Why I Love Twitter

I love reading/hearing the things people say about Twitter:

1. I Just Don't Get Twitter...
2. Twitter is the stupidest thing I've ever seen...
3. Twitter is a waste of time...
4. I don't have anything to say...
5. There is no value with Twitter...
6. I don't care what you ate for breakfast...
7. Just another thing to feed your ego with "friends/followers"

Every time I hear people bag on Twitter and people who use it, I try and tell them how useful I have found it in my daily life. In fact, it was just a couple months ago, when I sat down to dinner with one of my closest friends Matt Merkel (@merkprof on Twitter) that we got to talking about the people that we each hung out with most frequently were people who we had met mostly through Twitter.

So whenever I hear the argument that online friends don't amount to anything and that they are nothing but faceless avatars, I take serious issue with that as my best friends are people that I met on Twitter...and it is real friendships. I have gone to countless lunches, dinners, #PDRs, Utah Jazz games, University of Utah Football games, a U2 concert for crying out loud with friends I met on Twitter.

So here are my responses to the questions above:

1. I Just Don't Get Twitter... It might not be for you, but have you REALLY tried it?
2. Twitter is the stupidest thing I've ever seen... Sometimes it is stupid, but what isn't?
3. Twitter is a waste of time... It can be, but again, have you really tried it?
4. I don't have anything to say... Everyone has something to say, and there are people on Twitter talking about the very things you are...you just need to find those conversations
5. There is no value with Twitter... clearly you don't follow Fox 13's Ben Winslow @BenWinslow
6. I don't care what you ate for breakfast... believe it or not, a lot of people actually do care, not only do they care what you ate, but where you ate it and who you ate it with.
7. Just another thing to feed your ego with "friends/followers"... if that is the only thing you use it for, then you are doing it wrong.

So really, Twitter is what you make of it...me? I use Twitter to see what is going on in the world around me, and jump in the conversation(s) when I can. I look for opportunities to meet people on Twitter as often as I can. This is why I love Twitter...it has opened up a new world of people who have similar likes and tastes, and provided me a way to get to know these people better and become really good friends.

So ya, I love Twitter

One Quarter

A couple weeks ago, I was on my way home from a terrible day at work...I was tired, angry, hungry and thirsty. As I turned down a street one block away from my home, I came up to two little girls sitting behind a little table with a bright yellow banner that read "Lemonade 25 Cents". I smiled and remembered the hot days of summer when I would go out and sell lemonade to the workers on my street. Those were good times.

As I slowly passed the table, I could see the disappointment in their faces as I was just another guy driving by who didn't want their little paper cup of lemonade. So I turned down my music, stopped the car and made what was the best decision I had made in weeks. I turned around...

Both girls jumped off their chairs with excitement beaming from their faces. One of the girls leaned up on my car and held up her index finger and said "One glass is 25 cents" to which I handed her a quarter that had been rolling around in my cup holder. The other girl slowly poured out the lemonade that she took such pride in and slowly walked it up to my open window.

There they both stood with eager eyes waiting for me to take the first sip...so I did. It was cold, refreshing and soothing. I looked over at the two girls smiling from ear to ear at the guy who came back, and told them it was delicious and hit the spot.

I slowly made my way home and actually got a little choked up...how could one quarter make two little girls so happy? And why did the lemonade I bought from them taste better than any lemonade I had ever had?

As I pulled into the driveway and waited for the garage to open, I made a pledge to myself that no matter where I was, what I was doing, no matter how hurried I was...I promised that I would stop at every lemonade stand I passed from that day forward...and I gotta tell ya the smiles get bigger, the lemonade tastes better, and the quarter that you spend just made someone's day a little bit better. Who knows, it might have even been your own.

Manage the Mess One App at a Time

We all do it...the exchange of the business card. There is something about that exchange...an excitement maybe, perhaps it is the fact that someone is essentially giving you a little piece of them saying, "Let's keep in touch."

I like giving and receiving cards, but what I hate is when 90% wind up in a pile on my desk, or in a box on the floor. Sure, I have great intentions about filing them and throwing the contacts into my Outlook contact folders...but I never do, and my excuse? IT TAKES SO MUCH TIME! So what on earth do I do when I need someone's contact info? Tear the mountains of cards down rifle through them.

Then I came across something that is pretty awesome...it is called WorldCard Mobile, a Smart Phone Application available for both Android & iPhone that uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to transfer the info from the business card to your contact lists...well, what the crap does that mean? It means, when take a picture (with this APP) of a business card, it will transfer all the relevant info over (Name, Email, Phone Numbers, Addresses, URLs.)

Pretty cool right? For a chronic procrastinator like myself, this app has already saved me a lot of time and headache in managing the business cards I get. The MSRP of this app is $9.99, but I think you can get it for $5.99. Yes, it still seems a little steep, but for what it does, it isn't a bad deal.

So, if you want to step from the mouth of madness, I would recommend this application. Yes, I actually bought it, and here is the proof -> (Picture).

So I would give WorldCard Mobile 3 1/2 Xanax for any stress/anxiety that piles of business cards might cause, and for doing exactly what it tells you it does.

It's time for a Big Gulp #PDR ... cupcake (link to my friend's blog)

I just have to share this...it is from one of my favorite friends online & in real life Emily Hill Give this a read -> It's time for a Big Gulp #PDR ... cupcake

The Magic of Sports

So...this past weekend, I was out shopping at Costco, and I was wearing my Green Bay Packers hat. As I was sitting my daughter in the cart, I looked up and saw this guy staring at me...I thought it was a little weird right?! But then I saw what it was...he was wearing a Green Bay Packers hat as well. Then the magic happened...there was a split second we gave each other a little smile and a understanding nod.

Now I didn't know this guy, I had never seen him before in my life, but for that moment, we were friends...two strangers connected by one thing...Sports.

In thinking about this post, I remember all the times where I will be out in public (wearing a hat with a team logo,) and the people I really notice are those who might be wearing something with the same logo on it. There are even times when I'll be wearing my U of U hat, and someone will walk by and whisper "Go Utes!" It is awesome, and for you sports fans out there, you know what I am talking about.

I can't speak for other sports fans, but if I dissect my mind, I love showing off my favorite sports teams, and by wearing it, I feel like I am an extension to the team...then, when I see others wearing the same colors, logos, whatever...I see a "teammate."

I firmly believe there is a kind of magic when it comes to sports...and with that, I want to share one of my favorite videos. I can't watch this without getting the chills...this is the magic that I am talking about -> Sports Magic

An Apology to my Wife or "Cold Soup"

So a year or so ago, I heard about this iPhone application called Foursquare where you could use your mobile device and "check-in" to places. If you were lucky enough, you could even earn Foursquare Badges...pretty exciting I know.

However, as Foursquare opened up in more cities, you could start to see the application behind it. Businesses were using it to engage their loyal fans/customers/patrons in a whole new way...through their mobile devices by offering "Specials." This is pretty exciting and cool.

So needless to say, I jumped onto Foursquare because it was the "New Shiny" and I wanted to be a part of something...and that is where it all started.

Since jumping onto Foursquare, I have adopted other geolocation applications like Gowalla, Whrrl...Yelp...etc. etc. etc. - I wanted to check each of these to see what each of them brings to the table and really wanted to see how businesses were using each. Maybe I could get some ideas...

ANYWAYS, I think my poor wife has exercised as much patience with me as she possibly can...I mean it is like when we go through the drive-thru, I'll grab the food and go pull into a stall so I can check-in. (In reading that, I realize how sad it is.) Or when we go out on a date...I'll put my phone on the table and check-in, leave a tip, see who else might be there...you get the idea, only to look up and see her giving me "That Look," the "Put that @#%& thing away right now."

Even when I'm out with a buddy, he'll have half his burger or sushi thrown down before I can leave a tip on Yelp. Sadly, after all the checking-in, I have even noticed that my food has gotten cold. (Uggh, this is really sad...rethinking publishing this post now.)

If you really know me, you can testify that I have my phone on me 24/7 and that I am always on it...email, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare...text messages...it has really started to drive people nuts how my iPhone has morphed into another falange. Maybe I do need to give it a rest...or at least calm the freak down.

So sorry Jen...sorry it seems like I am out on a date with my phone and you sometimes seem to be the 3rd Wheel...I'll be better, I promise.

So my resolution is this...wait a second, my phone just beeped...