Max pleads his case with his Sissy "Poo-it, Scoo do & mean monsters?" and she smiles at me because it's his a.m. video of choice. And we roll our eyes knowing that I have to have my hand on the trigger to fast-forward all the "scary monster" parts for the little guy.


Regularly I think, how quickly the months, seasons, years pass. Soon these little joys will be big and creating their own morning rituals. I'll have these images to reflect on the special dawns I shared with my family.

Time should stand still for long enough for us to soak all this great stuff in, but it won't relent.

The coffee sets in as does my Type A, full speed ahead approach. As soon as my mind is fully awake, I get easily ladened with "what's next" and these precious timeless moments come to pass. The To Do list needs me. The chores, the business opportunities and the bills, responsibilities take hold.


And just like that another brilliant day ensues.

I rarely (o.k. never) go a day without Twitter impacting me. I tell a tale of the positive, educational, Tour de Force of this social networking land to everyone who will listen. A few people have asked me to help them to understand Twitter simply. So, I will remind you how to enhance your Twitter experience by using what you already know...from your Mom!

1. Hold Hands
Get out and get to know people. Take the initiative to meet new people, high five someone who deserves kudos, lend a hand to a follower in need. I started with people that I admired in the photography industry and branched out from there. Do searches on your interests to find cool folks to follow with common interests and like mindedness.

Awesome Twitter search tool: TwitPwr (link via @AlexKaris)

I typically peruse the person's Twitter homepage to be sure they are positive, engaging, and interesting. Then I "hold hands" and follow. If you need help, send me a Direct Message and I'll advise or watch Follow Friday happen for awesome suggestions of great follows.

2. Play Nice
My mom always said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Which side of the of magnet are you?" The side that draws others in to stay or the side that repels? Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) first taught me that each day you should take some time to stop listen and reply to others in an engaging manner. Send out a few @replies to tweets that catch your eye. That type of playing nice makes Twitter rock!

3. Share
By all means, share with us your photos, your funny stories, your heartfelt causes, your hilarious links, your creative ideas and your sound opinion. There is no better global show & tell than Twitter. Don't forget to pass on through a retweet (RT) something that you find helpful or moving. Endorse your friends. They like that. It shows them you're listening while caring.

4. Never Arrive Empty Handed
Don't get stymied by having something super important to say. I have tweeted about cheese, Scooby Doo, and calling my cellphone to locate it. But Bring Something to the party. Providing value is the key with a good recipe of self expression, friendship, professional information, and promoting others.

5. Have the Best Intentions.
If you wander Twitter with good intentions, your followers will grow organically and your experience will be enriched. Ask yourself periodically what's important to you Tweet with that honest intention in mind. People who are self-serving and all about self-promotion have no "hidden" agenda. I unfollow that type of Twitter taker. Most of all, have fun with it! Right, Mom?

Leigh
@fleurdeleigh
ps. Even my MOM is on Twitter. You can do it!