A year ago I was completely oblivious to the way the Internet was changing marketing and PR. I wasn’t even blogging. A few weeks ago I stood in front of more than 100 people at Charlotte WordCamp and spoke confidently on blog promotion and twitter. How is this possible? Because of you. I am continually amazed at how generous the online community is and at how the social media community embraces newcomers. At every turn I’ve found encouragement, motivation and generous information sharing. So many people have helped me. Here are a few who stand...

“Geez, Mom, you almost hit that car.” “I see the car, hon, and I wasn’t even close.” “Well you’re almost out of gas. I guess you just want to get stuck at the mall. Heh.” (shaking head like Mom is completely clueless) “We have plenty of gas.” “We better fill up on the way home. I don’t wanna get stuck in the cold all night.” “I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been alive. Just leave it to me, okay? And, by the way, I am not an idiot.” I don’t say...

I used to think optimists were out of touch with reality. Wide-eyed Pollyannas who refused to see that tough challenges lie in wait for all of us, ready to pounce like meaty-pawed tigers. But then I started writing for business journals. After a few months of interviewing successful entrepreneurs and CEOs I detected a pattern. They were all optimists. This punched a big hole in my Pollyanna theory. Slowly I discovered that true optimism – the powerful stuff that fuels leaders and visionaries - isn’t rooted in blithely ignoring reality....

My friend and I were having lunch on a restaurant patio the other day when a lime green Lamborghini roared past. “Your son would have gone bananas if he had seen that,” she said with a chuckle. She knows my teenager loves classic rock, skateboarding and expensive cars - and that he’s intense, artistic, quick-witted and wants to be everybody’s friend. My family and close friends know they’ll find my daughter by my side as I roll out the crust for Thanksgiving pies, that we’ll have to call my middle-schooler three...

There’s so much talk lately about getting more followers on twitter. If you’re a beekeeper do you really need 800 graphic designers following you? The “trick” to attracting a mix of followers you enjoy interacting with is to just forget about it. Forget the numbers - Look at your twitter stream. If you have a good mix of information, replies, retweets and personal nuggets, you’re having conversation. This is good. If you have a string of self-promoting blurts you are a twitter boor. People will like you –...

@DamienBasile: I’m on Twitter to help others by making their lives simpler/easier w/ biz/tech thru sharing what I find. @ginabad: just discovered it-I twitter for info for my blogs, for networking biz, and to meet new people. @PressReleasePR: to meet the kind of people that I have, learn from them and share their wisdom @blairblends: To map and understand for www.charlottetweets.com @egculbertson: first out of curiosity but now due to what I learn from the community @Keithdon: Connections that bring value that is unattainable elsewhere. Where...

Note: If you already know this stuff, please be on the lookout for someone who needs to see this and forward the link to them. Someone like the guy Mack Collier called out yesterday. Bless his heart. He’s like the Avon lady who solicited my mom on Halloween night. Mom opened the door to a pretty little ballerina and a pig-tailed UPS delivery girl. “Trick-or-treat!” they said shyly, as their mom watched from the street. As Mom offered them some goodies, the ballerina slipped an Avon book into her hand. Mom thanked the girls, cheerfully wished...