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Marketing, public relations, social media... and a little of this and that.

How I Ended up in the Bathroom with Two Females

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This post is definitely off topic, but a good example of some of the random things that seem to happen to me – a look inside my soap opera, also known as life.

Last night around 7:30 I met a female friend at one of my favorite spots in downtown Greensboro, the Green Bean, a hip little coffee shop with tons of flavor. We arrived at about the same time, but I went ahead and grabbed a couple seats in the back as she purchased her new favorite African blend of tea.

My friend eventually made her way to where we were sitting and we started to chat. Shortly after she sat down she smirked as she saw the female coming out of the men’s bathroom. It’s not something one typically expects.

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Time passed, and then another female (Let’s call her Red) with long red hair started making her way to the back of the coffee shop. She stopped in front of the men’s room, and I thought to myself, “Here we go again.”

But this instance was different because the women’s room wasn’t occupied. With her red headed flair she turned around, made a quip remark and went right in. Then, not two seconds later she briefly opened the door, looked at my friend, then looked at me and said, “I’m sorry, will you come in here for a minute?” My friend and I humorously looked at each other, and Red said (while looking at my friend), “I’m not trying to steal your man, I just need his advice. You can come in as well.”

I continued to laugh at the situation, but Red asked again, “Will you please come in here, I just need to ask you something.” Never one to turn down a good adventure I got up, as did my friend, and went into the men’s bathroom. As soon as we entered Red shut the door behind us. I stood there thinking, “Why o why am I in the men’s bathroom with two females?”

[Side note: the bathroom walls in the Green Bean are virtually just like a chalkboard and they provide chalk for people to write on the walls.]

Red eventually looked at me and said, “So what’s the first thing you see when you come in the bathroom?” I said, “The toilet.” Not satisfied with my response she said, “How about in terms of the wall?” I pointed and before I could ask another question Red started spouting out details about a guy she had been with (yes, like that) and how he was unsatisfactory (I’ll let your imagination simmer on that). Long story short, she wanted to write something on the wall in hopes that he would get the message.

And yes, it was now clear that Red was a bit tipsy.

After a good five minutes, and lots of humorous conversation, we exited the bathroom. But wait, there’s more. Red had such a good time that she now wanted to join us. My friend is possibly one of the nicest people (and comes across as very proper) I’ve ever met and naturally welcomed her to join us. I thought to myself, “This is going to only get funnier.”

Tweet I sent after the bathroom experience.
Tweet I sent after the bathroom experience.

My friend and I sat down while Red was getting another glass of wine. When she returned she decided that it was time to feel my friend’s energy. Let’s just say this consisted of sitting facing each other, touching hands, closing their eyes and Red “feeling her energy.” I wish I could post the photos, but I won’t due to my friend’s privacy. After this humorous encounter my friend once again took her seat and Red wandered off.

Then, moments later she returned and leaned over my friend and said, “Ok, my girlfriend (remember she had already talked about a previous guy experience) is in the bathroom and I want her to see me with another female.” I’m thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” So there my friend sat talking to Red, then the women’s bathroom door opened and the girlfriend walked out. Red jumped up and said, “I need to talk to you.”

The girlfriend said “ok,” and she and Red went back into the women’s bathroom (single occupancy) for several minutes. At this point my friend and I were still laughing at our bathroom experience and were just taking it all in.

Red and her girlfriend eventually came out and sat down and struck up a conversation with us. We talked about how they make jewelry, Red’s acting career, and how the girlfriend dabbles in marketing (that alone makes this post relevant right?) for a local business, but hopes to eventually get a job in the fashion industry. The girlfriend actually held a good conversation and made it clear that in some instances, opposites really seem to attract.

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All and all it was a very funny experience and I’m not doing it justice by leaving several things out, but did at least wanted to share one of my random experiences with you.

How I’ve Saved $210 in 30 Days

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This is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series.

My first post in this series highlighted that I was trying to alter my eating habits to get in better shape, but to also save money on my eating out expenses. From that post,

“In doing this I will not only be cutting calories out of my diet and reducing the amount of fried food I eat, I’ll also be saving a nice chunk of money. If I can stick to this plan I’ve estimated that I’ll save, at a minimum, $200 a month by not eating out for lunch.”

Yesterday, I took a moment to compare my spending habits for the last 30 days with the previous 30 day period. To my delight my eating out expense had reduce by $210!

Now, if you are thinking, “That’s more than I spend eating out all month!” cut me some slack. I’m a single guy with a busy lifestyle, so the dream of eating at home for every meal simply isn’t part of my reality.

I’ve still only lost two pounds, but think part of the reason is because I’ve gained a little muscle along the way. At least I like to hope that’s the case.

I also started inline speed skating (Told you I’m a dork) again last week. It’s a sport I took part in when I was younger and is the best all around workout I’ve ever had. Skating is the only thing that has been able to get me to my absolute max, and then about 10% past that. Needless to say it’s going to help get me in shape.

Let’s circle back to that $200. That’s a pair of jeans! And don’t give me a hard time for liking nice jeans – it’s something I wear quite often and they have a good lifespan.

Regardless of whether the money stays in savings or if I opt to spend it, the plan is working.

Tip: Next time you go to order a soda when eating out, think twice. You’ll quickly save $2, if not more.

Quoted in News & Record Social Media Article

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Photo Credit: Greensboro News & Record
Photo Credit: Greensboro News & Record

From the Greensboro News & Record,

“GREENSBORO — As constant updates from social networking sites such as Twitter become a routine part of the day, it’s not just kids and cubicle dwellers who are harnessing the power of social media. Local governments and their departments are joining in, so far with mixed results.

“We started the Twitter account about 18 months ago,” said Jim Collins, communications manager for the city of Greensboro. “So far, we’ve been using it for putting up things of citywide import, announcements, trying to get people to participate in public meetings.”

The free Web site Twitter, at twitter.com, allows people to communicate in short bursts of 140 characters, which can include links to other sites. Users “follow” other Twitter feeds to receive information and network with each other to gain “followers” of their own.

Signing up is free at the Twitter home page. All that’s needed is a valid e-mail address. The service can be used from a computer or mobile phone with Web or text capabilities.

Many social media fans say using Twitter to simply post announcements is not taking full advantage of the medium.

Ryan Shell, a Greensboro blogger and marketing communications specialist, said the biggest mistake organizations make with Twitter is forgetting that it’s supposed to be a conversation.

“It’s better if it’s not all one way, just pushing information at people with no give and take, no interaction,” Shell said. “Look at the city of Greensboro on Twitter. They have 1,260 followers. That’s way more than me — more than most people. But they’re only following five people. That’s not a conversation, and it doesn’t interest people.”

Shell’s run for City Council this year was heavy on new media, with video updates to his campaign blog and updates for his more than 600 Facebook friends and more than 750 followers on Twitter.

Shell lost his council bid, but his reputation for online organizing has led some to seek him out for advice on connecting people online. Governments would do well to look at how successful individuals and groups use Twitter rather than trying to adapt Twitter to continue the way their bureaucracy communicates, he said.” Click here to continue reading the article.

How to Approach “My boss Doesn’t see Value in Social Media.”

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obama-hurdleThe number of times I’ve heard people say, “My boss doesn’t see the value in social media,” is really unfortunate.

How you approach this hurdle is absolutely crucial.

When I started my current job, and began to quietly float the idea of using social media past various folks, I often heard, “I’m not so sure you’ll be able to make that fly.” It became very apparent that I was facing an uphill battle, but for my personality type, that simply made the process more fun.

Most of the time, when someone opposes the use of social media, it stems from insecurities around the unknown. And that’s perfectly understandable.

When you are making the social media pitch you need to have data readily available. For example, some people may assume that only kids use social media. Of course, you and I know that isn’t true, but you have to dispel that misconception. To help clear up that confusion you could have the following types of facts available.

The 25 – 54 age group is growing at a rapid pace on Facebook, and as a matter of fact, according to a recent iStrategyLabs report the 55+ demo grew 513.7% from January 4, – July 4, 2009.

In addition to data, providing success stories of how others have utilized social media will help you paint a picture of how your organization could benefit.

And most importantly, you need to have a strategy in mind. Without a strategy, you’ll drastically reduce your chances of convincing the powers at be that social media is right for you. Think of the strategy as your map, and a way to ease the fears of the unknown.

These are just a few things to help you better understand how to get around the hurdle of, “My boss doesn’t see the value in social media.” There’s not a one size fits all solution, so if you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.