A dear friend of Bolt Public Relations, Kevin Carlin, alerted us to this very cool project he has volunteered to take the lead on. The 1st Annual Go Green/ Give Green Fundraising Campaign to benefit Elwyn California. It’s simple: just collect bottles and cans. The proceeds from your recyclables will benefit Elwyn.

What is Elwyn California? Elwyn prepares adults with disabilities for employment by maximizing potential through personal commitment, collective talent, and innovation. Elwyn supports indviduals with diverse challenges in shaping distinctive, meaningful lives.

The Celebration Event, including prizes for those who bring in the most cans and bottles, will be held Tuesday, September 14, 2010, at BJ’s Restaurant in Huntington Beach, Calif. from 5:00-9:00 pm.

For more information on the fundraiser, please contact Kevin Carlin at (714) 478-6819 or via email at kmcarlin@msn.com. Even better, RSVP for the event on Facebook.

To learn more about Elwyn California, please visit the website.

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!

By: Kristan Maurer

For 20-something women looking to thrive in a competitive business arena, dressing for success is vital. Without the bank account to fund a “Best Dressed List” wardrobe, young women seek less expensive alternatives. Target provides the answer. 

Target keeps making the “Best Dressed List” by collaborating with top designers such as Zac Posen, Jean Paul Gaultier, and the late Alexander McQueen.  The company, with the brand promise of “Expect More. Pay Less^®,” makes envied couture designs accessible and affordable to women throughout America. Target hits the mark again by adding Nina Garcia, fashion director at Marie Claire and judge on the popular television show Project Runway, as its fashion expert. While the official announcement has yet to be made, Garcia can already be seen on video segments on target.com that show frugal fashionistas how to work Target’s looks.

Target fulfills their promise of “Expect More. Pay Less^®.”  Fashion industry icons help the company broaden their reach by making it more than just another discount superstore. Big fashion names help break the stigma of these superstores where it is assumed that quality is compromised and this season’s trends don’t show up until next year. Rather than just purchasing daily necessities and last year’s accessories, customers can expect high fashion at a fraction of the cost from Target stores. These collaborations help the company reach the scope of fashionistas on a budget and make it cool to rock clothes from the bull’s eye brand. With Nina Garcia now on board, we may even see Heidi Klum talk about Target on Project Runway or in the pages of Marie Claire.

To see more on how Target makes frugal fashionable, visit http://style.target.com/.

We want to hear from you: what other brands do you admire for delivering more, for less?