music now! I am surprised how fast this weekend went. In just a
couple months the will be here for Christmas .. For a whole week!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Heading Home
music now! I am surprised how fast this weekend went. In just a
couple months the will be here for Christmas .. For a whole week!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
On our way out of the park
boys - Dawns mom and sister joined us in the evening and shared dinner
with us and the boys! Kinda sad for it to be almost over ... But MAN
am I tired!!!!!! Overall ... it was a wonderful weekend and I would not trade anything in the world for the past 48 hours.
Wasabi Pea Eating Contest!!!
money is on Bryan at this point ... He can still talk! Ha ha
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Arrival Of The Boys!!!
That's right, Tyler and Bryan are heading down to Orlando this weekend. I get so excited every time they come to visit ... and I am doubly excited this time because we are going to Epcot! Not only is it cool taking my boys to Epcot, watching them run around, pulling Dawn and I here and there ... they laughing, the fun, the "magic" ... this weekend is also the kick off to the International Food and Wine Festival in Epcot. This even runs every year for about 8 weeks and every country puts out a little booth and serves samplings of food from their country, along with a beer and wine *smile*. So not only do we get to have fun with the boys, take them on the rides, laugh, play and skip (OK, maybe not skip) ... but we also get to force foreign food down their throat and watch the different faces they make when we tell them they just ate a duck liver, or a snail, or even worse ... A VEGETABLE!!!
It just warms my heart to prepare and think of all the torture I get to put my wonderful sons through this weekend ... *giggle* Now ... for the BIG news!!! My FAVORITE band is playing in Epcot tonight too. That's Right ... not only do I get to see my Bad Ass kids ... Take them to Epcot for hours of laughable fun ... threaten them with bodily harm if they don't eat snails *snicker* ... Enjoy the BEST food and wine festival in the world ... I also get to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!!!!!!!! For a sampling of BBVD's smooth and tasty digs check out this little homemade video from one of their concerts last year *no - not mine!* - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_sH04aRcGk
Other than that ... its going to be a lighting fast weekend with the boys ... I am sure I'll be posting some pictures of the festivities here on the blog so keep checking (if you want to) - or you can just come back another day and catch up on all the fun we had! *grin*
It just warms my heart to prepare and think of all the torture I get to put my wonderful sons through this weekend ... *giggle* Now ... for the BIG news!!! My FAVORITE band is playing in Epcot tonight too. That's Right ... not only do I get to see my Bad Ass kids ... Take them to Epcot for hours of laughable fun ... threaten them with bodily harm if they don't eat snails *snicker* ... Enjoy the BEST food and wine festival in the world ... I also get to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!!!!!!!! For a sampling of BBVD's smooth and tasty digs check out this little homemade video from one of their concerts last year *no - not mine!* - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_sH04aRcGk
Other than that ... its going to be a lighting fast weekend with the boys ... I am sure I'll be posting some pictures of the festivities here on the blog so keep checking (if you want to) - or you can just come back another day and catch up on all the fun we had! *grin*
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Is Social Media Worth The Time?
Recently I have been engaged in a few heated discussions regarding the value of “Social Networks” and Social Media. It seems to me there is a rather large group of people in society that believe Social Networks (MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter) are for kids or single people looking to “hook up!” I also listen to their reasoning that some people use social media as a shield to hide behind in order to avoid actually meeting people in person. I personally believe social media has more pluses than minuses and can be used to not only improve your network of knowledge it can also help your business and your brand. There is a long list of benefits, for me, regarding social media ... here are a few that come to my mind:
Information Exchange : Social Media is the vehicle available to everyone for information. Depending on what information you are looking for will depend on the response you get from a social network. The trick is, to just start using social media and try out a social network before you tell me it’s full of perverts who just want to talk about sex.
Commonality : Using social networks you can find people or groups who share views, beliefs, or business ideas. These same people own businesses, manage people, work in a technology field, want to learn from you and your failures, just as you will learn from their lessons.
Familiarity : Once you begin to use social media and social networks and develop “relationships” with the people you talk to, Twitter with or post for, you will begin to learn about them as a person. View their pictures on Flickr, read their personal blog and learn about their families. It is what happens when you have a conversation with people on an ongoing basis. People I have never met and probably would never have had the opportunity to meet if not for social media have introduced themselves to me either after I’ve connected via Twitter, commented on one of their blog posts or referenced a post in one of mine.
Learn : Just as you are posting your thoughts, your business ideas, your opinions – you are also reading others … I learn something every day through a blog, a Tweet, an email. My social network teaches me something new about this medium 7 days a week.
Communicate : I belong to a few different groups – I use Twitter to get my message to many people at once when I need instant communication. Yet another benefit of social media.
I know there will be those skeptics out there when it comes to social media. My suggestion is, you need to try it in order to understand the value it can be to you and your business. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK - it may not be the right marketing activity, it may not be the right avenue for your success, but if you are considering social media as a marketing strategy, start with the basics - a blog, LinkedIn and a Facebook profile. Once you get these going, then add Twitter. After that, it’s up to you to determine which other tools may be beneficial to you based on your target market and how you want to reach them. Social Media is all about how you use it, keep in mind that it is a mindset and not a product!
How do you use Social Media in your business? How have you incorporated Social Networking into your business plan and how has it affected you and your company, department, product?
Information Exchange : Social Media is the vehicle available to everyone for information. Depending on what information you are looking for will depend on the response you get from a social network. The trick is, to just start using social media and try out a social network before you tell me it’s full of perverts who just want to talk about sex.
Commonality : Using social networks you can find people or groups who share views, beliefs, or business ideas. These same people own businesses, manage people, work in a technology field, want to learn from you and your failures, just as you will learn from their lessons.
Familiarity : Once you begin to use social media and social networks and develop “relationships” with the people you talk to, Twitter with or post for, you will begin to learn about them as a person. View their pictures on Flickr, read their personal blog and learn about their families. It is what happens when you have a conversation with people on an ongoing basis. People I have never met and probably would never have had the opportunity to meet if not for social media have introduced themselves to me either after I’ve connected via Twitter, commented on one of their blog posts or referenced a post in one of mine.
Learn : Just as you are posting your thoughts, your business ideas, your opinions – you are also reading others … I learn something every day through a blog, a Tweet, an email. My social network teaches me something new about this medium 7 days a week.
Communicate : I belong to a few different groups – I use Twitter to get my message to many people at once when I need instant communication. Yet another benefit of social media.
I know there will be those skeptics out there when it comes to social media. My suggestion is, you need to try it in order to understand the value it can be to you and your business. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK - it may not be the right marketing activity, it may not be the right avenue for your success, but if you are considering social media as a marketing strategy, start with the basics - a blog, LinkedIn and a Facebook profile. Once you get these going, then add Twitter. After that, it’s up to you to determine which other tools may be beneficial to you based on your target market and how you want to reach them. Social Media is all about how you use it, keep in mind that it is a mindset and not a product!
How do you use Social Media in your business? How have you incorporated Social Networking into your business plan and how has it affected you and your company, department, product?
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