If you’re familiar with MBTI styles, I’m an ENFP. What that means for this post is that I typically read more than one book at a time, something that seems impossible and even ludicrous for someone who is a J, like my husband. That being said, here’s a list of what I’m currently reading:

• 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.

Central VA TweetUp #1
Live in or near Lynchburg, VA and want to meet other people who are using social networking sites for business? Then meet us for the first ever Central Virginia TweetUp - a meeting of people who may only know each other by their @Twitter nick names. In this case, the gathering is being extended to include users of other social networking platforms (like LinkedIn, Plaxo, Plurk, Identi.ca, Facebook, etc.) as well.

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

Note: This post was edited to correct my accidental omission of Jon’s birthday wish link. If you subscribe to my blog, please accept my apologies for the duplication.

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.

Social networking is all about meeting new people and connecting with folks in a variety of platforms, right? So when is it OK to say no? When is it appropriate, or even prudent, to block a Twitter follower? As a reformed dysfunctional pleaser, I often worry about blocking someone or denying a friend request. Thankfully, those days are gone!

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 a big fan of social networking in general and Twitter in particular. In the last few weeks I’ve begun following the Twitter updates of The Honorable Congressman John Culberson (R) of Texas. For how much longer, I’m not entirely sure.

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?

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been rolling a post around in my brain about how and why I choose to follow people on Twitter. Last night Grant Griffiths tweeted the question and we decided to do a tandem post about the subject. You can read his post here. It’s good.

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.

Last week Peter was working late. It was quickly approaching dinner time so I called to see how much longer he would be. Lots longer. In a stroke of brilliance, Peter suggested I take Morgan on a date.

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?