The last week of July I took a vacation and went to Chicago for a week. My trip home included various activities: a bachelorette party, a Stanley Cup grab, Lollapalooza and my mother throwing new books my direction every two seconds (to be fair, it was either do the dishes or read the book.) Some things never change. I began having flashbacks to the eight year-old version of myself trying to barter my way out of reading the Chronicles of Narnia.

So, I started in on Bringing Home The Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonello.  Most people who know me realize that I am more of a satirical type of person. Chick lit, is not necessarily my thing, ask my best friend Ann- she’s tried to convert me for years, having minimal success.

Suddenly I realized I was on page 50 and loving the book. I’ll spare you the book report, but it goes something like this: man is not happy in his life, man goes on a trip to Spain, man loves Spain, man moves to Spain, man finds soul mate in Spain, man starts a business acquiring and selling Hermes Birkin bags on EBay to a growing client roster, man has a personal life changing experience that leads him to re-evaluate his priorities, this ultimately leads to a game- changing business decision, man makes decision, book ends.  (Hey I can’t spoil it for you; I like Michael Tonello too much.)

As I finished this book on the plane ride back to San Diego, I realized the point Michael Tonello was making; it’s about the journey, knowing when something is right and going for it, and that life and business are never independent of one another. As much as you may try, you cannot separate them.

This story, leads me to where I am today; Bolt Public Relations’ newest office in Dana Point, California, writing this blog. I knew for a very long time that we’d be expanding into the Orange County community. I knew for a very long time that this would mean moving my life from San Diego to Orange County. But, like Michael Tonello, something deep down knew that life and business were never meant to be independent of one another. In fact, at this point in my life, they’ve never been more dependent and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I do what I love, in an industry I love, with people that challenge me to be a better communicator, thinker, writer, orator and the list goes on, daily.

Dana Point, thank you for having us. We are thrilled to be here.

Oh and for Ann, yes I see it now, I think you might be onto something with this chick lit stuff.

Allow me to preface this blog by stating that I am a raving fan of Twitter. Through the power of the 140-character tweets, I have found new partners, clients, opportunities, vendors, trends and information. I have connected with people across the globe and right down my street whom I may not have otherwise communicated with. I am able to stay on top of the news and information that I care about and interact through my personal “following” selections. At the end of the day, because of Twitter, I am better informed, better connected, and more visible online.

So why does Twitter have such a bad reputation? The simple answer is that those who do not get behind the tool truly don’t understand its use and power. The other answers lie in the excuses reasons that people have recently told me as to why they do not like Twitter:

• “I don’t care about the delicious bagel you’re eating for breakfast.” Really? You have no interest in hearing about the best place in San Diego to get a bagel? Fair enough. Then skip over those 140 characters and focus on all of the other relevant content that’s accessible to you in real time right this second.
• “I don’t want everyone to know where I am at every second of the day.” Ok, then don’t tweet about where you are every second of the day. Tweet about what you want, when you want.
• “Who actually has time to ‘tweet’ all day?” (Insert sarcastic tone on the word ‘tweet’ – it’s my segue way to the next bullet point anyway). Use applications. Take a look at Hootsuite (my personal favorite) or SocialOomph. Or read one of our recent Bolt PR blogs about social media applications. And by the way, you don’t have to tweet every second of the day to be connected. You just have to be on Twitter and connect. There’s a difference.
• “How can I take something called ‘Twitter’ seriously for my business?” I don’t have an answer for you other than millions of other people (105+ million registered users, in fact) find the name satisfactory enough that they’re engaging online right now… including some of your customers and prospects. It’s the name and it’s not going to change anytime soon, so get on it or get left behind.

And there you have my Friday musings. I’d love to hear your reasons for loving Twitter, or other reasons you’ve heard why some people do not. Just leave your comments below. I look forward to tweeting with you soon!

Caroline and I (Anne) had the pleasure of speaking about some basic online PR strategies for this month’s “Third Thursdays at Kravet San Diego” event this morning to a wonderful group of interior designers.  We discussed branding, how to use LinkedIn as a visibility tool, and creating online press releases to provide easy-to-implement strategies for increased exposure. We have posted our powerpoint presentation below as a resource for event attendees and anyone else looking to create awareness for their business.

Please feel free to leave a comment or email us with any questions.