What Happened at the First Fresno TweetUp

The anticipation has been building for days. When it finally got started, I think the very first Fresno TweetUp was better than anyone hoped for.

No one knew quite what to expect. @FresYes said it was like everyone was getting ready for prom night. And there was a serious discussion right before hand: do we tweet at a TweetUp? Should we not? Is it completely face 2 face? We weren't sure what the right thing to do was going to be. So of course, the first few people who did tweet at the event got laughed at and teased just a little, but their messages were in support of those who were lost, on their way, or feeling left out.

It felt a little bit like a blind date. People sort of knew what you looked like, but not sure (people are always taller in real life). Everyone had someone they had to meet, so we walked around, peering at name tags. Then there would be the glad sounds of recognition "Hey, great to finally meet you."

It felt a little bit like a family reunion. You're pretty sure you remembered someone and there was definitely something in common, so the warm up time was a lot shorter than any other "meet and greet" where most of the people hadn't met.

Topics of Discussion:

• How long you'd been on Twitter
• How long you were sort of on it before you really got going
• How addicted you were to it
• Twitter success stories (new friends made, great contacts found, resources provided)
• How Tweeters almost never use Google search any more
• There are a lot more Fresno Tweeters than anyone thought
  

After the party warmed up, the technology really came out. @ResPres started broadcasting live video at the event through www.qik.com, so we totally got our geek on. People were texting their friends, and emails were sent, probably with pictures.

There were so many amazing people. Thank you to ALL of you! I'm so glad I met every single one of you at the TweetUp.

I've been to a LOT of networking events (seriously... a LOT) and this was unlike any I'd ever been to. There was an almost even ratio of men to women. The uninformed might think that it would be mostly men, but that's because they don't realize this is a people thing, not a computer thing. I wasn't surprised that most of the people there were between 20 and 35, although a few people told me how their Mom or Aunt Barb were on Twitter.

Here's a few more things I learned:

• @ShyTrbleMaker isn't shy
• I think maybe @MikeOz is, just a little. He's definitely humble about growing the Fresno Twitter commununity.
• @CreativeAgentVA isn't from Virginia, she's a Virtual Assistant
• @KatrinaNeufeld knows her Twitter name is boring, but it's important for her to be transparent
• @FresYes is as awesome as @Relocater said he was
  
• @SusanWilke has curly hair, which you can't tell from her avatar
• @JamesCollier still looks cool even without the fu

There's so much more; perhaps some of you will comment and provide your impression of the event. I'll link to your blog posts (which I'm sure are coming) over the next few days.

Oh, does someone have a picture I could post? Chamber Woman had her business cards, but not a camera!

Is Your IQ Higher than Your EQ

Tonight I had the opportunity to hear Nancy Avera, a marketing communications consultant, talk about networking success as it relates to your "EQ." You've heard of IQ, right? Your intelligence level as it relates to problem-solving and word-usage. EQ is your emotional intelligence.

The term was defined, and the field basically created, by Daniel Goldman. Ironically, his first book requires a high IQ to read - it's very academic. Bottom line is that he found people who had a higher EQ actually did better in life than those who had a high IQ and a lower EQ.

Low EQ? Or just a major Lance Armstrong fan?

High emotional intelligence means having the ability to recognize, understand and manage emotions in yourself and in interactions with others. If you have a high EQ, you're likely to be very good at networking.

1. The good news is that unlike IQ which is fixed throughout your life, your EQ can be developed.
   
2. Start by becoming aware of your thoughts and emotions. Then you use that awareness to stay flexible and positively direct your emotions.
   
3. Next, you'll develop social awareness where you're able to pick up no others emotions and get what's going on.
   
4. Finally, you'll be adept at relationship management, the awareness of emotion to successfully manage interactions with others.

Thanks, Nancy, for an interesting evening, and thanks to the PRSA for putting together the presentation at the Public House, where I had a lovely pint of bitters and sweet potato french fries. It doesn't get much better than that.

A Great Day on the Amgen Tour in Clovis

The finish of stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California in Clovis was a complete success! The Clovis Chamber hosted a party for our members who enjoyed great food, a cake, and of course a terrific view of the final sprint to the finish.



Several times today, I went out, took pictures and then posted them everywhere I could (Twitter, Facebook, and even Channel 30's website). After I started getting great comments back from my friends, I realized what a nice thing I was doing for people.

Many of them couldn't be there. And even if they watched it on TV or the Amgen website, they still weren't going to get the flavor of the event from the regular coverage. The pictures I posted were from the setup, of people I know, behind the scenes, crowd shots, and all those little things the mainstream media don't feel are important.

I hope I helped a lot of people feel more connected to the event today. If you want to see a lot more pictures, visit my Facebook page www.BethonFacebook.com

Are You Willing to Pay the Price

I hope you're enjoying the Amgen Tour of California as much as I am, although I think a big part of my enjoyment has been knowing that they are going right by our office tomorrow afternoon! I'm inspired by watching these amazing athletes. Not to get on a bike and ride 100 miles; I'm inspired to keep going and persevere on my personal goals.

(Picture of Tyler Hamilton at the Tour of California by Dan Harrelson)

These athletes are willing to pay the price to compete at this level. If you want to be successful in your life, you also need to be willing to pay the price. Who are you paying and with what? You're paying yourself with time spent studying, learning, and practicing.

It's a very natural desire, to be able to be good at something without spending hours and hours practicing it. But what do you think the difference is between the guys on the Amgen Tour and our couch potato selves (besides about 30% more body fat)? They were willing to get up and out there every single day, paying the price.

Are you willing to pay the price for a vibrant, active and supportive network of relationships? It involves getting up early, staying late, and investing the time. Most people aren't willing to do it, leaving all those interesting business contacts just for you.

Watching the Amgen Tour of California

Since I had the day off, JD and I spent most of the day watching the Amgen Tour stage 2. I'm not really that into bike racing (I'm a NASCAR fan), but I watched it because it was quality time with my husband. And he's really into it.

As we watched, though, I started to get into it and was even able to understand the strategies and tactics by relating it to something I did understand (stock car racing).

Could you do this? Instead of tuning out when new contacts or old friends wax enthusiastic about something you have no interest in, try to:

• learn why they are so fascinated by it,
• draw parallels to something you do enjoy,
• and just take it as a learning experience.

My friend Jen Palmer has no interest in NASCAR at all! But she'll actually bone up on a few facts before she comes over to watch a race, just to be polite. Can you do any less to enhance a friendship?

P.S. The Amgen Tour of California Stage 4 on Wednesday, February 18 is going right past the Clovis Chamber on their way to the finish line about 200 yards away. If you're watching on TV, look for the 2 story yellow building with a shake roof. I'll be right there!

Networking Lessons from NASCAR

Everything I need to know about life I learned in Kindergarten (or from Star Trek), but there are some very interesting applications of networking in NASCAR. Okay, I realize this is a little bit of a stretch, but today is the Daytona 500, so this is a a special post to celebrate the occasion. And it's okay to laugh because I didn't post anything special for Valentine's day!

Networking lessons from NASCAR:

1. Self-promotion is necessary. Carl Edwards got his ride by attending races and handing out his business card to everyone. This didn't get him the job (his skills did), but would they have known to look at him if he hadn't been out there actively promoting himself? If Carl Edwards isn't too good to self-promote, neither are you.
   
   
2. Trust matters. Whether it's someone you can trust as a drafting partner, knowing who will go with you when it's time to break to the outside line, or believing you can drag race to the finish without him wrecking you (Jeff Burton); trust is important. In business networking, we're building trust when we work on our relationships.
   


3. Friends will help you. Once you've built relationships with good people who believe in you, they will come through with help when you need it. Just ask Kirk Shelmerdine (a former Dale Earnhardt crew chief) who qualified for his first-ever Daytona 500 in 2006 on tires bought with donations from Earnhardt fans. If you've come through for them, your business friends will come through for you.
   
   
4. Loyalty is everything. Jeffrey Gitomer says that customer satisfaction, but loyalty is everything. NASCAR fans are as loyal as they get. Just look at the products they buy, the clothes they wear, and the places they go. Fans know how to show their esprit d'corps. In return (or perhaps this created it) NASCAR is the most fan-centric sport of any. How can you transform your networking friends to networking fans? Are you fan-centric enough?

Thanks for visiting on this special day ;-) Enjoy your Daytona 500 and ...

Go Mikey!