Archive for Networking
What is a TweetUp?
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What is this Marin TweetUp thing I keep hearing about?
A TweetUp is a gathering of local Twitter users. It’s an opportunity to meet all your local virtual friends in person. Our TweetUps are fun, casual and totally relaxed. We meet at different restaurants throughout Marin. Anyone who is on Twitter is invited. If you have never come before I invite you to join us at one of the upcoming TweetUps. They’re lots of fun and a great networking opportunity.
It doesn’t matter if you Tweet every 5 minutes, once a day, once a month or just opened your account we’d still love to meet you. If you are not on Twitter but are curious about it, you are welcome to stop by the TweetUp and learn more about Twitter and why we all love it so much.
Anyone or any business can organize a TweetUp! All you do is decide you want to have one, pick a place and start inviting your friends. If you want me to tell all my friends just send me a message and I’ll probably announce it here on my blog.
When you arrive to the restaurant tell the hostess you are there for the TweetUp (if it is not obvious where we are). Grab a name tag and be sure to put your Twitter ID (handle, whatever you want to call it) and your real name on it. Some of us only know you by your Twitter name. For instance the other day everybody was talking to me about this fabulous woman named Suzanna and telling me they thought I knew her. I’m thinking, I don’t know Suzanna then when they started talking more about her I said, “Oh! Are you talking about @BrainMaker from Twitter?”. LOL I knew her by her Twitter name better than her real name.
Once you’ve got your name tag, order a drink if you want and then start introducing yourself to people or look for familiar Twitter names. It’s fun to meet the people behind the tweets.
I hope you can join us at the upcoming TweetUps!
PS. Restaurants: a TweetUp is a great way to get lots of exposure to your restaurant. Not only do you get 20-30 new customers you get those 20-30 people talking about your restaurant on Twitter to their thousands of friends! If you are a restaurant and would like us to consider organizing the next TweetUp at your place of business, please contact me. If you are a restaurant that knows you probably should be on Twitter but don’t have the time or are not sure how to get started, this is also something I can help you with. 
Coworkers Buzzing Around the Bay
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After my visit to the new, cool coworking space BZhive in San Rafael, I asked the owners Hila and Dani if they would be interested in sharing some of their favorite Bay Area places with me.
Here are some of the places owner and artist Hila buzzes around the bay to when she is not working:
Where is your favorite place to hike or bike in the Bay Area?
Terra Linda/Southern Novato Hills – different trails, mostly the “shortcut” from Terra Linda to Sleepy Hollow (San Anselmo).
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
The weather, the air, the view, the people. I’m coming from a relatively hot and humid climate (Tel Aviv) so the weather here is just perfect. I only wish the beach and the water were warmer. The people here are much more relaxed and patient. Above all we love San Francisco- one of my favorite cities if not “the” favorite. gracious and gorgeous. I love it especially when it’s gray (which is most of the time) it gives it just the perfect bittersweet taste of melancholy.
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
The Slanted Door in SF love the the food the scene and view.
(I think Hila and I have similar taste. I love this restaurant!)
Favorite Coffee/Tea shop?
Cafe Gratitude especially the one in Berkeley. I’m grateful for a great food- especially the sweets… and you know you are safe there- it’s all vegan! (Another one of my favorites.) 
Favorite park? Bon Tempe Lake (From Fairfax)
Favorite place to shop?
Crossroad Trading. Favorite location is Irving st in SF. I like the idea of recycling and exchanging. AND what great finds! (I’m telling you, I think Hila is my long lost sister.)
Read more about BZhive in the MarinIJ.
Be sure to follow BZhive on Twitter to keep up with the latest happenings at the hive.
The social interaction and possible collaboration that comes when people get out of the home office can also make people more productive, according to a 2008 study by Stephen Humphrey, formerly a management professor at Florida State University’s business school.
“People who work interdependently with others have better performance ratings, lower stress, lower turnover intentions, and greater work and organizational satisfaction,” the study found. – Jim Welte, MarinIJ 2/7/10
Stay tuned you just might see me working out of BZhive one of these days.
CoWorking and Social Media in San Rafael
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been so busy working and sallying around the bay I haven’t stopped to take the time to blog. Where do I start?
Yesterday, I woke up with a neck spasm and a headache. I just felt out of whack so I called my chiropractor and made an appointment. Wow, I really needed that adjustment. I’m happy to report that I am feeling 100 times better today!
I scheduled my chiropractic appointment right before the open house at BZhive (they’re located within a half a mile of each other in San Rafael) where Patrick Schwerdtfeger was going to be speaking about Social Media. It worked out great. I had my adjustment and was feeling fantastic, ready to meet new people.
BZhive is the new coworking space in Marin County. I was curious about coworking and wanted to check it out. I’d read about the coworking idea in the book, The Whuffie Factor and have been intrigued by it since then.
BZhive is cool! I want to work there. It’s an open office space environment where you can have your own work-desk in an area shared with other entrepreneurs. The owners Hila and Dan seem to be really friendly and fun people.
The BZhive open house was catered by Sonoma Latina Grill in Novato. I learned their food is local, organic and delicious! The tortillas were homemade. The light and crispy chips were served with a Hominy Hummus, guacamole and super fresh salsa. They serve good, clean, nutritious whole food. I spent most of my time next to the food table.
<—Here I am (eating) while talking with @fun_master and @quepol (the co-owner of Citizen Space in San Francisco).
After we finished eating the amazingly delicious Sonoma Latina Grill spread we moved in to the open office space area to hear Patrick Schwerdtfeger talk. I was impressed. He knows his stuff and he was a great speaker. (He’s cute too). I learned some new useful tips for social networking that I hadn’t tried before and came home inspired to implement them. Patrick is the author of Webify Your Business. I bought the book and have already read through chapter 12 since I got home last night. If you get a chance to hear Patrick speak don’t miss out on it. It was well worth my time. I stayed after and chatted with Patrick for a bit. He’s real. It was so refreshing to meet someone working in the social media field who is genuine and authentic. He tells it like it is and doesn’t try to put out there that he is better or more knowledgeable than you.
I really enjoyed meeting and listening to Patrick Swerdtfeger. After his talk I went up and asked him if public speaking just came natural to him or if he was in Toastmasters or something. Turns out he is the president of his Toastmaster’s club. I’m the VP of Public Relations for mine. Patrick was a wonderful public speaker. I told him I wanted to be just like him when I grow up (we happen to be the same age).
PS. Thank you to @LeighShev for telling me about this event. And thank you to @fun_master who is always willing to sally around the bay with me and try new things. I don’t know if I would have gone last night if it weren’t for Marilyn agreeing to go with me.
Edited to add Patrick’s mini video from his talk at BZhive:
