Justin Bieber (Photo: Wikipedia)

I’d heard of Justin Bieber before, but I’m not exactly part of his demographic. Thus, I wasn’t terribly interested in his act. Having checked out some of his performance footage, I will freely admit that Bieber has talent and some females would find him either “cute” or “attractive” (depending upon the age of the female). There’s no need to begrudge the boy his chance to take advantage of newfound stardom; at the rate he’s going, Usher will come to him for a cash loan someday soon.

Child stars typically burn out or disappear

I won’t be a sourpuss and say that horrible things should happen to Justin Bieber to yank him permanently out of the spotlight. I’m not mean-spirited, when you get to know me. But I will say that the amount of attention this young man is receiving is beyond sense. Hopefully he has good people in his corner to guide him – or he will be permanently warped by the weight of admiration.

Justin Bieber is all over Twitter

People can’t stop tweeting about Justin Bieber. He was a school principal in Covina, California for a day, because he has that much pull. He’s popular with the “American Idol” target audience. Reports indicate that he believes his own hype, too. None of this would accurately explain why Justin Bieber is dominating Twitter to his current degree. E! Online was mystified, until they discovered that Justin Bieber is on SNL on April 10. In my mind, SNL musical acts usually stink, so we’ll see if Bieber follows the trend or busts out.

Will the Twitter quizzes reveal why people are crazy?

Thanks to E! Online, here are just a few of the Justin Bieber quizzes on Twitter:

• “How Much Do You Have in Common With Justin Bieber” – Were you discovered by Usher? Have you ever worked as an usher?
• “Who Is Better for You, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas or Robert Pattinson” – Better in what way? I would actually have to go with Justin Bieber here, because I find the others to be absolutely noxious.
• “Justin Bieber Wants to Go All The Way, What Do You Do” – I am not the target demographic here, but hypothetically, I imagine my reaction would include tossing him out a window.
• “What Happens If You Are at a Justin Bieber Meet and Greet” – I would try to sell him on the value of becoming an affiliate for Personal Money Store, where online loans are available 24/7.
• “What Would Happen If Justin Bieber’s Mom Marries Your Dad” – He’d be the stepbrother I never wanted.
• #urwack – You’re wack? This whole thing is wack!

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You know that it is dangerous to broadcast exactly where you are over the World Wide Web, right? Let’s set aside the ways in which the powers that be monitor us every day. I’m talking about revealing your location to complete strangers so that they can track you, a la Cornel Wilde in “The Naked Prey.” It isn’t the best idea in the world, because at the very least, if people know where you live and that you aren’t home, they can come claim your stuff. “Please rob me” is what the Paris Hiltons and Tila Tequilas of the world are saying when they tweet exactly where they are at any given time. It’s a potential pay day for the unscrupulous savvy.

Please Rob Me? What a concept

Boy Van Amstel took those three little words to heart, placed his tongue firmly in cheek and started his mashup site entitled – wait for it – Please Rob Me. He told the BBC that “It started with me and a friend looking at our Twitter feeds and seeing more and more Foursquare posts.” For those of you who don’t know, Foursquare is an online game where participants reveal their location in the real world, which is plotted on a map. Twitter is, of course, a ubiquitous microblogging platform where many people tweet anything that crosses their minds.

Please Rob Me mixes these features with social commentary

There’s satire afoot here. Please Rob Me doesn’t encourage theft or related illegal activity. I don’t, either. But I think skewering the way people tweet is juicy.

“The Web site is not a tool for burglary,” Van Amstel told the BBC. “The point we’re getting at is that not long ago it was questionable to share your full name on the internet. We’ve gone past that point by 1,000 miles.” Van Amstel also claims that actually using information on Please Rob Me to burglar someone’s abode would be “very difficult.” No easy pay day here.

Twitter shut down the PleaseRobMe account

Yet the site rolls on. PC Magazine writes that Twitter turned out the lights due to what they considered to be “suspicious activity.” I think that Twitter doesn’t have a sense of humor.

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Kevin Smith Image from Flickr.

Who would have thought that Kevin Smith was one of those people who has to buy two airplane seats? Perhaps it was a smaller plane, but a Southwest Airlines pilot said Kevin Smith was too big for his seat on a would-be flight from Oakland, Calif., to Burbank, Calif. He did end up getting some quick cash, but let’s start at the beginning.

So Kevin Smith was kicked off the airplane Saturday because he was too fat. As you can probably imagine, he was none too pleased about this, and he let loose a stream of angry tweets from his account, @ThatKevinSmith. The string of tweets makes the story a little confusing because it tells the story differently than how most media are reporting it.

If not too fat, then why?

Everyone from the San Francisco Gate to Diets in Review is reporting that Kevin Smith had to exit the airplane because the pilot said he was too big for his seat. However, on his Twitter account, Kevin Smith says “a Linda from @SouthwestAir just apologized & said the Pilot DID NOT single me out for Fatty-ejection.”

So if the Kevin Smith airplane story is not that he was kicked off the plane for being too fat, then what was the reason? ThatKevinSmith never really makes that clear. However, he does make it very clear that the rumor that he usually buys two seats is not true.

Southwest Airlines rumor mill

That rumor about Kevin Smith’s airplane-ticket-buying habits was started by Southwest Airlines on their company blog. However, ThatKevinSmith says “Srsly: @SouthwestAir put that in their blog. I never said that. On SMod, I describe buying seats for THIS week’s flights. Hardy ‘usually’.”

So Kevin Smith bought two airplane tickets but ended up getting kicked off because he didn’t fit properly in one seat. How did that happen. SFGate says :

Both Smith and the airline acknowledged that he had bought two seats for his original flight from Oakland, where he had spoken at the Macworld Expo conference. But he was flying standby in order to catch an earlier flight, and only one was available.

In the end,Kevin Smith got an apology, both online and over the phone, and a $100 voucher from Southwest Airlines. If you don’t know why the Kevin Smith airplane story is even news, check out Kevin Smith’s IMDB page.

Whether your business is payday loans, auto loans or nearly anything else, online social marketing through such networks as Facebook and Twitter should be an important part of the way you do business. However, if the recent Edelman study quoted in Ad Age is any indication, social media friending is far from a be-all, end-all. In fact, Edelman’s survey shows that a mere 25 percent of social media users trust what their friends have to say about the credibility of a business.

What? They don’t trust their “friends?”

That’s what Michael Bush reports in Ad Age. It spits in the face of the online social marketing strategy that is central to many companies. Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman public relations company, uses his Trust Barometer to indicate that since 2008, the percentage of those who trust their online friends has dropped tremendously, from 45 percent down to the current 25 percent.

A sign of the times?

“The events of the last 18 months have scarred people,” Edelman said in reference to privacy issues encountered with such popular social networks as Facebook and Twitter. “People have to see messages in different places and from different people. That means experts as well as peers or company employees. It’s a more skeptical time.”

Online social networks aren’t the only group to have lost ground. Bush writes that the Trust Barometer showed television’s credibility to be down 23 points, while radio and newspapers were down 20 over the same time span. Oddly enough, Edelman’s Trust Barometer showed that CEOs and financial analysts gained credibility in the eyes of the public. Have people been paying attention to the news?

Average Joes don’t hold sway any more

Perhaps we’ve finally reached a saturation point with online social media. The influence of friends is diluted by sheer numbers and mind-numbing speed of communication. Live feeds from friend lists that are hundreds of members long are too much for a human being to follow with any meaning or accuracy. Word of mouth is more valuable than ever, Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association President Paul Rand tells Bush. Yes, that’s the name of the association.

“The mind-set is no longer, ‘I can just trust it because it’s somebody’s opinion. It’s, ‘I can trust that specific opinion because it’s someone I know.’”

Which raises the question: Do you really know your online friends?

Most people can’t physically name 200 to 300 people they know, yet many have that many online “friends,” if not more. Personal Money Store and other online payday loans portals depend upon social networking to spread the word regarding their services. But as consumers become more sophisticated, they can spot marketing messages disseminated via online social networks more easily. If Edelman’s study is any indication, consumers aren’t responding as positively as they were just two years ago.

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For sports fans, the Super Bowl is the culmination of the NFL season. Even for casual fans, Super Bowl time is a pop culture chill out, as the viral commercials fly fast and furious and the halftime show always presents the chance to either see the performers have a wardrobe malfunction or finally succumb to rigor mortis, perhaps both. Payday loans for mummification supplies are available, and hotlines are at the ready in Roger Goodell’s skybox.

But how about this chocolate-peanut butter collision?

Television commercials alone aren’t enough anymore; online social media like Twitter, Facebook and more have ramped up the Super Bowl experience to an entirely different level. Fans, advertisers and players are all in on the action, from Facebook fan pages to contests and various other promotions, it’s a completely interactive experience that mere television cannot match.

What Super Bowl social media can do for you

Thanks to Mashable’s round-up, here are a few highlights of what to expect from Super Bowl social media this weekend:

Lots of controversy

• GoDaddy: Watch out for the “Lola” ad online that was banned by CBS. It’s received it’s share of negative buzz, but perhaps the Danica Patrick-driven ads are cashing in on the “no publicity is bad publicity” concept.
• ManCrunch: See the video below. Men need intimate time, apparently.
• Focus on the Family: This is the pro-life Tim Tebow commercial that the makers insist isn’t a politically charged religio-political ad on national television. Yes, all organized religion is politics. You heard it here first.

Creating a sports buzz (w/product tie-ins, of course)

• Coca-Cola: Live Positively on Facebook, football fans. Share a virtual Coke and send some money to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. You’ll feel just like the kid who got the “Mean” Joe Greene jersey.

• Budweiser: Fans are being encouraged to vote on Facebook for what ad they want to see.
• Target: Not technically a Super Bowl social media player, but their Super Love Sender is a Valentine’s Day attraction.
• Monster: A Super Bowl advertising veteran, Monster is featuring a microsite called Fiddle a Friend. Because what job hunter in this economy couldn’t use a fiddle-playing beaver?

If you don’t care about the game

Then something is wrong with you. Sorry, kidding. It will be a good game, but I can understand wanting to do something else. I’d rather be watching baseball, or playing it, but that’s just me. Here are alternatives in Super Bowl social media:

• Pepsi: No Super Bowl commercial, but plenty of social media fun to be had, thanks to the Pepsi Refresh Project.
• Fill in your favorite social media time-waster here.

NFL players twitter and tweet

• The NFL: The Tag the Super Bowl #SB44 is a joint Twitter/Flickr venture, and as a whole this is the NFL’s first official foray into Super Bowl social media madness. According to Mashable, the “initiative encourages fans to tag their tweets and Flickr photos with the SB44 hashtag.” The NFL will pull it all together into a great photo album.
• Chad Ochocinco: Lots of players past and present are on Twitter and Facebook. Not to be outdone, however, Chad Ochocinco will be on Motorola’s OCNN to cover the game and rap about the color of his underwear – or something.

Slow down; untwitter your brain

Your payday loans blogger says that Super Bowl social media is changing the way fans interact with the game and its players. Yet it still can’t make him care more about football than baseball. Baseball operates outside the boundaries of time – there is no game clock. Since we’re all rushing toward our social media graves at 4G speed these days – with nary a moment to Twitter our parting shots – I think it’s nice to have something where the game continues until it ends, not until a clock runs out or advertisers tell us.

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Image from Flickr.

With all of the text messaging, instant messaging and Facebook-status-updating that teenagers do, it seems Twitter would be a perfectly natural venue for teenagers to share their thoughts. However, a recently released study shows that simply is not so. Only 8 percent of teenagers who use the Internet use Twitter, says Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

There are a few different theories on why teenagers don’t use Twitter. One is “a growing awareness of privacy levels,” according to the Washington Post. It is true that these teens have grown up in an era when the news, teachers and parents are constantly reminding them to be careful about what they post online.

Fantastic Facebook

It seems sometimes that Facebook can do just about anything. I am sure you could find easy cash loans through Facebook, as well as play various, strange games, read your horoscope and update your friends about what you’re having for dinner. One teenager told the Washington Post Facebook “does everything Twitter offers, only it’s better.”

Very true. Plus, Facebook does a whole lot more than Twitter does. Furthermore, many of the tweets I see are for marketing purposes or professional networking purposes. Most teens aren’t trying to advertise products or make sure they get their “I am looking for a job” message in front of as many eyes as possible.

Teen talk

The teenager in the Washington Post story made another good point about why she and her peers aren’t using Twitter. “Teenagers like to talk, and 140 characters is just not enough.”

While me and my word-loving, twenty- and thirty-something friends might see staying under the 140-character limit as a fun little challenge, it does greatly limit the conversation on Twitter. Sometimes it’s very hard to make a point on Twitter. Most people I know use Twitter as a supplement to Facebook, but apparently most teens just view it as unnecessary.

(Image from cote, Flickr.com)

In part one of this series, readers learned that Twitter can be useful in creating additional income streams or just useful for fast cash in emergency situations. As we journey further into the opportunities for making money on Twitter, we’ll show you how to use it to save money in order to pay down debt or how it can be used to raise funds for charitable efforts.

The following ideas round out our series for making fast cash on Twitter:

Search for Deals

It is likely that you’ve fallen into debt because you’ve been paying too much for items that you use every day. Therefore, it is time to tighten your belt and start searching for deals on these items, instead. Make a list of the products that you regularly use and then go in search of their manufacturers on Twitter. Follow them to receive regular updates on sales and coupons being offered on many of these same items.

Also, follow coupon sites that offer a variety of different coupons or sites like Woot or SlickDeals, which offer or advertise a wide selection of deals on different items every day. While deal mining won’t put fast cash directly into your pockets, it will save you money that can be applied to your existing debt.

Solicit Donations

If you are raising money to benefit a charitable cause or if you are just in a tight bind and in need of a little fast cash till payday, ask your Twitter followers if they can share a few bucks to help you out. While this isn’t something you’d do every day, most people don’t mind contributing a dollar or two to charity or directly to your PayPal account when you need emergency cash. If fifty of your kindest followers are able to share two bucks, you’ve made $100 for your charitable efforts or to help you get out of a crunch. Chances are you’ll need more space than the 140 characters Twitter allows per tweet to explain your situation, which is where sites like ChipIn come in handy. By setting up an event there, you can explain your need and give your followers an opportunity to chip in. You may even want to offer an incentive, such as a service in exchange for donations. For example, if you are adept at making Twitter backgrounds or setting up WordPress blogs, offer your followers a special gift of one of these for the money that they donate.

Stay Home and Tweet

Twitter and other social networking sites are free to use and can introduce you to people all over the world. So instead of going out and spending money on admission, food, drinks, gas and other expenses, why not stay home and socialize online instead? Sure, it’s not face to face interaction, but it’s also not costing you an arm and a leg to participate. When trying to get out of debt, your focus has to be on saving money, so if you’re a social butterfly but fluttering from event to event in the real world is keeping you in debt, learn to tweet, instead.

While these tips on making money with Twitter won’t make you rich, each one of them can help you climb out of debt if you apply them properly. When you are in need of fast cash, it helps to think outside of the proverbial box and try things that you ordinarily wouldn’t. Bear in mind that, although Twitter does represent a money making opportunity, the key to success in any social networking activity is to personally engage those who are taking the time to follow you. Do not bombard people with advertising or financial requests simply because you have a need for fast cash. Instead, take the time to interact and build strong relationships and then, if you find yourself in need of emergency cash or swimming in debt, you are in a position to use these, and other, creative ways of turning your tweets into cash.

Looking for fast cash?  Apply HERE!

(Image via keiya, Flickr.com

Just a few years ago, twitter was something people did with their thumbs when bored. Today, it still involves using your fingers, but engaging in Twitter connects you to a world of people with similar interests. For those in debt or who are involved in a charitable effort and frantically searching for ways of making fast cash, why not consider the opportunities literally at your fingertips via social networking?

The following are a few possible ways of making fast cash on Twitter:

Promote a Business or Service

This one is obvious, but if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time to start. Everyone from your neighborhood Avon lady to Bill Gates is using Twitter to promote their business. People engage in social networking with others based on their common interests. Now, we all know that, in business, what you’re selling first to the public is yourself. So, since you’ve already been successful in selling yourself, making friends and building a following, why not take the next step in inviting your online networks to do business with you?

Sell Your Stuff

Look around your house and consider that any gently used items you’re not using anymore can be sold to someone else. When you find yourself in debt and in need of fast cash, think of Twitter as your own personal garage sale site and offer these useful wares to your followers.

Get Paid to Tweet

A lot of business owners would like to advertise on Twitter, but don’t have the time to engage in social networking. Therefore, smart entrepreneurs have taken to paying others, who are savvy at social networking, to tweet about their special sales, discounts, new products, special events, etc. Rates for this service may vary according to the amount of people following you or if you have to establish a separate account and build a following for each particular client, but the payoff can be big if you work hard at it. While having one client pay for this service may not produce enough fast cash to get you out of debt, if you extend this service to multiple clients, you just may be able to get the cash you need while building a new business niche.

Sponsored Tweets

It is rumored that Kim Kardashian charges up to $10,000 for sponsored tweets running in her timeline. Now, while you probably don’t have the following that Ms. Kardashian does and, therefore, cannot charge nearly what she and other celebrities do for sponsored tweets, you can still benefit from sponsored tweets. Internet companies, like Ad.ly exist for the sole purpose of connecting you with businesses willing to pay you for the opportunity to advertise to your followers.

In part two of How to Make Money on Twitter, you will learn more on how to use social networking to make fast cash, but you’ll also learn how to use sites like Twitter to save money when you need to tighten your budget or raise money for charity. Individuals who are serious about making fast cash on the Internet to get out of debt can do so with these tips and other creative social networking ideas that are applied with serious effort.

For Fast Cash, apply HERE!

Grand Central Station interior; image from Flickr.

People were all aTwitter, saying Grand Central Station was shut down today, but it turns out that was either a hoax or a misunderstanding. According to The Huffington Post and Gothamist, the commotion started when someone linked to a 2007 story about an explosion at Grand Central. It was shut down back then, but not today.

It does say on the linked story and photo that it’s from 2007, but it’s waaaaay down at the bottom. I haven’t been able to track down down the original post that started this mayhem, but it’s an interesting lesson in social networking. You can use Twitter to find the best place to get a new tire, advertise short term loans or spread panic and lies.

Double check before you double click

I think the best thing we can learn from this is that before we copy a link, ReTweet a post or update our Facebook statuses with the latest tidbit of surprising information, we should check our facts. I have been guilty of Facebooking without thinking, for sure.

A friend of mine posted in his status update that Robert Pattinson was going to play Spider-Man in “Spider-Man 4,” and I immediately reacted, stating my displeasure. Turns out, he had stumbled across an April Fool’s Day story. Not only was the story old news, it was a hoax. Luckily for me, this did little harm other than making me look foolish. This Grand Central shut down business is a good example of a time when it could cause a little more damage.

No more he said, I said

The best way to know if information is accurate is to check it out on an actual news web site. Newspapers and news television stations are probably the most careful, best sources of information. Sure, they get it wrong sometimes, too, but you can trust them most of the time.

Sparkfun Electronics has been pimpin’ Free Day for about six weeks, and after all is said and done, the whole event lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. Sparkfun Free Day was supposed to go from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. or until $100,000 worth of stuff was given away. But Sparkfun Free Day didn’t even make it to 11 a.m. And you should see what people wrote about Sparkfun on Twitter.

Even when a company like Sparkfun is doing something nice like giving away free stuff, people will always complain and become outraged if they don’t get what they want. Sparkfun warned people for weeks that the server would likely crash because of the spike in traffic on Sparkfun Free Day, but nevertheless, a hailstorm of angry tweets was released.

Crazy for free stuff

If we could generate as much excitement about online loans as Sparkfun did about Free Day, we’d be millionaires. Of course, the key to creating craziness is to give away free stuff. Unlike when Oprah gave out coupons for free chicken or when Starbucks gives away free coffee at a grand opening, people could get up to $100 worth of merchandise for free.

So it is understandable that people were substantially pumped, and when these pumped up people found that they couldn’t get in on the goods because too many other pumped people were getting in on the goods, they freaked. Sparkfun’s favorite Free Day Twitter entry was by lukeweston who said “This is a bizarre form of nerd torture.”

Will there be more Sparkfun Free Days?

Of course, there are no guarantees in life, but the company comes across as being pretty pumped in Sparkfun’s Free Day recap. They say the reason they wanted to have the event is because they had a great year, so assuming they have another great year in 2010, why wouldn’t they have another Sparkfun Free Day?

"Whut? U poked her instead of going out wit me?"

I’m a statistic. You may be a statistic, too. But I didn’t get ‘faced and mess around on Facebook during my marriage in order to become one. If I had, I would have needed a whole lot more than a cash advance to fix that kind of trouble.

Despite the seeming stupidity of it all, the London Telegraph claims that 1 in 5 divorces refers to Facebook. I cringe, and not just because of the horrific grammar in that linked phrase that I use to ensnare you, random Google surfer. I cringe because people use social media like Facebook and Twitter without thinking. Even Tiger Woods didn’t air his escapades for the entire World Wide Web to see.

Poke, Poke, Cheat, Cheat

Twenty percent of divorces are prompted by Facebook indiscretions? That’s a staggering number, but Mark Keenan of Divorce-Online tells the Telegraph that “I had heard from my staff that there were a lot of people saying they had found out things about their partners on Facebook and I decided to see how prevalent it was I was really surprised to see 20 percent of all the petitions containing references to Facebook.” Inappropriate sexual conversations with inappropriate people are big factor in divorces and other marital strife. E-mails, scrawling your libido on a Facebook wall or flashing the hot to trot via a mobile Facebook app are all signs that people have a lot to learn about being decent people. Remember, it’s quite easy for wronged lovers to track that kind of stuff.

But Everyone Deserves Physical Fulfillment

Yes, they do. But when you’re in a relationship, you’ve made a commitment to that person. That deserves more than what one 35-year-old woman got from her husband. Apparently, she discovered he was going to divorce her by combing his Facebook communications. Privacy and trust issues aside, show some class! A partner deserves face-to-face communication. No text message breakups, no phone calls, no E-mails, no Facebook posts. You make the commitment to be intimate with that person in the first place; show them the basic human courtesy of discussing it with them face-to-face before you shoot it off for the rest of the world to see.

Relationship Status: Too Stupid For a Relationship

Yes, 1 in 5 divorces refers to Facebook (to repeat the grammatically painful keyword). Many more relationships end because the couple is unwilling or unable to communicate in a respectful, healthy manner. But if your admission amounts to changing your Facebook relationship status, you are without question too stupid to be in a relationship.

What about full-on role play in the virtual world? Second Life and MMORPG venues have that covered, even though Linden Labs or any other game company would certainly say they do not condone such behavior. And I’d believe them. I find Second Life to be a neat idea for harmless fun, so long as that Second Life doesn’t become your first life. Yet having a virtual affair is not harmless fun. I know of at least one married former co-worker who played another game (a Final Fantasy MMORPG, I think) and had what amounted to an online affair with another player. Sadly, there are countless examples of such behavior going on in cyberspace, each and every day. Not only do these people often convince themselves that they need a cash advance to fund their gaming habit, but they have the gall to justify what they do as harmless fun.

Be Smart, Be Respectful

If your relationship is important to you and your partner (yes, you should honor your partner, all things being equal), work on your problems. If the differences are irreconcilable, talk about an exit strategy together. At least then you’re making the effort to show your former loved one respect and aren’t adding to the rubbish heap of statistics that includes such concepts as “1 in 5 divorces refers to Facebook.”

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Improper punctuation can be dangerous. Image from Flikr.com.

National Punctuation Day is a holiday like no other. Unlike most holidays that are invented seemingly out of the blue, National Punctuation Day wasn’t created as a business promotion.

It’s sort of like Talk Like a Pirate Day. It doesn’t make anybody any money. It doesn’t spread publicity for a business. It is simply there for people to celebrate something they love. You don’t need an unsecured personal loan or any other form of financing to celebrate National Punctuation Day.

Either you’re in, or you’re out

National Punctuation Day simply exists to encourage writers, editors, other types of wordsmiths and lovers of the printed word to celebrate properly used punctuation, rather than complaining about, correcting and berating others for incorrect punctuation. Of course, they will still do that, too. They can’t help it. But today, we celebrate as well.

You see, some humans are afflicted with a very real condition that causes them to feel extreme anxiety when they see misplaced punctuation. This may manifest itself through a physical reaction, such as tightening of the chest or gritting of the teeth. Similarly, some with this condition will go to great lengths to remove the offending punctuation from their sight or alter it if possible. Others exhibit auditory responses, such as heavy sighs, general angry noises or yelling punctuated with profanity.

Then there is everyone else — the “normal” people. They do not even notice improperly used punctuation and often misuse it themselves.

More manifestations of condition

I have a “friend” who once stopped following her acquaintance’s Twitter account because he purposely misused both “your” and “you’re” in the one tweet. He clearly does not understand the seriousness of this condition. She was so angry she decided to stop following him. She didn’t even tell him.

That friend later realized, as much as she hated to admit it, that apostrophe misuse was not worth ending a friendship over. This same friend once saw a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk that had a misplaced apostrophe. Fortunately for the business owners, the wording on the sign was made of stickers, so she simply peeled off the offending apostrophe and continued in her travels feeling relieved and lighthearted.

Celebrate National Punctuation Day

Some grammarians may choose to celebrate National Punctuation Day in this manner, correcting any improper usage of punctuation they can reach. However, many people who have the above described condition do things like this on a regular basis. The same friend who peeled the sticker off the sign once altered every copy of a poster in her favorite bar because they were missing  apostrophes.

None of these incidents happened on National Punctuation Day. Being offended, angered, saddened and irritated by incorrect punctuation is an everyday occurrence, especially as communication becomes more and more text-based, thanks to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messaging and instant messaging. Thus, I think National Punctuation Day should be a day of celebrating correctly used punctuation, something we grammarians often take for granted.

Celebrating good punctuation

For instance, my friend once wrote a Facebook status that contained a semicolon. In response, one her her friends commented: “Way to go with using a semi-colon. I don’t think I could do that to save my life!”

I think this is an excellent way to celebrate National Punctuation Day. So just for today, pay extra attention to your own punctuation. Also, seek out proper usage of punctuation and give compliments, preferably in a public forum such as a Facebook wall or MySpace comments. Also visit The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks, and have a good laugh.

Image from Wikimedia

The almighty Twitter has spoken: John Utendahl and Tyra Banks are not engaged. It came straight from Tyra’s “verified Twitter account,” so that’s got to be the final word, right? “Ty Ty,” as she refers to herself on Twitter, wouldn’t lie to us, would she?

I know you may be asking yourself “What is a story about Tyra Banks not being engaged doing on a financial news web site?” Well, it just so happens that the man Tyra Banks is not engaged to is John Utendahl, high-powered investment banker and founder and owner of the Utendahl group. So his “relationship status,” to use Facebook terminology, is of utmost importance in the financial world.

Read more about non-engaged John Utendahl

John Utendahl is the most powerful African American on Wall Street, according to Wikipedia, which has nearly as much say-so in reality as Twitter. This man has got money to lend, that’s for sure. Check out pictures of John Utendahl at Guanabee.

John Utendahl and Tyra Banks have been dating since 2007, according to popular opinion (meaning People Magazine). If these two ever do stop paying attention to their extremely lucrative careers long enough to get married, they are going to have one gigantic joint checking account.

What about the bling?

These John Utendahl, Tyra Banks rumors all started because tabloids started reporting that Tyra was wearing “a huge ring” or “some serious bling,” whatever it is the kids are saying now. I saw the photo of this supposed bling, and as evidenced by my previous article about John Utendahl and Tyra Banks, I was not impressed.

Tyra wrote on Twitter:

Hearing about crazy rumors that I’m engaged. Well, I’m not. The “RING” is my high school class ring.It’s 10k gold, and has zero diamonds.Ha!

I still find it odd that the tabloids never freaked about this ring before. Tyra’s spokesperson says she wears it all the time. I guess I assume she always wears it on the same finger, but we all know what happens when we assume.

Adding it all up

Honestly, it seems like a little bit of a waste to me when two super-wealthy people get together. There are so many people out there who don’t won’t make in their whole lives what either Tyra Banks or John Utendahl makes in a day.

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s check out some facts. The Utendahl Group is the largest investment group owned by an African American in the country. Tyra Banks just won an Emmy for Best Talk Show-Informative. She is the producer of popular series “America’s Next Top Model,” which is going into its 13th cycle, according to the almighty Twitter, and shows reruns on Lifetime practically daily. She’s also (still) a supermodel. And who knows what else? I can’t keep track of Tyra’s business dealings anymore.

More materials for the rumor mill

These John Utendahl, Tyra Banks rumors were not helped by the fact that Tyra recently moved production of “America’s Next Top Model” and “The Tyra Banks Show” from L.A. to New York. Of course, when people suggested that she had moved to be closer to her boyfriend, Tyra said she was insulted by the idea.

Personally, I am more interested to see if the relationship between John Utendahl and Tyra Banks survives the move. Don’t you think being around Tyra every day would be … intense?

Image from zincplatepressblog.files.wordpress.com.

California’s budget crisis may seem like an overwhelming lost cause to some, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting up a fight. His latest plan to get some emergency money to fight the state deficit is the Great California Garage Sale.

The state is now using online resources including Craigslist and eBay to advertise items for sale at the Great California Garage Sale, which takes place this weekend at the surplus property warehouse. Items for sale include a huge collection of unclaimed and confiscated items.

It’s all about the marketing

Items that become property of the state after being confiscated are always for sale, but the difference for the Great California Garage sale is promotion. The items are for sale on familiar, commonly used sites that everyone knows about and knows how to use. Buyers will be able to pick up their items at the Great California Garage Sale this weekend at designated booths.

The process of buying state property through police auctions is a daunting idea for most people without experience with them. But Craigslist and eBay are comfortable for most people to use. The other key to making the Great California Garage Sale a hit is publicity. Advertising is key in the success of any event, so Schwarzenegger is hoping that turning the Great California Garage Sale into a well-publicized event rather than  just another police property auction will get attention and make money.

Using social networking

The Great California Garage Sale is being promoted using social networking media, so it seems appropriate that the idea for it was actually submitted to the California state government through Twitter. The government created a web site called MyIdea4CA.com, which indexes tweets submitted on how to combat the state’s budget problems.

One person suggested that he should autograph some state-owned cars and bicycles for sale, and that’s just what he’s going to do at the Great California Garage Sale. Of course, there will be plenty of other items for sale, too. You can view photos and a list of everything available at the Department of General Services web site.  The list includes items such as jewelry, surfboard, racing bike and an antique piano.

Ideas for California

This web site for ideas to submit to the State of California sounds kind of cool. GovTech.com writes:

Myidea4ca.com scoops up tweets tagged with #myidea4ca, and people can then give a thumbs up or thumbs down to each idea — a function that’s commonplace on social bookmarking Web sites like Digg and Delicious. Users also can submit comments about the ideas, which are searchable by keyword, Twitter username, category, most popular, most commented and most recent.

Leave it to California to stay ahead of the curve — or at least with it, depending on how you look at it.

A Twitter fan favorite for California

GovTech also says that legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana is the most popular idea on the site. This is not surprising, but it’s also not something that will happen this decade. However, the Great California Garage Sale is practical, doable and realistically could be successful.

Image of Miley Cyrus from Los Angeles Times.

Last time I checked, Miley Cyrus was worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 billion. So, it comes as no surprise that her facial cleanser of choice, Kenebo Sensai cleanser, costs $100.

However, some parents out there might be surprised when their teens and tweens begin demanding $100 facial cleanser. Miley Cyrus reportedly sent out multiple tweets on Twitter, saying how much she loved the cleanser and how well it worked.

Money in perspective

To Miley Cyrus, $100 is probably a totally reasonable amount to spend on the two small tubes of facial cleanser that make up the Kanebo Sensai cleanser kit. However, for many families, $100 is a trip to the grocery store, a car payment or the result of a trip to the payday loan store.

My parents would have never spent $100 on Kanebo Sensai cleanser. They told me to be careful and conservative using the $5 cleanser from the grocery store so as not to go through it so fast. I hope that, what with all of the economic focus that has permeated our culture as of late, teen and preteen girls will have enough sense to know that $100 is just too much to expect your parents to spend on face wash.

Not product placement?

Miley Cyrus insists that she is not advertising for Kanebo Sensai cleanser.  Here are the messages from her Twitter account:

Sensai face wash step 1 and 2 has CHANGED my life

a beauty product can change your life! having acne is miserable you feel so insecure. i am so happy to have found sensai.

I am pretty skeptical about her claim that she isn’t on the Sensai cleanser payroll. She is smart enough to know that anything she says is going to mobilize her giant fan base to a huge degree. Regular teenagers don’t usually toss brand names and instructions into their tweets.

"I know this Twitter thingy!"

Sometimes, it is necessary to look at just how well our elected officials are representing our interests. Considering the speed at which information flows in our modern age, it is wise for everyone to have at least a passing knowledge of online social media and communications platforms like Twitter.  This holds true for politicians as well, and how they use technology to do their jobs for taxpayers. Taxpayers who need money. Taxpayers who wonder why their officials would take the choice to use cash advance and unsecured loans away from them.

Unfortunately, there are those politicians like Michigan Representative Peter Hoekstra (R) who think that Twitter is great way to express what’s really on their minds. At least two times, the man has either placed himself and others in danger or offended the struggling masses with questionable statements. The first instance occurred a few months back during a trip to Baghdad, Iraq. Via his Blackberry, he Twittered convoy location info that could conceivably have placed everyone on the convoy in danger of terrorist attack (see the video at the end of this post for this story on “The Rachel Maddow Show”).

Now, Rep. Hoekstra has made a stunningly insensitive and uninformed statement comparing the comparatively inane activities of House Republicans to those of Iranian people who are struggling for political self-determination (and their lives) after a rigged political election.

What did the Hoekstra tweet?

Yesterday, Hoekstra posted a tweet in which he compared “the oppression of the Iranian people to the plight of House Republicans,” writes Talking Points Memo: “Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House.”

Yes. Mr. Hoekstra. It’s exactly like that! And you know what? My morning shower was just like Washington crossing the Delaware!
Since such a statement deserves a special response, Talking Points compiled a list of some of the most memorable Twitter users across the World Wide Web have left for Rep. Hoekstra. This is Democracy in action, giving the people the power to speak directly to their elected officials about what they’re thinking. Thank you, Twitter. You are a great American… thingy. Please be warned that if you are a sensitive sort, your hair’s going to get mussed:

ArjunJaikumar @petehoekstra i spilled some lukewarm coffee on myself just now, which is somewhat analogous to being boiled in oil

chrisbaskind @petehoekstra My neighbor stopped me to talk today. Now I know what it is like to be questioned by the Basij!

luckbfern @petehoekstra I stand in solidarity with the oppressed rich white men of Repub Party in the House. #GOPfail

aciolino @petehoekstra Today I poked my finger on a hanger. Now I know what all those aborted babies go through.

ceedub7 @petehoekstra I got a splinter in my hand today. Felt just like Jesus getting nailed to the cross.

netw3rk @petehoekstra Someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. Reminded me of Pearl Harbor.

MattOrtega Walked out onto Constitution Ave in D.C. and was almost hit by a taxi. Reminded me of Tienanmen Square.

tharodge @petehoekstra maybe now is a good time to reconsider whether you are ready for national politics?

TahirDuckett @petehoekstra ran through the sprinklers this morning, claimed solidarity with victims of Hurricane Katrina

paganmist @petehoekstra Had to move all my stuff to a new office w/o a corner view. Now i know what the Trail of Tears was like. #GOPfail

#GOPfail

Thank you, Rep. Hoekstra, for making us laugh at Twitter again. Mission accomplished!

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"Lord, save us from ourselves!"

When you have little else going for you, the best way to become famous and stay famous is to make glorious, ridiculous noise. Without all that sound and fury signifying nothing, people like Speidi (Spencer and Heidi Pratt) are left with nothing to do but search each other’s backsides for their next line. Because remember, their life is a reality show! Not coincidentally, Marlon Brando did the exact same thing with Maria Schneider’s seat cushions in “Last Tango in Paris.” However, he’d earned the privilege. What have these young fools done, and why are we such fools for caring?

The latest chapter is the Al Roker Speidi interview. Their response to the once cherubic, always overbearing weatherman was an affront to mammals in and out of the womb: “Lord Jesus, take this demon out!”

Doubling up on the references

Christian pleas and mob business in the same breathless, empty-headed exclamation? Wow. Sit down, Speidi, I wouldn’t want you to overexert your CPU. But if that 480 processor should break, a nice payday loan or cash advance can help. I don’t want anyone to believe that “Lord Jesus” is going to “take care of” Al Roker. Thor is supposed to drown in the venom of a giant snake that encircles the globe, but I don’t see that happening either.

Cristina Everett reports for the New York Daily News that “Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag continue their quest for eternal fame. Whether they are in the jungle or off, (they) can’t keep quiet.”

Much like Sarah Palin, Speidi must find things to make noise about, or their relevance will cease to be. Yes, when the former “Hills” stars sat down with Al Roker for a “Today” show interview, they had thought they’d only be discussing things like their exit from the piece of audio-visual tripe known as “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” However, the weatherman went all ball lightning on their pert backsides with his aggressive questions.

“Some people think you’re a jerk”

Al Roker set up Speidi with some softballs, then bleached his own skin before our eyes and pretended to be Matt Lauer. Not really; he didn’t have that kind of time on air. But he did tighten the screws on the self-satisfied Cracker Jack prizes with some “tough” questions. Roker asked Montag if she was “proud” of Speidi’s behavior on their latest reality show mess. He also made sure Pratt knew that some people consider him “a jerk.” But to Alex Trebek’s delight, he phrased it in the form of a question.

Whatever is a Speidi to do after they’ve been Rokered? Go Twitter about it in the most vacuous way possible, of course. I know I can’t eat my toast until celebrity Twitter has filled my head with gobbledygook. Considering the “savage abuse” Speidi suffered, I can also see how therapeutic 140 characters can be. There is indeed a balm in Gilead, Speidi disciples.

Roker was all atwitter, too

“Heidi and Spencer are an interesting couple,” his frantic fingers tweeted, as if anticipating the demise of his own fame. “Famous for…being infamous. I think we’re at minute 11 of their 15.”

What did Speidi have to say in their defense? Honestly, how can you defend something like that?

“I think when he got to work in the morning and he was doing his normal weather job, he was looking and it was partly cloudy, he must have taken that personally,” Pratt told MTV.com. “Because I don’t know why he felt the need to persecute Speidi for nothing.” For TMZ.com, he added that “I never in my wildest dreams thought a weatherman would treat us like we just rigged the Iranian election.”

Take it easy, Spencer. I’ll get you another sugar lick.

Pratt’s better half was able to find the words to respond while Spencer worked his sugar cube. This despite the fact that she recently lost a battle to… wait for it… the devil! She told media sources that “the devil made her leave the jungle after the couple’s first departure from ‘I’m a Celebrity.’” But now that Heidi is back on the holy path, she can say with a demure smile things like “Honestly, I was like, ‘Lord Jesus, take this demon out. This is crazy! I felt like he was attacking me personally, demanding an answer from me and being so strong with his voice. I’m a woman and I don’t appreciate that. I had just woke up. Good morning to you too, sir!”

Final tweets

The Roker poker closed off the stirring debate with a piece of advice that would be useful to any young person who feels invincible. But will the message reach Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt? Can their brains process good advice anymore? Or will they be permanently self-exiled to their own echo chambers? Sleep with the press clippings, sleep with each other, charge for the pay-per-view, but please… please… don’t expect me to care about how Jesus should serve you.

Enough! Here’s what Old Roke Twittered: “Heidi and Spencer are young and eventually will realize there is more to life than fame.” The wheel will stop turning and they’ll find themselves in need of the same payday loans and cash advances you and I look to in times of financial trouble.

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A Twitter account can be likened to the power of a credit card, everybody seems to have one, and more people are inquiring about getting one. The enormous interest garnered in this simply designed and basic functioning system is mind-boggling. So many of my friends, who haven’t visited Twitter have been talking about it, asking me questions, and making excuses as to why they aren’t quite sure about its effectiveness.

A Few Nice, Easy Stats

In the first 30 minutes that I signed up to Twitter, I had 9 people following me. As far as networking goes, Twitter seems to be on the same level as MySpace, and even YouTube.

These websites allow average Joes to make an impact within cyberspace. Product awareness and public relations in regards to services offered can boost clientele tremendously for a starting or existing business or home based entity.

Fun Benefits

In most cases, it’s just relaxing and fun to be surrounded by fellow friends, who are making it a daily goal to enjoy themselves while marketing their products or services. To visit a celebrity’s Twitter page, and see that another popular celebrity has left a Tweet just sends chills up your spine. I’m sure that individuals who’ve had an account for over 2 months have tired of the constant craze of celebrity users, but a newbie is bound to be star struck within the first few minutes!

Professional Benefits

There are professional benefits to setting up and using a Twitter account: You develop a following. How great is that? Hundreds, if not thousands, of people will know what you are doing each second of your life, simply because you’ve added an update to your profile. Concert events, sales dates, and product launches are all sure to receive some recognition based on the quantity of members following your Twitter account.

Too Much Play & No Work

For business owners, and even celebrities and experts, I believe that the line between playing and working can get confusing. The beautiful thing about using a self PR system as powerful as Twitter is that you can jump-start any project with a tad bit on networking savvy.

Let’s face it, some of the most popular Twitter accounts have updates consisting of celebrities stating when they’re going to the studio, eating lunch, or playing with their dogs. Of course, a non-celebrity Twitter user will have to embed more pertinent information in their Tweet updates, but the leverage one receives from utilizing a Twitter account is awesome. I don’t see many successful Twitter users applying for cash advance loans, but they are using their credit cards without fear or hesitation.

A Plan

Knowing when and how you’ll use your Twitter account is vital to your success. Try and follow other people’s accounts and get an idea of what the system entails. There are plenty of creative ways you can promote an event, non-profit or for profit, a cause, or a service and attract many more followers in your pursuit to engage future clients in networking with you.

Though this is the last selling point I’ll use within my article, owning a Twitter account is free, so you don’t even have to use your credit card information to sign up. What could be better than developing friends and having a grass roots PR system working on your behalf to strengthen your position in the market? Plus, you’ll have a great time while signed in to your account.

There is a wild craze over Twitter, and people seem to be filling out more signup applications for Twitter than for cash advance loans. Even individuals who are late bloomers to the Twitter interface are finding great awe and excitement on the website. Just based on social access to celebrities and a DIY public relations platform, people’s tweets are being noticed all across the world. But when I glanced in my email inbox, there was something interesting that caught my attention.

Good News Arrives in the Morning Mail

In an email titled “Make Money with Twitter” I came to the conclusion that someone found a way to generate profits from a Twitter account. Luckily for me I performed a few searches and prepared some articles on the topic, so when I found the email sender’s “secret,” I realized that a lot of people can profit from the information, and I won’t charge you $200 dollars for it either.

The Three Vital Points Covered in the E-Mail I Received:

Direct Advertisement

The number one advantage that you possess when lots of people follow you in ‘twitter’ is that large followings of people could yield to relatively easy sales, making it a very interesting prospect to look deeper into direct advertisements for your business’ monetization.

Recommendation

The leverage you have as a followed Twitter user is incredible! Simply recommending a specific service or product on behalf of new or existing advertisers could cause immediate action from your followers, which means more interest from future supporters.

Promotion

Put simply, you can help advertisers promote a new service or product to your twitter followers.

Promotional uses for Twitter can be very convenient, because it works pretty much like niche marketing, and isn’t so expensive to utilize that you’ll need cash advance loans. The possible horde of people following your tweets could equal great niche market sales. Promoters and advertisers seem extremely eager to contact popular Twitter users, because they offer an already made niche audience for future sales.

Here is an example of how you can use your position on Twitter to you and your advertiser’s advantage:

Let’s say you specialize in SEO and Internet niche marketing. In one of your tweets (social updates) you could suggest some good web hosting websites, and those suggestions will lead to those advertisers who trust in your high, persuasive place within the status quo Twitter sits upon.

Paid Reviews

This seems to be growing more and more in popularity, because it’s similar to direct advertising, except this time you can actually get money for posting ‘paid reviews’. Here are three points to give you an idea of where to begin:

• People – You could do a paid review by simply reviewing someone, their achievements, or causes. Ultimately, it seems beneficial to actually promote a person’s Twitter or MySpace account, allowing interested parties a way to visit this person and their world at any convenience.
• Products – You can do a paid review about a particular product
• Services – You can do a paid review about services that your advertiser offers, like legal services, grant writers, etc.

Of course you don’t want to become a marketing ‘junkie’. Too many tweets promoting other’s products and services could seem a little less valuable to your followers, and could lead you to applying for cash advance loans to sustain a living. If you aren’t promoting anything of your own or posting updates with meaning and quality, followers will jump to the next best tweets receiving attention. Constant sales ads can be annoying, but with a little substance added in your “sales pitch” people will respect your knowledge and look into any suggestions you provide.

People are either seeking installment loans nowadays or are screaming and annoyed, asking, “Why does the media world have to monopolize everything, even Twitter?” Yes, it is true that the site has become a tad celebrity-crazy lately. Just driving down the street, I noticed a billboard that read: Follow Ashton Kutcher on Twitter. I was struck for a moment, thinking to myself, what in the world is happening?

The early bird catches the worm

There have been early birds catching the worm through Twitter, and what I mean by that is early adopters like Lily Allen, Kevin Smith, and LaVar Burton, along with star couple on Twitter, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have garnered many followers through their tweets. They are creating a brand new era of celebrity: accessible, yet inaccessible, protected by those boundaring cyberspace limits. Although I personally don’t think other people should be so engulfed in the personal lives of these stars, it’s the reality of what’s “hot” now. These stars see and understand the potential of the new era, by being able to promote themselves without looking like an attention junkie, or a self-promoting empty vessel.

Social Networking on the Rise

Sites such as Celebritytweet features articles that offer “Must-Follows,” while fans are steadily scrambling to find out which celebrities are worth following. Most media sources are speculating that Twitter recently acquired the services of a publicist, due to the large amount of media attention the site has been getting in the recent few weeks.

Cyberspace has a pull on the globe today as much as installment loans. Sites such as Twitter are changing the rules of the celebrity game in many ways, so that publicists- like us regular folks- are forced to gravitate toward it or adapt to it.

Direct Access

Fans have such direct access to celebrities through the Twitter format. Now, it seems, there’s no need for a publicist, the stars seem to be performing most of their own promotional work. “Communication” from celebs used to arrive to fans via strictly-publicist-approved entertainment journalism, and though this method has not died, another method is taking the spotlight.

Over-control by publicists has dealt a heavy, maybe even fatal blow to the entertainment journalism, but the media format has not faded from existence.

One cause of cyberspace “stealing” publicists shine is that on Twitter, anyone can ask a star a question. I’d assume that beautiful is what these stars think of the Twitter format. They can answer any questions that they wish without fear of allowing stalkers into their lives. As mentioned earlier, they are protected by a “wall,” their Twitter account. Many artists answer fans’ questions in a tweet only the questioning fan can understand, and this is what makes Twitter so special.

Simply Amazing

The power of the Internet is amazing. I’ve written several articles on the subject of Internet social networking. As most “normal” folks have realized, when celebrities jump on the bandwagon, the trend is either extremely fresh or as old as Moses. If these stars are realizing the power of social websites such as Twitter, then anyone marketing their own book or product can gain more success by allowing others, especially those entering your niche or industry, to follow your success.

Learn more about the power of cyberspace, increase your sales, and build your knowledge of installment loans, as well as the almost infinite marketing and public relation possibilities offered online.

Nobody wants to lose their job when the economy is in the toilet. But if you must talk your way out of a solid job, opt for the efficient, low-flow method. Just don’t expect to be able to apply for short term loans until you’re back on your feet.

Helen Popkin reports for MSNBC that a would-be Cisco employee’s careless Twitter proved she was an efficiency expert. Said prospect – aka “theconnor” – Twittered her way straight back into the unemployment line. Remember, folks: what you do online can be seen, particularly if you frequent social networking sites. Don’t Twitter like theconnor:

Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.

Cisco Fatty was a friend of mine… she flushed her job, Twitter in the ‘vine

In no time, Cisco’s Tim Levad spotted theconnor’s message and responded live:

Who is the hiring manager? I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.

At this point, theconner attempted to make her Twitter account and member page private. But the damage had already been done.

Somebody’s watching you

“theconner” became the stuff of legend, earning the nickname “Cisco Fatty.” Before the work day was over, she was already been mocked on YouTube and with a “tribute” Web site. Even if Cisco decides to look the other way, there’s a clear lesson here for all of us: watch what you say online, because someone could always be watching you…

Survival of the Twitterific

Popkin nails this on the head when she writes that “It’s like virtual Darwinism. The ‘Cisco Fattys‘ of the world are damned by their own senselessness. It’s only a matter of time before each they stumble on the Twitterific platform of their ruin.”

It happens quite often in the career world. In fact, it even happens to politicians. Recently, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) tweeted this as-it-happens update regarding his group’s location and destination within Iraq:

Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace. Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here.

“Dewey Defeats Truman!”

Luckily, hostile forces were not following Mr. Hoekstra’s tweets. If they had been, security could have been compromised and lives could have been lost. In a less life-threatening situation, another politico (Jeff Frederick, chair of Virginia’s Republican Party) recently thwarted his own party’s Congressional coup:

Big news coming out of Senate: Apparently one dem is either switching or leaving the dem caucus. Negotiations for power sharing underway.

Of course the Democrats were following Frederick’s Twitter feed, and negotiations were stuffed. Don’t let your career path get stuffed due to online carelessness. Don’t be a Cisco Fatty. Be mindful of whether your words could come back to haunt you.

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