Hang Up and Drive/The Great Hang Up with News10

Since my blue-tooth went missing (I know where it is, but I cannot figure out how to get it), I decided to take part in News10's obstacle course that proved you cannot text and drive at the same time. I already knew this, but it was fun to take my car through a narrow set of cones while dodging small children, basketballs and random stop signs.  Although I did not knock over any cones or hit any kids I did prove that I cannot type accurately on my BlackBerry while driving (which means I probably should not be trying to type on it in the first place).  The best part (for me at least) I got a free blue tooth courtesy of Yakety Yak in Rocklin, a few News10 key-chains and some other goodies.  So make the pledge, use a blue-tooth while driving (please not when you are walking down the street, that kind of freaks me out) and do not text while driving. Basically when you drive make paying attention to the road your first priority - Hang Up & Drive.

To top off the day I headed to the Sacramento Press/Social Media Club sponsored event entitled "Facebook for the Floundering." Check out the slides, the News10 story or search for #SMCsac on Twitter. A big thanks to Chipolte for providing a tasty dinner as well.

Twitter

A lot of people have a difficult time defining Twitter, which I think is appropriate since it (and social media in general) is still evolving into what it will become.  It started out as a way to quickly update your friends (followers) on what you were doing (similar to a Facebook status update), now has moved to include elements of that, but also includes people sharing news, event information, product information, sales information, quotes and other information that their followers might find useful.  For me, Twitter includes elements of all of the above, plus an element of fun.  I have been able to meet tons of great people at "Tweetups" (where people from Twitter get together and meet face to face, basically a networking mixer), learn about sales or discount offers at stores and restaurants, learn about social media, get in contact with media and other people that I would have never otherwise met, develop friendships outside of my "normal" circles, used Twitter to get myself and others into newspaper articles, and most recently got the Governor of California to follow me.


This week has been all about Twitter.  On Wednesday I won tickets to see the Sacramento Capitals tennis team play because I entered to win a contest they were hosting on Twitter, on Thursday I went to a Tweetup and the tennis match. On Friday one of my friends shared that the Governor was following her on Twitter so I quickly launched my campaign to have him follow me as well.  I first asked some other friends to help, second I developed a hashtag (#govpleasefollowme), had multiple friends retweet me, invited the Governor over to a pool party (although said he would need to bring his own food and beverages, I didn't want to get into trouble with the whole "reportable gift" thing) and after 10 tweets in less than four hours I got the official e-mail from Twitter that @Schwarzenegger was following me. Saturday I finally had @TresAgaves_RV follow me, they had margaritas at the tennis match, I tried to get them to deliver one to me in the bleachers, but evidently they don't deliver yet and I went to a birthday party (complete with "adult slip-n-slide) for a friend that I met through Twitter, where there was a couple that had been dating for eight months because they met at a Tweetup.

So that's my "social media week" in a nutshell, hoping for another great week to start soon ... remember I am available for full-time or freelance work (public relations, media relations, writing, social media).

UPDATE: To top off my week of Twitter, I saw a friend post that she was thinking about going to see SALT today (Sunday) ... about 20 direct messages later we met at the movie theater and saw an amazing movie. Also check out her blog about "Twitter friends."

Photo Credit: @SaccoSalon

Sacramento Capitals and the #SacTweetup

It was a busy day and evening, but for your sake, I will focus on the evening.  First, I attended the SacTweetup at 3 Fires Lounge, part of the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown. I had the opportunity to meet new people and see many of the people that I have developed friendships with through these events, Twitter and other social gatherings, like last week's "Chick-Fil-A Meetup."  In an interesting twist on the standard event, Matt Barnes (basketball player) came to the event and announced in person (before he posted it on Twitter) that he had signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. You would think that would be the top story from the event, but no, after a long campaign led by a few individuals (whom I call my friends) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was unable to make it, saying he was stuck in meetings via Twitter.  He then posted that he would punish legislators if they did not pass a budget by making them watch "Jingle All the Way," that story was picked up by Sacramento's Fox40 and "retweeted" more than 100 times on Twitter by people at the event and around the world.


After leaving the Tweetup a few minutes early I headed out to the Roseville Galleria to see the Sacramento Capitals tennis team take on Springfield Lasers.  Although they did not win, it was great to finally sit in the stands and watch them play (I always seem to drive by when they are playing, in fact last week I was mentioning that I wanted to see them play in person sometime).  On Wednesday I won a pair of tickets through Twitter, so with free tickets and all friends either at church or one of the two Tweetups (there was also a Tweetup at the Sacramento Zoo), my guests were my Blackberry and my camera.  With more than 30 tweets/Facebook posts throughout the evening, a dinner from Noodles and Company, a drink from Tres Agaves and more than 75 pictures taken, I'm not sure how much tennis I actually watched, but it was fun and I was glad there was a breeze (not 100+ like it was last week). In other news, Matt Barnes followed me, had I only known I would have checked to see if he wanted to carpool (p.s. he might have looked at his phone more than I did while there, a sign that maybe another one of my friends has a point).

Another Success

After speaking with a few people at Sacramento's News10 (KXTV), Angel Cardenas went out to Specialized Parts Planet in Rancho Cordova on Monday and the story aired today. The story hit both of our key points, saving money and a green alternative to buying new auto parts.

Helping and Giving Back

Sometimes you never know what could happen if you are willing to help someone, especially during a job search.  Almost immediately after being laid-off I knew I would not only have to proactively network, but also give back to the community and my industry by helping friends, helping reporters and doing whatever I could to keep my skills sharp while looking for paying work. I have helped Citizen Voice and Safely Out with a variety of projects including the Swim for Life and set up mini-debates for the June 2010 election.  I helped do media outreach for "Jamba Jump Day." I have helped reporters by volunteering myself as a source.  I have helped friends move and this week I helped two reporters find sources for articles that ran in today's Sacramento Business Journal and Sacramento Bee.  One reporter needed to find people that had been unemployed for more than a year and another that had kept their job, but had changed their lifestyle, while the other just needed to find a new homeowner (nearly the same story that I was featured in last year).  Both reporters were very happy that I was available to assist them and my friends were happy to be sources. So as I continue my search for either a full-time position or to create a more robust freelance and consulting business I am again reminded, that it is important to help others because it keeps my skills sharp, increases self-confidence, allows me to write blog posts and most importantly allows me to continue to develop strong relationships with reporters and others in the Sacramento region.
*Photo Credit: Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal

Sacramento's Social Media Day at News10

In just a few years I went from having a Facebook account to actually using it (now with more than 700 friends), signing up for Twitter (my first tweet was on October 16, 2008, since then I have "tweeted" nearly 1600 times and nearly 450 people seem to care) and now I attend "TweetUps" throughout Sacramento and Placer County, have joined a Meetup group or two, have been featured in several news stories just because I use social media, perhaps most importantly I have been fortunate enough to meet hundreds of great people from throughout the Sacramento region.

Mashable.com declared today, June 30th "Social Media Day," so like any good member of the Social Media universe I attended the official Sacramento party at News10 (KXTV).  The event, which included lunch, was sold out within hours (tickets were free, but limited to the first 75 to sign up) and it was a great opportunity to meet the people I follow on Twitter, talk to friends I have met via Twitter and learn more about how News10 is using social media to better connect with the community and in essence "give the station back to the community." Not only did we interact with people in the room, we also used Skype to talk to some friends across the pond at Manchester, England's Studio Skylab. To top of a great afternoon, we were granted a full studio tour, which included heading into the studio where they film every newscast, learning about the control room (most of the studio cameras are now automated so they can focus on having more crews and reporters in the field covering the news) and taking a peek at the newsroom (aka the room where all my phone calls go when I pitch a story).

Although not an exhaustive list of those that attended the event these are a few of the people I recommend following on Twitter that were at the event (please do not be offended if I didn't include you, there are lots of you ... if you really feel left out, please DM or @ me and I will add you to the list).

@alejandroreyes - Sacramento's top Social Media expert (in my opinion) also organizes SacTweetUps.
@SuzannePhan, @mponto, @queenkv, @willframpton, @RYamamotoNews10, @timgeraghtynews & of course @News10_CA - all great people at News10
@Lesley3fold - works at 3Fold Communications
@ashleegadd - works at the Citizen Hotel, also has a great blog
@laurenedvalson - works in the advertising department at the Sacramento Bee
@ScribbyKitty - works at the Zoo and tweets for them @SacramentoZoo
@Karen_Speaks - works at the Sacramento International Airport as their PIO
@SacComedy - interested in all things commedy, follow him
@Lucia316 - works for in the mortgage industry
@SacramentoMarko - GM at a Sacramento area hotel
@mariecfeldman - does some great video work
@AlliMFuller - works the League of California Cities and formerly the United Way
@lttlewys - this mom also has a great blog
@plumaslaker - state worker, social media "networker"
@Karenof4 - a mom and a blogger, but not a "mommy blogger"
All of the tweets from the event can be found at #smdaynews10

Again, if you're not on the list, please do not be offended, just let me know and I will add you ... these are just a few of the many people whose tweets I read daily and spoke with at today's event.

News10 Celebrates Social Media Day (text and additional pictures, including one of me "live tweeting" from the event)
UPDATE: News10's blog linked to mine!!

*pictures taken during event by me and others, taken from Twitter feed and News10.net

Staying Positive

After you hear the bad news, you go into an initial state of shock, then you pull yourself together, get organized, get motivated, set a goal and make every effort to reach the prize. That is my story, my plan and my hope.  After being laid off in September I did not know what to expect, I was in a state of panic, yet had a calmness come over me too, I had no idea what to do next, I packed my things, reached out to my network of business contacts and friends, updated my resume, searched for jobs, applied to jobs and waited.  Now, although I have not heard the words "you're hired," I have a plan, I am taking action and I am staying positive.  I wake up daily with a purpose, I look for jobs, I keep in touch with my network (with calls, in person and through social media),  I try to attend at least one networking event per week (SacTweetUp, PlacerBizTweetUp, SPRA luncheons/mixers and IABC luncheons), I carefully choose the jobs and companies I apply to, I make sure to do my homework before meeting with a new company or individual and perhaps most importantly I exercise daily for my mental and physical well-being.  All of that has helped me stay positive and focus on my goal ... landing a full time job at a world-class company.

Since I am in the public relations field, I have also taken a few additional steps to keep my skills relevant and build my network.  First, I joined the Media and Marketing sub-committee with Citizen Voice and have helped to plan and gain media attention to a fund-raiser (Swim for Life) and organized debates for the June Primary election.  Second, I have gotten myself in and on the news at least three times on purpose.  The first "on purpose" occasion happened as I was going to the Bay Area and saw a Sacramento Bee request for someone on CalCOBRA, the second was with News10's Suzanne Phan about using social media to find a job (check out this story from today's Sacramento Business Journal about the same subject) and most recently, I was featured in the Sacramento Business Journal for using networking as a main tool to meet people, find job leads and get interviews. For those wondering about the times I have been in the paper that were not on purpose: a picture of me playing soccer on Easter Sunday in Mexicali about 10 years ago that was in the Sacramento Bee, a story about me buying a house in Roseville that was in the Sacramento Bee in July when the reporter contacted me after seeing some of my Facebook status updates and I just found out that there was a picture of me at the Placer Business Tweetup in the Roseville Press Tribune (working on getting a copy of that now).

What does all of this mean?  It means, and I say this every time, that social media works for PR professionals and journalists, just like it works for businesses.  When a reporter saw that I was having painting parties at my new house, he contacted me to see if he could use me as a source, when I saw on Twitter that the Sacramento Bee was looking for someone on CalCOBRA I contacted them, when I was at Social Media Weekend I met Suzanne Phan and we started to talk about doing a story about using social media as part of a job search, Suzanne and I then both saw a Tweet from the Sacramento Business Journal about a story they were working on, I attended a social media networking event and was photographed.  It really is amazing to see how seamlessly social media has worked its way into our lives and I can only imagine what is to come.  In fact even Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives sees the importance of social media, they will be back in Sacramento filming and not only did they contact the normal outlets (Sacramento Magazine for sure and guessing the Sacramento Bee), but a local blog www.SacFoodies.com.
 **Photo Credit: Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal