Category Archives: Networking

03.28.18
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Happy Hour on April 12, 2018

Happy-Hour-Invite

Join us for a Happy Hour to raise funds for the Sensory Room @ MIA on April 12!

For Tickets, visit LeadershipMiami.eventbrite.com.

Join Leadership Miami Team 2 – Miami Beat – and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce as we raise funds to build The Sensory Room @ MIA – a mutli-sensory environment at Miami International Airport for children with developmental disorders, including autism.

The Sensory Room @ MIA will be just the THIRD such room in the U.S.!

Admission to the event is $25, which includes one (1) drink and one (1) appetizer per person.

This Happy Hour Event wil be held on Thursday, April 12, 2018, from 6PM to 8PM at Ball & Chain, located at 1513 SW 8th Street, in Little Havana.

For more information, contact Team Miami Beat at lmmiamibeat@gmail.com.

10.06.17
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Swagbucks – It’s Time for Swago!

The digital rewards site Swagbucks is celebrating the fall with another big “Swago” promotion starting Monday, October 9th at 9am PDT! Swago is just like bingo, but in this case you’re filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online. If you’re thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster.

Here are a few tips:

  • Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores!
  • Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
  • You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, October 16th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
  • Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
  • Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin & Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you’ll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!

The Spin & Win Wheel will be available all throughout Swago and you have until 11:59pm PT on Monday, October 16th to use all your spins.

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points – if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus, which is enough for a $5 gift card from the retailer of your choice.

Click here right now and click “Join” to get started! If you don’t already have a Swagbucks account, you’ll be able to quickly sign up; PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of next month, you’ll get a bonus 300 SB!

06.15.16
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Twits 2K aka Lists are Fun!

I just reached 2,000 followers! Woot!

On August 8, 2015, I began my Twitter journey with 426 Followers. If you have read my earlier posts, you know that this number represents my total lack of effort at actually forming a Twitter “presence”. I had this bright idea to sit back and see how many new Twitter followers I would gain NATURALLY – no actual promotion or pleading or paying attention on my end.

Yeah, that didn’t work.

By March 30, 2016, my Follower count had increased to 669. That’s less than 300 new followers in eight months…no bueno! This was taking too long. I decided to stir things up a bit. It was time to research and test out some Twitter strategies and see if they make a difference. (Answer: they do.)

So I started researching how to build an audience and keep them engaged. I’ve been testing out some of the tools available and learning new ways to engage with my current followers, while increasing visibility of my profile to attract new Twits.

Strategy #1. Follow Your Followers.
Strategy #2: Using an Account Manager.
Strategy #3: Make Some Twiends.

So now that I have a decent number of Followers, it’s time for Strategy #4: Understanding Lists.

Twitter Lists are useful, helpful, and effective for managing and optimizing your Twitter experience. A Twitter List is simply a way of categorizing people you “follow” on Twitter into specific groups, making it easier to find tweets from the users that are important to you, in a streamlined manner. Viewing a List will show you a stream of Tweets from only the accounts on that list.

Two very important things to know:
1. You don’t have to be following a user in order to add him or her to a list.
2. Tweets from your lists do not show up in your primary feed.

If you find Twitter accounts that you are interested in reading from time to time, but you don’t want to see every single tweet in your primary stream, you can put them into a List and read those tweets when the time is right for you.

Creating a Twitter list is fairly simple. Simply go to https://twitter.com//lists, and then on “create new list.” Twitter lists can be public (visible to everyone and searchable on Google) and private (visible only to you). You can create your own lists or subscribe to lists created by others. You can have up to 1,000 Twitter lists and each list can be up to 5,000 users long. You do not have to be following a user to add them to a list.

So here’s the breakdown:

Lists are good. You can use Lists to get organized, follow relevant & influential people in your industry, recommend cool accounts and engage with others. Lists are useful for organizing your Twitter streams based on your interests, and they are definitely worth trying if you want to streamline your account.

I NEED SOME HELP NOW PEOPLE.

Now that I’ve covered Account Managers, Twiends, and Twitter Lists, what else is out there that can help grow my audience or streamline my account? Please let me know in the Comments!

I guess it’s time to hit the books and find some new strategies to increase my Twitter presence … next post will be when I hit 3000!

05.09.16
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Twits Plus Twiends

My Personal Guide to Increasing my Twitter Followers is shaping up quite nicely! Instead of just doing nothing and waiting for organic followers, I’m testing out some of the tools available and learning new ways to engage with my current followers, while increasing visibility of my profile to attract new Twits.

I started with Strategy #1. Follow Your Followers.

This was followed by Strategy #2: Using an Account Manager.

Now it’s on to Strategy #3: Make Some Twiends.

So the most fabulous service offered to grow your Twitter following is Twiends – hands down. Twiends is a discovery tool and community-building service that helps users to grow their Twitter audience and reach. The site is generally well regarded – plus it’s fast and free! I joined in April 2016 and within 30 days my follower count rose from 669 to 1474 (as I am writing this I just received a new follower!). Currently, I am averaging 15 – 25 new followers daily, with a little over 60% retention.

Now, I read a lot about Twiends before joining. First, I wanted to make sure it was for real. I researched the company and read through the frequently asked questions. I checked out review sites for more information. I did my due diligence. Second, I made sure that Twiends did not violate any of Twitter’s service guidelines (it does not). Third, I played around with the free portion of the service to figure out how it worked. And finally, I researched Twiends follower retention.

Here is what you need to know:

1. Your Twiends network is based on Impressions.

An Impression is an ad display – similar to putting yourself up on a big billboard – with the goal that people will see you and choose to follow you. Twiends also acts as a directory based on interests, so you know who you are connecting with based upon their Impression. By hovering over an Impression, you can see the person’s profile, their friend-to-follower ratio, and their latest tweet.

Being active on Twiends (following new people) increases the number of Impressions you get organically on the site. You can get a nice amount of followers just by being active. I found that there was a 1 in 3 chance that when I added a new connection, I received a new connection.

You can also “feature” yourself by buying Impressions, and choosing how you want the number of impressions to be allocated throughout the day. Note: I added a Featured Impression subscription, and I love it – but I still make sure to follow new people with similar interests on a daily basis.

twiends

2. Twiends followers are definitely worth having.

I read that many of the followers obtained through Twiends are “not worth having”. Sure, I was following new people and they were following me – but did they remain my loyal followers or did I lose them after a day or two?

I found that many of the new followers I picked up are still around, and engaged! This is partly due to my amazing tweeting skills (of course) and partly to the Twiends feature that lets you view and follow people with similar interests. Sure I got a few spam accounts following me, but who doesn’t? Out of the 805 new followers I have gained, less than 40 were spam accounts (I checked this through TwitterAudit).

3. Integrate other tools to get the most out of Twiends.

Overall, I found that while a portion of people will unfollow fairly quickly, there are others around that are in it for the long haul. If you really want to make sure that you are not following someone who unfollowed you, it’s easy to check and unfollow them right back with CrowdFire – super simple and also free – simply check your ‘Recent Unfollowers’ daily and remove the offending follow. TwitterAudit aka Audit Your Followers (also free) allows you to discover just how many fake accounts are following you, and block those users.

4. Follow back – but not everyone!

It is important to follow back – but only if you are truly interested in that persons activity. In order to gain the followers you want, BE the type of follower you want! Twiends allows you to see the person’s account profile and their latest tweet right from the dashboard. Everyone wants tons of people following them, but many don’t actually want to follow anyone in return. You can quickly see if someone is by looking at their friend/follower ratios. If their follower count is significantly larger than their friend count, it’s pretty clear that they don’t follow back and probably unfollow very quickly.

Many people expect you to follow them back, and if you do not reciprocate, they will quickly disappear. Some will DM you asking for a follow back (I usually respond directly to these people and follow them – they cared enough to reach out, so it doesn’t hurt to be courteous.) But it does no good to follow every follower if you are just not interested in what they are about.  I follow back about 40% of those who follow me, but only if I am not opposed to reading their tweets!

And that brings me to the Breakdown:

I learned that Twiends are good to have, stay active to generate organic impressions, use tools to deal with your new followers, and only follow accounts that truly interest you. Twiends is working out for me, and I find it to be a great service.

Time to move on to Strategy #4: Twitter Upkeep. In order to keep your audience engaged and your timeline looking fresh, you have to stay on top of your Twitter account. In my next post, I will discuss several tools you can use to clean up and streamline your account. If you want to tag along with me, you can either email me directly or tell everyone about your experience in the Comments!

03.04.16
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Twits plus 77. Goal!

“Twitter Count! Twitter Count! We want a Twitter Count!”

I can hear you chanting this already. No, seriously. Stop, it. <blushes>

Yes, it IS time for a Twitter Count and – yes – I have news. My Twitter mantra – Do Nothing – has done SOMETHING as I am proud to say I now have over 500 Followers on Twitter!

503 to be exact.

If you have read my earlier posts, you know that this number represents my total lack of effort at actually forming a Twitter “presence” – no effort, chemicals or preservatives added. I want people to choose to hit that Follow button based upon content alone. No gimmicks. No requests for follows or posting my Twitter handle on blogs or – heaven forbid – paying for followers.

My schtick has been simple – let’s just sit back and see how many new Twitter followers I can gain NATURALLY.

Here’s how it’s going:

As of 3/3/16, the number of Followers I have on Twitter has grown from 469 to 503.

During the last three weeks and change, I gained 34 Followers. That makes a total of 77 new Followers since I made this darn bet, in case anyone is counting – which I AM.

It’s funny really. Somehow I convinced 77 NEW PEOPLE to choose to follow my silly little tweets. And I still have no idea how I did it. And I still say: Pretty. Darn. Good. For doing NOTHING.

Which leads me to my long overdue homework assignment: I promised to look up 10 articles on how to naturally increase my Twitter presence, and to share my findings with you! While I admit to having been a total slacker on this one, I’ve done some research and there is a LOT of information out there.

Actually, there is such a thing as Too Much Information and that is what’s out there. TMI. In fact, I think my brain is now a bowl of Twitter-mush. I read and I searched and I browsed, bobbed and weaved, and I finally couldn’t take it any more – then a light went on and I stopped and said – JUST PICK ONE AND TRY IT OUT!

What good is it to simply parrot back these ideas? What kind of girl would I be if I didn’t test them out to see if they were any good?

So I had an idea. A bright one – shiny and sparkly.

I have decided to research and test out some of these Twitter strategies myself and see if they make a difference. That way, it’s easier to tell what works and what doesn’t – toss out what doesn’t work and move on to the next one.

Here’s an idea! Why don’t YOU try it with me? I’ll tell you what strategy I’m going to use. You try it, too. We will take it one step at a time, together! You can either email me directly or tell everyone about your experience in the Comments!

STRATEGY #1. Follow Your Followers. (Yes, it’s that simple.) Ready, set, go!

02.09.16
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Twits plus 43.

So I made a bet…

If you’ve read my blog, you know what is coming. It’s time for a Twitter count!

A few months ago, I decided time spent coming up with ways to enthrall my virtual followers with stories of my day and my ideas is just too much responsibility. My elaborate plan to gain Twitter followers consisted of this one mantra – DO NOTHING.

Thus, this number represents my total lack of effort at actually forming a Twitter “presence”.

Here’s how it’s going:

As of 2/9/16, the number of Followers I have on Twitter has grown from 426 to 469.

In six months – that’s right – SIX MONTHS – I have gained 43 Followers.

That is Pretty. Darn. Good. For doing NOTHING.

Now, some would say – wow, that really SUCKS! That is sad, sad, SAD. An average of 7.1 new people per month? How can this be good? Shouldn’t you be trying to reach thousands?

Here’s why. People HAVE found my blog and chosen to hit that Follow button based upon content alone. No gimmicks. No effort, chemicals or preservatives added.

My idea was to sit back and see how many new Twitter followers I would gain NATURALLY.

Therefore – SUCCESS!

It’s time to focus on what I did RIGHT that convinced 43 NEW PEOPLE to choose to follow my silly little tweets.

And to do that, I’m giving myself a homework assignment.  I will look up 10 articles on how to naturally increase my Twitter presence, and share my findings. Wish me luck!

Please feel free to COMMENT, as I’m open to suggestions and thoughts.

11.08.15
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It’s National Cappuccino Day – Brew it up!

It’s NATIONAL CAPPUCCINO DAY – November 8: http://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-cappuccino-day-october-8/ &nbsp; 
(But what’s with everyone thinking they can be a FOAM designer? Smh.)

 
November 8 is National Cappuccino Day!

A cappuccino (/ˌkæpʉˈtʃiːnoʊ/; Italian pronunciation: [kapputˈtʃiːno]) is an Italian coffee drink which is traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed milk foam.
“The word cappuccino comes from the Capuchin friars and is the diminutive form of cappuccio in Italian, meaning hood or something that covers the head. This popular coffee beverage got it’s name not from the hood on their habits but from the color of the hooded robes that the friars wore. (The Capuchin friars is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans.)

In 1945 Achille Gaggia invented the modern espresso machine which further popularized the cappuccino.

Mid 1990′s – Cappuccino was made more widely available to North Americans as upscale coffee houses sprang up.

Late 1990′s to Early 2000′s – Cappuccinos became popular in the United States concurrent with the boom in the American coffee industry.

Start of 21st Century – A modified short-cut version of the cappuccino started being served at fast-food chains.

While steaming the milk you must pay close attention to attain the correct ratio of foam, thus making the cappuccino one of the most difficult espresso-based beverages to make properly.

A skilled barista may create artistic shapes while he/she is pouring milk on top of the espresso coffee.

OBSERVE

Visit your favorite coffee shop to enjoy a nice warm and delicious cup of cappuccino and use #CappuccinoDay to post on social media.”

   

  

09.28.15
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Twits Plus 14. 

So I made a bet…

I had an idea. A bright one – shiny and sparkly and oh so cheeky.

I decided that the best thing to do would be NOTHING.

That is correct. My bright idea was to sit back and see how many new Twitter followers I would gain NATURALLY – no actual promotion or pleading or paying attention on my end.

I figured that since I was posting on FB and updated my LinkedIn page that some people would drift this way organically – no effort, chemicals or preservatives added.
The result was 14 new Followers on Twitter in 60 days.

Yes, 14.

Let’s Count Together – 1, 2, 3 … 14.

Wow. My bright idea was really quite dim.

So what happened?

It’s research time!

Was I too lax? boring? Annoying?

Did people UN-follow me? If so, why? What did I do wrong?

Flip side – what did I do RIGHT that convinced 14 NEW PEOPLE to choose to follow my silly little tweets?

Please feel free to COMMENT, as I’m open to suggestions and thoughts.