Fox 2 News in St. Louis has a Web World segment. This clip is courtesy of Fox2News.

Jill shows off her Twitter rank on StLIndex.com, and compares it to Kevin Steincross, long time anchor and local St. Louis personality.

Also shown are local top ranking tweeps (twitter users): @RizzoTees and @Tojosan <- that would be me.

My take upon watching this is that Kevin does not see a lot of value to Twitter. He even voices that top Twitter users must tweet everything, such as getting out of bed.

True enough is that part of the Twitter community’s routine is to welcome old friends and new each day. Caffeine is a trending topic in the morning across the world.  Folks do mention the daily grind.

Most heavy Twitter users though are engaging in conversation as much or more than they are broadcasting their lives. Personally, I share articles, videos, and photos both in conversation and out.

Close friends on Twitter for me include authors, radio and TV hosts, musicians, chefs, and social media consultants. My connections aren’t just local to St. Louis.

Australia, South Africa, France, Japan, Canada, and Egypt are a handful of countries where I have daily connections.

Business gets done here as well. Restaurants local to St. Louis are active online, both chatting with existing customers and fans, as well as listening for conversation about the restaurant or perhaps even a food speciality, such as beers or pizzas. Twitter is a top place I find new restaurants to try.

So Kevin, and those not in the know, maybe Twitter isn’t your favorite thing or you don’t understand it, but it isn’t to be dismissed, nor online social networking in general. Social networking at the bar isn’t gone, but it’s grown to allow you to belly up with folks of all walks off life, all over the world.

Get with the program!

You can find Jill at @JillStl. She can be found sharing breaking news for St. Louis and beyond, as well as hot topics on the web.

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So which 100K sketch do you like best?

If you’d have asked me 4 years ago if I’d send 100k (one hundred thousand) tweets, i’d have laughed.

Here I am having just crossed that mark and on my way to the next thousand.

Commemorating it seems silly to some. Fellow St. Louis area tweeps are cheering. Cool though is to get a wee bit of media attention.

Remy, of 93.7 The Bull show Mason & Remy, caught me up short about a week ago. He noticed I was approaching 100K tweets. He asked the epic question, “What will you do for your 100K tweet?”

I responded immediately, “I’m going to tweet on your show!” And so the ground work was laid.

Mason contacted me later in the week to line up how we could do the 100k tweet on air. Negotiations were rough but I agree to to call in, along with my friend Chris Reimer (aka @RizzoTees), and tweet the epic 100k tweet while recording on the show.

Skipping to the good stuff here. I’m including Mason, Remy, Chris, and myself on the two radio segments. One focused on the 100k tweet, and one on Chris’ effort to support Pratzel’s.

2-4-11 Tojosan On The Bull

2-4-11 RizzoTees On The Bull

I’d love for you to take a moment to listen in, and another moment to share your thoughts about either the 100k tweets, Pratzel’s or even on Mason and Remy.

Getting there has been fun, long, short, epic, laughable. You name it; I’ve felt it.

What’s driven me? Relationships, conversations, and exploration. It’s been all about me some days, while other tweets have been to raise funds, raise awareness, uplift friends, or just to listen.

I’ve seen instant reports of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, eruptions, assassinations, and happy things as well. It’s awesome to tweet or get a tweet about a birth, a wedding, a person finding salvation, or even someone scoring a great deal online.

Twitter grew from something of passing interest to a nation wide obsession. Yep. I still scream out at times, “they don’t get it”, like any good geek. Mostly though I’m happy that the world continues to shrink for me and others.

Okay. I think I’ve written more here than my last 100 tweets, so I’ll wrap it up.

Listen.Share.Tweet

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Happy New Year from Noobart.com

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Taking stock of 2011 it was a year of blessings, both welcome and not so much.

My brother, Taggart, has gotten worth with his ALS. Currently he can control just one eye. He’s unable to speak or communicate other than with a letter card held by his wife.

Jeff Pulver hosted #140Conf in neighboring Kansas. I spoke and was wowed by many others.

Bring a tweep to lunch had its third year. New faces, new restaurants, and some interesting new tastes. Can you say Habanero infused tequila?!

A ruptured disc rounded out the end of my year. Surgery took place the day before Thanksgiving. The collar is off on December 27.

What was your year like?  What stuck with you the most? A lesson learned? A person you met? A challenge you faced?

Leave a comment. Send a Tweet. Blog about it. Go.Love.Share.

Quick video treat:

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Speaking about blogging is always a good time. Presenting in front of the PRSA crowd had me nervous though. Here is a group of highly educated and seasoned professionals giving up an hour to listen to my take on things.

It was a pleasure to be asked to speak at the PRSA St. Louis Tech Day event. Beyond speaking, I made some exciting connections as a result.

My hope was to return some value for their time. Below I’ve captured a reflection on that effort.

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The St. Louis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is putting on a PR Technology Day. Several speakers will come to educate and share.

I’m honored to have been asked to speak on Blogger Relations:

Bloggers are becoming increasingly important influencers for consumers all over the world. Maintaining good blogger relations can be critical to keeping your brand top of mind with consumers. Find out what tactics and strategies can help you excel at blogger relations.

It’s a topic somewhere in between the tools of Facebook, Twitter, and Google Analytics. Those topics and more will be covered at this half day event.

Running in three parallel tracts, attendees will need to pick and choose. There are no bad choices though and the speakers are experts.

PR Newswire and Maryville University are sponsors for this PRSA St. Louis event.

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The space seems unassuming but moments after this photo intense networking took place.

St. Louis Coworking played host to a speed networking event. Instructions, refreshments, and ultimately networking partners were provided.

Divided into Green and Orange teams, we split up opposite one another. Standing across a table, each partner was given one minute to give their pitch. At the one minute point, the other partner began.

Orange team rotated around to new partners, giving all greens and oranges a chance to pair up. This completed round one.

Round two had each team splitting in half and pairing off.  Now each team had a go at some new folks with less shuffling. Still the one minute per partner rule was in force.

A final round of pairings was done with the one minute rule, maximizing chances to network one on one.

Finishing up the evening was open networking and consuming refreshments.  Brought out as a dessert was gelato cups from Gelateria Tavolini, a nearby gelato shop, and a sponsor of the event.

Describing the mechanics doesn’t quite capture what speed networking is. It’s sixty seconds to give the person across from you a reason to hire you. That might mean as a service, employee, or temporary contractor. I was pitched by a professor on his college, a man representing a prize company, and marketer focusing on using social media and networking.  That sampling represented a few that came at least somewhat prepared.

Preparing is important if you only have a minute.  It’s not about getting a list of facts and figures, your personal history, or your schools together; it’s about being ready to sell me on the future, even specifically our future.  (Note: I speaking to myself here as well.)

Here’s a short list of things not to share in that one minute:

• what college you graduated from
• why you are in St. Louis
• what your personal history is

Those might seem relevant to a decision on my part. Sure, if I decide I’m interested in hiring you. Questions like that might never get asked or might be less relevant than you might believe.

What I asked as a listener. Or a short list of what I wanted to hear:

• what are you offering
• what could you do for me
• why you’re different

The difference is huge to me. Thinking around this allowed me to refine my approach as I went, and refine what I was interested in hearing.

Beyond lessons learned about how to take advantage of such an event, the question is, is a speed networking event for you?

Absolutely.

If you’ve got talents you’d like to put to better use, a product you’re excited about, or just started your own company, then networking is key. Speed networking gives you a chance to get instant feedback in a nonthreatening environment. I believe you’ll learn more in that couple of hours than the same time reading yet another book on networking.

I’d like to thank the team of St. Louis Coworking for hosting this event.  You can read more about my take on coworking at St. Louis Coworking, or visit St. Louis Coworking at The Shell Building.

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Coworking is a hot topic across the US, and the fever is hitting St. Louis. Fresh on the scene is the aptly name St. Louis Coworking located in the Shell Building in Central downtown.

What is coworking?

Coworking is a style of work which involves a shared working environment, sometimes an office, yet independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. (quote from Wikipedia.org)

Initial Impressions

I had the opportunity to attend the one month anniversary. Tours and refreshments were the order of the evening. Unfortunately none of the coworking members were busy working. Some were in attendance to network but the space was otherwise just for show.

Post-industrial with a touch of workshop and lounge, the space gave me a strong sense of getting things done. Looks can be deceiving as well as first impressions. I decided to go back a few weeks later to give the space a hands on review.  What follows are my work-a-day thoughts.

Coworking Experience

Arriving in the morning I was greeted by Rosa, one of the floor managers for the space. She made small talk, asked me if I was staying, and if I’d be joining them for the pancake breakfast. Yes, yes, and yes!

Rosa told me to make myself comfortable and she’d check on me later.

Dominated by more permanent work spaces, there is still plenty of open seating for drop-ins. I selected a table at a window and set up to work.

The picture above is a snapshot of that area. Spreading out was easy; there was room for both laptops, and a power outlet in the wall. Nearby was a power strip just in case.

Luckily Rosa swung by as I was setting up, and gave me the network password.

Before I say more, I have to mention that the view was captivating. I enjoyed sitting at a window and watching the day go by bit by bit.

Working went well as I alternated between day job work, blogging, and weeding the email down.  The comfort of an open space, with low noise and lower traffic made logging issues, following up on tickets, and keeping the peace from a distance all the better.

I was able to put in the ear plugs without threat of someone interrupting. The lighting was good. To top it off, the network was reliable.

Along with work and email, I managed to snag some quiet reading time as well.  Often at home distractions slow or prevent a steady reading pace.  Only a desire to beat traffic made me pack up when I did.

But wait, there’s more!

Pancakes and networking every Friday it seems.  I happened to be there on Friday and had fresh made pancakes with berries and other fruits on the side. Hot coffee was brewed and drew other coworkers around.  This is where relationships are born.

Beyond being an place to work the space is about networking.  Pancakes may seem special, though throughout the month events are hosted in the evenings, and even off site.  A speed-networking night is coming up. The St. Louis Coworking team puts events like this on with an open invitation to other downtown St. Louis workers, and drop-ins like me.

Space for more.

Networking is fun, how much cooler is a fashion shoot though?! Boxers, a local undergarment boutique, holds model shoots in the coworking space.

The team is on the lookout for local St. Louis businesses to give the space a spin. Got a networking idea? Need to do a video shoot?  How about hold a meeting in an unconventional space?  Give the folks at St. Louis Coworking a shout, saintlouiscoworking@gmail.com.

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Social Media Club is coming to St. Louis, and they want to talk about family. **

Chis Heuer, the founder of the Social Media Club is helping families understand the challenges, issues, and opportunities through this 12-city tour focusing on Social Media + Family. It’s a subject that isn’t discussed very often at social media gatherings where the focus has mostly been on marketing and charity, but as evidenced from the first event on the tour, it certainly deserves more attention.

Here’s the word straight from the event page:

Join us for our next stop on the Social Media Club Fall Tour 2010 for this important conversation about Social Media and Family. Leading the conversation will be Chris Heuer, joined by dads and moms who blog/podcast for a panel discussion around their use of Social Media. Following the panel and a brief Q&A, we will break out into small groups to expand the conversation over drinks.

Chevy is sponsoring and can be thanked for  drinks and appetizers being provided at this event. Also, Social Media Club is asking for a donation of $10 at the door and ALL proceeds with go to LetsCureCP.org. Please register for the event at St. Louis Social Media Club: Social Media + Family.

Chris Heuer asked me to join the panel for the St. Louis event.  Helping him prepare, I’ve created a short bio of an online dad. Reviewing this summary of the Atlanta instance of Social Media + Family opened my eyes and gave me some laughs. Check it out here Atlanta Social Media + Family recap.

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Joining a battle was never so tasty as biting into this pizza from Dewey’s in University City.

Tweeting is only have the fun of twitter.  Getting together in person, known as a tweetup, is where you have the most fun. Spotlighting tweetups during the summer is the Bring A Tweep To Lunch series, aka #BATTL.

Running between Memorial and Labor day, it’s a summer of Friday lunches with twitter friends, tweeps. Eating at a different restaurant each week adds both variety and a chance to share the chance to come across the metro area.

Most recently the group crashed lunch at Dewey’s Pizza.  Renowned in St. Louis as a prime place to snag a pie, the Dewey’s in UCity is close to the Delmar Loop.  Put those two things together and the place fills up quick on a Friday.  Lesson learned. Go early and get all your attendees there on time.

Mixing up locations causes a mix of tweeps showing up. There are some regulars for sure, as well as surprise drop-ins.  The occasional social networking novice joins in here and there.

Organizing? Planning? Almost zero.

Trial and error resulted in this simple formula:

1) Set the schedule – pick the dates/times ahead of time

2) Pick a place with adequate seating – again, pick early

3) Announce it on Twitter – the hashtag for the original series is #BATTL.

4) Explain it – expand what it is. Just don’t say #BATTL at Dewey’s for example. Better is Friday tweetup at Dewey’s at 11:30 #BATTL #STL.

5) Tell all your local twitter friends.

6) Add the series to any available social networking calendars.

Rinse and repeat each week.

Things not to worry about:

1) How many people show up

2) Who shows up

3) Turning the event into something other than breaking bread with friends.

Goal

The goal is to get folks who only chat online to meet in person, share a meal, and hopefully the magic happens from there.

Go forth and #BATTL.

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Bring a Tweep to Lunch networking lunch series is on a logo hunt. Above you’ll see awesome designs by @UCityJack. I’m quite taken with a couple of these.

Initial reactions lean towards two of these.  Friday’s Sybergs #BATTL crew got a chance to see the designs up close. Now’s your chance to weigh in.

What good is running a blog and being on social networks if you don’t use them. I’m asking you to leave a comment here or on Twitter and tell us which log you like.

Spicing it up though, I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky commenter.

Simple Rule Rock

1) Leave a comment below saying which image you like. One entry max.

2) Tweet about the logo hunt and share the link to your tweet in a comment. One entry max.

3) Design, post, and leave a link in a comment to your own design. One entry max.

Deadline: Tuesday night at midnight Central Time. That’s Tuesday, June 29th, midnight.

Winner will be chosen Wednesday using Random.org.

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