Three Cheers for Good People

They're every where when we really look around.

It's the person that held the door open for you as you left the store with your hands full of bags.

It's the person that let you sneak into their lane during rush hour not realizing you were running late to a meeting with your boss.

It's the person across the cubes that said bless you when you sneezed.

In our real world it's simple to find really good people. Is it any different on our social networks? Not really. But it takes a commitment from you on the front end to establish relationships in order for others to talk back to you and show you a glimpse of their good side.

I had a chance to speak with several recruiters today over a conference call that I had recently connected to across various networks. We called in from Minnesota, Atlanta, Dallas and Oregon. We've never met in person, but we have started conversations online. Once on the phone it was as if we'd known each other for quite sometime. We simply jumped on introduced ourselves and the call ensued. We asked questions, suggested solutions, posed theories and within a few short minutes left having really connected and with plans to connect again.

The relationships established online happen much more quickly and for the most part much more effortlessly and without as much work.

Twitter is my social network of choice and has been since Chris Brogan introduced me to it in September 2007. I didn't met him on Twitter, but rather on Facebook. Then I found a post on his website that led me to an interview that Guy Kawasaki conducted with Chris which asked him some of his top hints. One of the hints was using Twitter. So I signed up. Yes, I'm open to new adventures.

Within 5 minutes from joining, Chris sent out a note to his followers asking them to introduce themselves to me and boom. I was in thanks to Chris. As of today I have almost 700 people following me on Twitter. It's amazing.

And it's all because I follow good people and good people follow me back. The relationships have grown both online and offline. I've met people from all walks of life who are simply doing just that. Living. We giggle together. Laugh together. Cheer each other on. Joke with one another.

Gary Vaynerchuk had posted a wonderful idea today asking each of us to chat about the Good People that we know. And I'm not one to disregard a challenge especially for an idea as good as this.

So here are a few of my own personal favorite recommendations of good people you'll find on Twitter. If you haven't joined us on there yet, we'd love to have you!

@chrisbrogan - Known as The Mayor of twitter and super nice guy in Boston
@conniereece - Social media and PR goddess in Austin
@susanreynolds - Social marketing pro and cancer survivor in D.C.
@shashib - Social Media Swami (his biz card reads that!) in D.C.
@thomsinger - Networker extraordinaire in Austin
@chrisbergman - Marketing specialist and all around great guy in Cincinnati
@tojosan - Computer programmer and photographer in St. Louis
@pistachio - Social media maven and consultant in Boston
@karasoluri - Social media queen in training and mom in Austin
@mikeneumann - Business development consultant and all around great guy in Austin area
@sheilas - Blogger, Traveler, Former Navy, more energy than my small toe in Austin area

and my, my, this list could go on and on, but these are simple a few folks who have made an incredible impact on my life. Thank God for Good People!

Social Community Strikes Again!

The social community I'm most active on for the last nine months or so has been Twitter. On this site I've made many new friends, learned so much more about marketing and had a wonderful time being a part of efforts I would never had participated in prior to this relationship.

Today I had a chance to participate in what was titled the Bum Rush of The Age of Conversation. This experiment was to take the sales of this book and raise them up on the Amazon Sales Rank as high as possible on one day.

It rocketed from a starting point of 102,282 and by the end of the experiment landed at 262. What an amazing feat of what can happen in an online social community when we put our hearts into an effort.

Read more here: The Launch: The Age of Conversation Bum Rush

Would You Believe I'm in the Old Category?

(Photo: ABC News)

Okay, maybe not the old category, but definitely in the 30+ category. The reality is I hit the 40s group back in September and goodness I don't feel that old. Even fifty's beginning to look younger.

A few weeks ago, Sarah Lindner of the Austin American Statesman newspaper read one of my blog posts and sent me a note to see if I might be interested in her interviewing me for a story she was writing about Facebook users over the age of 30. I told her that I'd love to be included.

Her story was published today, Facebook for thirtysomethings, it helps those of us that haven't started an online persona gain a better understanding of its uses, benefits and reasons to be on such a site.

It's not that I think everyone of us should be on MySpace and Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter, but for me, especially as the recruiter part of me, being involved on these and other social networking sites is a super advantage to my career. For others it may simply be a way of connecting with people of like interests and learning from their new network of friends. Most of all it's learning how to begin conversations.

Chris Brogan, a friend I connected with first on Facebook, introduced me to Twitter is the King of Conversations. He's a huge proponent of social communities and the benefits of getting to know each other on a personal level - beyond simply wanting to connect with someone that may be of benefit to you on either a personal or professional level.

I like to think that I subscribe to Chris' philosophies on social networking and that beyond my trying to help others with their careers and help me learn from their knowledge of the things that interest me that I am adding to my connections lives in a positive way.

So, get out there, find a site that works for you and begin your own conversations. You'll be amazed at your results.