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!

The Twitter experience is nothing if not unique. How each of us tweet, how we share and what we draw from the experience creates our own Twitter Thumbprint. Nary a one the same.

When I was asked the other day, “How can I get a bunch of followers in a short time span” I drew silent. (Uncharacteristic, I know.) That is so not Twitter to me! I suddenly realized that the questioner and I were not ideological Twitter bedfellows. Clear to me was the fact that this fellow wanted numbers, big numbers, tons of cool followers for his home page. Ego buffering, perhaps. And as we spoke a bit more, I suspected that my Twitter Thumbprint which has allowed me the organic growth of a couple thousand new followers was not what he wanted out of Twitter.

I can only tell you that I find Twitter both a classroom and a playground bustling with wise teachers and hilarious playmates. The experience that I have had with Twitter these last few months has been remarkably positive. So, I will share with you my thumbprint.

Here’s how I twitter. If it resembles your intentions and goals for Twitterland, you may find it helpful. If you seek the transparent popularity that of the “10K followers in two months” folks deem possible, my thumbprint won’t suit you. And I'll fashion you a glittery "Muy Popular" paper crown.


Throw a line out.
After spending some time viewing others on the Twitter stream one day, I finally casted out my own line. Prior to that moment, my tweets were literally “What are you doing now? answers with little value to anyone but me who already knew the answer to that question in the first place. I had 67 great followers most of whom I knew in person and I followed double that. My lightbulb experience came when I began engaging in dialogue with other tweeple, retweeting what I found interesting, and seeking ways that I could do some of these awesome new followers a kindness. I shared their links, I recommended them to others, I left a sincere comment on their blog. I tweeted about it in a 140 character version of this, my Twitter mantra:

The moment when you stop viewing your followers as a SUM and see them instead as a SOMEONE, then Twitter becomes meaningful.


Be yourself, be sincere, be interested.
To truly benefit from this social networking tool you need to know your intention clearly. I am a friendly, upbeat person forever open to learning from others. So I behaved true to myself. Each time I had a new follower my first step was a visit to their home page to paruse their tweets and follow a website link. It’s easy for me to find a interesting bit about everyone, I like people, so I sent a DM thanking them for the follow with a genuine nugget about why I was glad to be following them. That’s when I started meeting many rockstar “someones.” Unfortunately, to keep greeting followers individually as they arrive has become too time consuming to maintain. Girl's gotta work, eat & sleep too.


Seek out followers with common interests.
Twitter is not one size fits all. Do a self analysis on your interests and plug it into Twitter Search. You'll be shown tweeple who are talking about that very topic. I do this every so often to get akin followers. I explained this to my mother who searched "gardening" "NCAA March Madness" and "cooking" to help her find some interesting new folks to follow. To each their own, follows.


Soak up the beauty of kindness on Twitter.
People who seek only numbers, will get only numbers. I found new true friends, creative inspiration, personal connections, support, caring, business advice and best practices, a large network of people whom I care about everyday and who in turn feed my soul. I have so many great Twitter experiences to share but this is a fine example of the sharing community that makes it so awesome: I uploaded a two hour interview off of my digital voice recorder into my Mac and it erased the files. Panic set in…I did a few somersaults to calm myself down…and then spent the next 45 minutes on hold with the technical help number.

In comes Twitter. I decided while on the phone to ask my Tweeple if anyone had a potential solution. Within a minute, four people @AzureMarcommTX @Kbzon @Mama_Red and @andypohl came to my rescue. I spent the next hour plus the phone with Andy, coincidentally from my town, who walked me through the whole thing. Crisis averted. Friendship solidified! Beer owed :)

Twitter's mark on me is pronounced (hmm. I am wearing a shirt that says "eat. sleep. tweet" for Pete's sake. That is why I wanted to share the ways that I have optimized Twitter for my enjoyment. Seek out your mark. Your Twitter thumbprint is your own.

Leigh
@fleurdeleigh

How many of us are touched by Cancer? Personally, I have lost six family members to its relentless grasp, had a personal scare of my own which makes me associate birthdays with mamograms, and feel a kinship with those who are braving Cancer.

A member of my husband's Buffalo Wild Wings team is battling stage three lung cancer and we are committed to helping him and his family. Paul has never been witness to the positive power of the social networking I believe runs rampant on sites like Twitter and Facebook so when he asked me to seek help, I told him I would go to my team (YOU, my network of fine folks) to make a difference.

Reggie Foster, father of two and active member of his church, is undergoing treatment for lung cancer his hometown of Owensboro, KY. His coworkers of the Buffalo Wild Wings team have committed themselves wholeheartedly to helping to raise 40K for Reggie & his family to defray the cost of cancer care. The BWW Running Team is lead by Directors of Operations, Peter Tomkins and Dale Gallion. My husband Paul, a Regional Manager, several other team members, family members and spouses are taking part in BWW's sponsored Run For Reggie on April 25th at Nashville's Country Music Marathon. Reggie's status and BWW's Reggie Foster Fund updates can be found at runforreggie.blogspot.com.

How can you help? Believe me, we feel the palpable economic crunch like everyone else. But Cancer doesn't have a recession. Treatments, bills, procedures continue and EVERY little bit we muster for Reggie counts.Perhaps your contribution will be a prayer for this man of great faith, a donation to the Reggie Foster Fund, or your pledge per mile or participation in one of the events in Nashville's Marathon this April. Please consider what you might do to help Reggie & his family. No one can do everything; Everyone can do something. We, the friends, family, BWW's coworkers of Reggie, sincerely appreciate your support.

Thanks for your time and support!

Please email us at runforreggie@gmail.com to make your contribution or mail your donation:

Buffalo Wild Wings
7714 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
ATTN: Michelle Gould.
Please make checks out to: The Reggie Foster Fund.

Leigh Caraccioli
@fleurdeleigh

Spending a whole day at the Cleveland Clinic proved pleasantly surprising. While my little sister felt like a pin cushion, I had day full of Twitter, crosswords, a few new friends and some striking artwork. I wanted to share some visuals from that remarkably contemporary facility.



Hanging in the lobby was wire & steel poem, a stunning piece of art but hard read. Lora and I realized that we forgot to get a copy of the text available in print at the information desk. It was so much more than just a "W" and "E".



A thinking type man sat at the entrance and left me wondering why I couldn't read his face?


While outside trying to get reception for my phone, I ran into these two fellas fixing the gorgeous round still water, see-through pool. They asked me if I got there good side. The approaching policeman asked me if he needed to confiscate my NikonD300? Next step, media office to plea my case in dumb like fox blondness. Which worked :)



This photo doesn't do this felt sculpture any justice. So tactile! The muted colors and soft texture drew me and onlookers in. THIS is where the policeman should have been staked out because following the "please don't touch" rule proved impossible. For me, at least.





Edgar from the S Building gift shop became my BFF and hooked me up with a Blackberry phone charger (mine missing) which he let me borrow for the day. So I hooked him up with an Iced White Mocha Venti. Thanks, man!

Scott Stratten
@unmarketing

Perhaps the best way to catch up with Internet wunderkind, President of Un-Marketing is to throw out a 140 character line in Twitter. For Scott Stratten (a.k.a @unmarketing) the self-labeled speaker and Jedi of viral marketing, Twitter is no tangent to be sure. Instead, it is a viral forum where he can help others (like him) build relationships, become a recognized expert in a field, build referrals and get current satisfied customers.

Because I have been afflicted with a penchant for social marketing on Talent Revolution, Facebook and Twitter, I have been able to witness Scott busy in action. You don't have to be online long before the @unmarketing sightings appear. He's everywhere. "On January 1, I vowed to go 30 days on Twitter with everything I got. And that's what I did. I literally, outside of teaching at the College a few times a week, I spent all my spare time on Twitter to build momentum," says Stratten.

What distinguishes Scott Stratten in social media also serves as the crux of the Un-Marketing approach: he is there for YOU, not himself. His amiable presence, his simple but savvy business videos, and his quick sense of humor have earned him nearly 10, 000 (fans) followers and a rock solid business. I can tell you first hand, it's not his song writing, singing ability or his music videos...(trust me on that one.)

Here's a Q & A with Canada's Scott Stratten:


Q: What was the catalyst behind the creation of "Un-Marketing"?

Scott: In the corporate world, I was a Sales Trainer. I kept hearing stories about the only way these people got new clients was to cold call and many them felt physically ill before going to do one. I asked each of them if they liked being cold called at home etc... and every one of them said no. I thought it was madness to try and market/sell to others in ways that you hated. Then after seeing all the costs VS returns on advertising etc.. and realizing that didn't work well either, I knew there had to be a better way. (cue the big drum sound) THE UN-MARKETING WAY!!!!!!!!

My theory (which is here) is that people buy from people they know, they buy from people they trust, and they buy from people that are viewed as experts. So in recruiting for example, since my career started out in HR and I used the services of recruitment firms from time-to-time, I used the firms that I learned from, that held sessions on how to retain good employees, that sponsored seminars with other experts, that gave me knowledge. In turn, that made me think of them as the authority in the field. That contrasts the other firms that would just cold call to tell me how great they were.


Q: For those of us who are new to Internet marketing, do mind explaining "Viral Marketing" and its benefits.

Scott: Viral Marketing is the same thing as word-of-mouth or "buzz" it's just usually attached to the online world. it's when you see something online and say to yourself "I HAVE TO SEND THIS TO ....." and off it goes. It has its own momentum.


Q: You have made 60 online movies that have been viewed over 60 million times. What was your initial reaction to such an overwhelming response, and what do you believe is the primary reason for this success?

Scott: The first movie I ever made was The Time Movie which was for my own motivational speaking business. My reaction when it blew up was to crap my pants. I was so unprepared for success that I literally turned off my computer and just sat there. (the entire story is on video ) However seeing something successful virally is pretty basic, and this is why the Time Movie worked: There are three reasons why something goes viral. 1. Emotional 2. Funny 3. WOW. If you can make someone feel one of those three things, they are gonna pass it around.


Q: You have become a Twitter mentor of sorts to countless followers. Tell us about someone who guided your Social Networking experience and how.

Scott: Well, I've been online since 1994. I don't mean I tried surfing the net for a bit off and on since 1994, I mean I've been ONLINE since then, I don't think I've ever logged off :-) And was doing social networking online before they called it that. I didn't have anyone show me the ropes, I used the same mindset as I did in HR and Marketing: People like to feel special, people appreciate it when you learn from them. My first big focus on Social biz networking online came with Ryze.com a few years ago then on to Facebook and now Twitter.


Q: Your famous tweet "Daily reminder to take 5 minutes to read other tweets and comment/reply/retweet. Nothing about you. Build, interact, give." hit home to me. Tell us your why you repeat it and have you ever received any unique or negative reactions to it? Like "Whaaat nothing about me...?"

Scott: I say it everyday for two reasons: 1. So it reminds people the best way to get is to give. We don't usually have to be reminded to talk about ourselves :-) 2. On Twitter 90% of people aren't online at any one time, and even fewer will see one specific tweet from you. So the more people I can have see it, the better. The only negative/unique responses I've had was one person said I recycle tweets, and that was wrong. So I told him to ask for his money back that he paid for the tweet and the unfollow button was right underneath my pretty picture.
**giggle**


Q: Go back a decade and share with us something you would have done differently. And something you're most glad you did do.

Scott: I would have positioned myself as the front man and made Un-Marketing a much more public brand, instead of being behind the scenes of everything. I know I have the personality and style that works out there (did I mention modesty too?) but just laid backed and worked off of referrals for years. That's not a way to build an empire, it's a way to go bankrupt, and I almost did. Never rely on one source for your business. I would of built multiple funnels that would perpetually bring business to me.


Q: You are extremely gracious when interacting in social media and I wonder if that becomes overwhelming. How to you manage to keep above your mailbox and maintain such an intricate network of followers, friends and clients?

Scott: I have a motto "If you believe relationships build your business, then building them should BE your business." My job is relationships, everything else can be delegated. I don't get email notifications anymore except for direct message. I auto-follow those that follow me, because if I tried to read every profile before adding them, THAT would be overwhelming. I use TweetDeck and it keeps it flowing.


Q: What projects and/goals are in the immediate future for Un-Marketing?

Scott: Have 20,000 followers on Twitter and then throw the biggest Tweet-up bash in Vegas the world has ever seen. After that... who knows :-)

We're in! We appreciate Scott for taking time away from the computer, Blackberry and business to enlighten us here at Talent Revolution. You are an inspiration and a role model and a man clearly living your ultimate career lifestyle.

Special thanks to my TR collaborators Chris Reed & Amanda Hite !

Leigh
@fleurdeleigh