• Courageous Church Leadership by John P. Chandler
• Setting the Table by Danny Meyer (thanks Celia at Meriwether Godsey)
• The Millennium Matrix by M. Rex Miller
• Optimizing the Power of Action Learning by Michael J. Marquardt (thanks Harry Kerr)
• Can’t quite get through Millionaire Mommy by Kim Lavine

What’s next on my list:

• Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck
• Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath (thanks Sara Schneider) (Loved Now Discover Your Strengths)
• Succeed on Your Own Terms by Greenberg and Sweeney (thanks Harry)
• How to Hire & Develop Your Next Top Performer by Greenberg, Weinstein and Sweeney (thanks Harry)
• Enemy Access Denied by John Bevere (Christmas gift from @peter_smitty)
• Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton (thanks Jonathan Whitt)

I keep coming back to read excerpts from:

• Vital Friends by Tom Rath
• The Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman
• Life Wisdom from Billy Graham by Billy Graham (Hallmark gift book with no easily found link for purchasing)

I’ll be busy for the next few days, reading at the pool and while camping. Here’s my MBTI prayer, “Dear God, please help me keep my mind on one…Look a butterfly…thing at a time! Before I go, let me ask this:

What are you currently reading? What books do you keep coming back to and why? Which have been life changing for you? Leave your comments here.

Day/Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Time: 5:45 p.m.
Location: Charleys Restaurant, Lynchburg, VA
Cost: Dutch treat, separate tabs
Food: Appetizers and drinks or dinner, whatever floats your boat

Other: Wi-Fi is free (thanks Rob & MJ) so bring your laptops if you want. We’ll get to know each another, see who’s doing what and if there are ways we can connect. Come ready to share your favorite blog sites, viral media stuff, new iPhones (and old if you want to sell) and whatever else is on your mind. Feel free to bring a friend! Pass this link along or trackback to your own site.

RSVP: By Monday, 7/14 via Twitter (@ or dm me), LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, FriendFeed, comment below or you can always use good old fashioned email, text/phone 434.258.2448.

Sponsorship Opportunities: Attention progressive companies in Central Virginia or beyond, have a chance to meet talented folks on the cutting edge. Get a little company visibility on this site, and others (as applicable) and at the event. Pick up the tab - that simple. And if you have free stuff you want to pass out, that’s always good! If you’re interested, please contact Cheryl Smith by email or call 434.258.2448.

What am I missing? What suggestions do you have for the TweetUp? Who can you bring with you? Leave your feedback by clicking on the comment button below.

Recognition: Central VA TweetUp idea and initial conversations with @frankmartin and @nicktripp. TweetUp design by Lee-Graham.com

This post is dedicated to people who, in a just a few short months, and often in an instant, have been blessings to me. If you’ve read Levite Chronicles, you’ll note that Jon Swanson often uses short lists (of 8 lately) in his posts. So here’s my list of 8 for today with a double bonus (like Brogan) for the finale.

1. I’ll start off with Jon Swanson. Today is his 50th birthday. Happy Birthday Jon! Thanks for encouraging a brand new blogger and offering your feedback. Did I mention your interest and engagement? Thank you also for continually using your creativity and intellect to move my heart towards God. You are a blessing!
2. @RachelHauck for opening yourself up to a complete stranger and sharing your story, all the while, allowing God to move me with your love for Him. To Him be the glory. Enjoy Rachel’s site.
3. @BeyondJEMS Proof that God doesn’t waste our pain. Thanks for the reminder. It could not have come at a better time. Another layer coming off here in Virginia.
4. @roxannedarling For creating the first-ever podcast dedicated to me. You rock! The stretches made a difference in my best run yesterday. Shaved off 6 minutes and only stopped distance because it was time to relieve Peter from child duty so he could go to work.
5. @mark_salinas Your encouragement and interest in my running is playing a HUGE role in whatever the next step is for me. While I can’t see it clearly, I know it has something to do with persistence and discipline. Thank you is entirely inadequate. Nice blog, by the way.
6. @nicktripp You’ve taught me so much about Twitter and more. Especially about connecting in ways that are real and transparent. And you make me laugh. Can’t wait until the first ever Central Virginia Tweet Up (Wednesday, 7/19, 5:45 p.m. at Charleys without the O - Graves Mill Road). You’ve gotta meet Schmitty.
7. @sacca Peruse My Twitter “Favorites” and you’ll see an online version of my happy folder. These are the things that mostly make me laugh, inspire me, etc. You’re one funny guy!
8. @biz and @ev Thanks for making this all possible. Twitter has changed the way I work and has brought great ideas, technology and most importantly, awesome people into my life. You’re culturesmiths at the truest sense of the word. You’ve taken a lot of grief. Nothing huge probably has ever been done without a few setbacks and naysayers. Keep at it. It’s important work!

By the way, do you know Jon Swanson? If so, wish him a happy birthday today. Read about his birthday wish.

Finally, who’s in your list of 8 and why? Start your own post and trackback here, or just leave their names in the comment section. I probably want to follow them.

Guilt Free Twitter Blocking
Spammers. First email spam, now Twitter spam. These resourceful yet annoying people follow hundreds, thousands and even hundreds of thousands of people with the hopes of driving traffic to their websites. Think about it - if you’re checking out new followers, you typically click on their website links, right? Before automatically clicking on websites, read the bios and check out the tweets. If it looks like spam and smells like spam, it probably is. If any part of you thinks it’s spam, don’t even bother with the website. Block them. If you’re not sure, check it out and if you discover it’s spam, block them! Don’t retweet their @names nor pass along their URLs. The more times they’re blocked, the more likely their accounts will be closed…eventually.

Leisure Suit Larry. You know the guy. The first thing he does is come to your pool party and pee in your pool. He talks only about himself and never contributes anything of value to the conversation. He pushes only his stuff (blog posts, websites, product) and that’s that. Block away my friend. No remorse.

Party Babe. I’ve recently been intentional about blocking sex pistols and party girls. While those tweets may have entertainment value for some - not so much for me. I’m just sayin’. If the avatar looks like an audition headshot (or more) for Playboy, I’m pretty much going to block her. No worries.

The Perp. I was once followed by a guy whose entire following was made up of young, beautiful women/girls. Don’t get me wrong; I was flattered to be in the company of so many young beauties. Somehow, however, images of him reading my tweets in some dark room filled with cigarette smoke and the smell of days-old alcohol was enough for me to block him right away.

Sailor Mouth. My impressionable children sometimes watch me Twitter. I chose not to expose them to unnecessary profanity. Additionally, I do social networking presentations for groups (some of which are faith based) and don’t want to offend any of my own audience participants. I’m not so worried about an occasional word here or there. I’m talking consistent and crude. Reminds me of something I once heard, “people who curse do so because they have a limited vocabulary.”

Other Social Networking Invitations
I’m not sure my friending strategy is as well thought on LinkedIn, Plaxo, or Facebook. For the most part, those are more static platforms. The value they provide is different as is my level of engagement with each.

For another perspective, read Louis Gray’s recent post - As I Get Older, Some “Friending” Gets Creepier.

So now I’m curious.
Have you thought intentionally about who you allow to follow you on Twitter or friend you on other platforms? What’s your conclusion? Have you ever posted your policy? If so, share the link here. Keep the conversation going.

I’m following Culberson, not because I’m a Texan or a Republican but because I’m interested in how people are using Social Networking and Social Media and how this digital world is shaping all aspects of culture: faith, family, business, politics, etc.

I’m not a politico. I vote because it’s my civic duty and I loved Ms. Janie Gray’s US Government class in high school. My understanding of politics is primarily shaped from life with a strongly Democratic ex-husband and an equally strong Republican former boss.

On June 3rd, I twittered during Hillary Clinton’s “almost concession speech” and during Obamas’s speech that followed. In recent weeks I’ve seen Congressman Culberson tweet from the White House, the first in history to do so, and from the House floor. And I happen to think it’s all good for our country.

So it was with great interest and more than a little concern that I read tweets from Congressman Culberson that,

“the Democrats are looking at restricting Member content on websites outside the house.gov domain.”

Surely people in the Democratic camp haven’t talked with Senator Obama about this! Just today I read an article about the Obama campaign building community and growing grassroots support by embracing social networking strategies. You can read the New York Times post “The Facebooker Who Friended Obama” here.

Click here to read Congressman Culberson’s statement.

Free speech and access to government, at least as best I recall, are principles we hold dearly in the US.

So, what do you think? Weigh in here. Should our elected government officials’ use of new media be restricted? If so, how much and how far? If not, why not?

I use Twitter as a business tool so my reasons for choosing who I follow are based on my own business goals of keeping current on business issues, technology, trends, marketing, social networking, writing, and staying in tune with the non-profit and faith-based organizations. Here’s my Twitter Follow Strategy:

Observe others. I first heard of Twitter from Chris Brogan. Initially, I followed his conversations. If he communicated with someone, I figured he or she might be a good person to follow. Thankfully I found Becky McCray, Jon Swanson and Liz Strauss and many of the folks on my list. From there, I began watching those people’s conversations and used the same strategy.

Find like minds. At some point, I was doing a last name search to see if any of my relatives were Twittering. Though I’m not related, I stumbled upon Michael Hyatt. I’m interested in writing, publishing and faith-based topics so following him was a no brainer. Next I wanted to know who he was following so I looked through his “following” list. I read the bios, reviewed the tweet history, and checked out websites/blogs and About pages.  I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo stalker person, so I didn’t follow all of his following. Instead I picked a few and continue to add others over time, based on conversations and tweets.

Search keywords. I’ve recently started running so I want to follow people who are into running as well, so I can learn from them. I did a search on Summize and found @beyondjems. What a small world – she’s also connected to @michaelhyatt! As Grant notes in his post, you can now also search easily using Tweetdeck.

Follow backs. When I receive a new follower on Twitter, I look at his or her tweet history, bio, website/blog, and followers to following ratio. I make a “follow” decision based on what I see. Grant does a good job of explaining this in his post so I won’t duplicate. Here’s what I will say: don’t automatically discredit a new Twitterer. We were all new once, right? Maybe we should all make it a matter of practice to follow at least one new Twitter person a week. Just a thought.

One of my favorite books is Vital Friends by Tom Rath. In Chapter 2 he states,

“If we have already spent significant time on self-development, is it possible that most of the magic – our room for rapid personal and professional growth – lies in developing our friendships?”

As strange as it sounds to someone who doesn’t use or understand Twitter, in four short months, I feel as though I’ve seen rapid personal and professional growth, partly as a result of new Twitter “friends.”

• To my following: Thank you. Thanks for allowing me to follow your updates and learn from you. You are enriching my life.
• To my followers: My prayer is that in some small way, I am doing the same for you.

How do you grow your Twitter following? How have the people you’re following on Twitter enriched your life?

P.S. Click here for “Six Ways You Can Use Twitter Today” and here for “Tweople You Must Follow.” And of course, if you’re not already, follow me on Twitter.

Morgan, my 10-year old son, was the only child at home that night. His sister was at camp and two step-siblings were at their mom’s house across town. Date night sounded like a great idea so off we went to La Caretta, our family favorite.

In less than 48 hours, we would be dropping off Morgan and his sister to spend six weeks in Indiana with their dad. Date night timing couldn’t be better. As we enjoyed each other’s company, these are a few of the lessons I tried to impart to Morgan:

1. Focus on the other person. The best way to get to know others is to focus on them, rather than dominating the conversation.
2. Ask questions. Whether you’re on a date or in a business setting, it’s always a good idea to ask questions that allow people to talk about what’s important to them. I asked Morgan about his day camp experience and about his newest toy fad.
3. Remember names. While we were at the restaurant, I called our servers by name. (Did I mention it’s our family favorite?) We saw some friends and I reminded Morgan of their names. When we stopped by their table on the way out, he could call them by name.
4. Always pay. Call me old fashion, but I still think the man should pay for dates. (It’s nice for a lady to offer to pay and I suppose if she initiates the date, she should offer/be prepared to pay. Maybe I’ll revisit this conversation in August when he returns.)
5. Trust Jesus; He’s the real deal. The mere fact that Morgan would be gone for six weeks reminded me that date night could be a good time to reinforce key values.

After we left the restaurant, we went to Givens Books and I purchased The Dangerous Book for Boys, thanks to a referral from a Twitter conversation. At the last minute Morgan decided he wanted to watch one of his favorite movies from when he was (really) little. Hollywood Video didn’t have it so we went to Blockbuster. Score! (Last minute choices may be the only down side of Netflix.)

Who knew Land Before Time would be the perfect ending to a mother-son date? In her last words, Little Foot’s mother took the time to teach a few important life lessons as well.

Have you been on a Mother-Son or Father-Daughter date? If so, tell me about it! What life lessons did your parents share with you (or do you wish they had shared with you)? What lessons are you intentionally sharing with your children?

The Background
In the last two months, I’ve started running. Well, more like jogging/walking. This is HUGE for me because even as of now, I’ve never run a complete mile in my entire life. When I was in high school, we could choose between chorus, PE or band. I chose chorus, three music classes my senior year.

Some say I’m blessed because I have a high metabolism and a long, used to be thinner build. I’ve never really had to exercise nor watch what I eat. Until 40. I’m 43 now and for a variety of motivations, I want/need to take care of myself.

In April I took Archie, our golden retriever, to the vet for his 1-year check up. He weighed in at 93 pounds. Our vet said Archie needed to loose about 5 pounds and he needed more exercise. She was right. Truth be told, so did I.

I started out walking in the mornings or afternoons, whenever I could find the time, and I probably got in a mile or two. Fast forward to run/walk/jog in intervals and I’m up to 3-4 miles.

Today’s Run
I woke up tired and almost decided to forego the run but then was determined not to loose momentum. I ate a light breakfast, had coffee (caffeine is really helpful) and drank plenty of water. After I dropped Morgan off at camp, I came home. Archie and I headed out at 9:37. It was probably already close to 80 degrees.

We started slowly, then picked it up and ran a bit. Walked a bit, ran a bit, etc. Before long, I started to get overheated. My skin was hot and red. My scalp and arms had that cold tingly feeling. So I slowed down and took a few rest stops along the way. I popped a couple of icebreaker sours in my mouth to get the juices flowing again and just remembered to pace myself.

Determination
Despite the fact that I was hot, really hot, I continued to push myself to make sure I didn’t quit/give up, call a friend and ask her to come get me.  I even ran a little bit up the second to last hill before I got home. And it felt good! Not physically, of course, but mentally/emotionally.

When I got home, my face, chest and arms were RED! I stretched in the cool of the AC, lay in front of an additional fan, drank lots of water and snarfed up a banana. Before long I was feeling great.

Lessons Learned

• Don’t delay your goals. With summer heat and humidity kicking in, I have to be more intentional about getting out earlier in the mornings.
• Be prepared. I wore heat wicking clothes, good socks and shoes and I had my cell phone with me. I took mints/gum to help with dry mouth. I even took Aveeno lip conditioner with sunscreen in case my lips started to dry out.
• Listen to yourself. I was in tune with my body and realized I was getting too hot.
• Adjust based on variables. Even though I started out with a decent pace, I had to adjust due to the heat/humidity. And I had to do this on the fly.
• Evaluate. As I reflect on today’s run, I can see what went well and how I can improve next time.
• Celebrate. Even little steps forward are progress towards the overall goal. Oreos and milk for afternoon snack!

What mistakes have you made recently and what have you learned from them? If you’re a runner, what other advice would you give me? Is any of this helpful for where you are with your own goals? Leave your comments below.

• People are using social networks to find pockets of opportunities.
• Social networks/social media are changing search engine results, often highlighting obscure or sometimes less than ideal information above the fold. Companies must pay attention.
• Customers are having the conversations online about your company, your product, your industry, etc.
• Mom bloggers have power and LOTS of influence on the buying decisions, not just for their households.
• Businesses are seeing negative comments go down because they are listening.
• Companies doing social media/social networks well are doing so because they aren’t taking themselves so seriously. Loosen up corporate America.
• Loosening up melts resistance.
• Associations (non-profits, chambers and ministries/churches) have great opportunities to build community via social networks.
• Every business/organization needs to reach out to younger generations to continue in the future. Social media/social networks provides that platform.
• Use social networks/community to let your customers help you build your next product/service. They’re already your fans.
• Use social media/social networks to give people what they need to tell your story!
• Companies/organizations interested in controlling the convesation are not well suited for social networks.
• Pushing your marketing message is not well suited for social networks. It is far better to enable conversations (and let others lead the conversation/tell your story).
• We now live in three worlds: the physical, digital and virtual. (I would add spiritual to the list, but that’s a whole other post.)
• People have three lives: professional, personal and private (the part not on social networks).

There was so much information. Now I must digest it all. It’ll be interesting how the conversations that began in today’s session will continue on Twitter in both formal and informal ways, as well as in other conversations about marketing, business and life.

I apologize for not including names/companies/links for speakers. The twebinar went so quickly, I only had time to take notes. See the sidebar of Twebinar page for more information about speakers. Can’t wait ’til the next one! Good job guys.

What about you? Were you one of the 500 to get in the first one? What was your takeaway? What am I missing from the list?

These are all people who have consistently enriched my life by their tweets and/or their blog posts. For new Twitter users, login to Twitter, then click on the links below and click “follow” to begin receiving their updates.

In No Particular Order

• @ChrisBrogan I consider Chris to be the master of social networks. Or maybe he just gets people and that shows up in everything he writes (and believe me, he’s prolific).
• @zappos Tony is the CEO of zappos.com and a genuis at building culture, both internally and externally. He’s using Twitter expertly! Hey, you could also win stuff.
• @michaelhyatt President & CEO of Thomas Nelson uses Twitter for business, to be sure, but what I like best is how he tweets about real life. Mike is approachable and he loves his wife and family.
• @craignewmark Founder of Craigslist.org, Craig is king of brief. His blog posts reveal his passions and often include only photos.
• @jnswanson Jon journals thoughtfully, takes great photos and sometimes reveals both on his blog - Levite Chronicles. Jon loves God, family and coffee.
• @ev Evan is the Cofounder of Twitter. I like to keep up with people who are smart in ways I can’t even begin to understand.
• @biz The other Cofounder of Twitter. It’s so cool to see what people can think up and then put into action.
• @dacort Brilliant programmer, Internet security expert and fun person to follow. I like to pretend I can speak his IT/security language.
• @sacca - A tech investor and someone with a witty sense of humor.
• @danportnoy - Brilliant. Funny. Just maybe a beautiful mind. The person who got me into this whole blogging thing to begin with. Working with The Sold Project - you MUST check it out too.
• @ronedmondson - Straight up guy who loves God and has a heart for people. The real deal.
• @getitdoneguy - Man, Stever is one of the smartest people I’ve seen. You’ll be smarter just by following him and gleaning from his insights.
• @alanataylor - On the cutting edge of technology. Writes for Mashable. Truly a digital native and a nice person to boot.
• @garyvee - Wine guy, passion personified. Uses social media to build his brand and has an amazing following. Gary has insane energy.
• @newmediajim - A real life camera news guy. Now when you see the stories, you begin to think of the people who actually film/make the news happen.
• @starbucker Because everybody needs a little music trivia every now and then. With Terry, the glass is always half full.
• @chriscree Chris is a heck of a nice guy who embraces the fact that we live in a collaborative society. Talk to Chris and you feel like you’ve known him all your life.
• @arickmann Because he’s a smart alec and hey, sometimes you just need a laugh. He’s also one of those people who speaks a language other than my own (web design).
• @frankmartin Knows marketing research, he recommends great reads and he is passionate about social media/social networking.
• @richmillington Incredibly smart! Never read a single blog post of his that didn’t make me stop and think.
• @beckymccray Becky understands small business in rural America and she understands blogging and community. And besides, how often do you hear grown women talk about kegs?

Who enriches your life with their tweets or posts, and how so? Add their names in the comments section below so they can enrich the lives of others as well!