@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone, and welcome to the Twitterview 2.0 of local social media titan @SocialNicole! Lets get this thing rolling!

@SocialNicole – Hi Joel, glad to make it, this time… :)

Q – #1    So @SocialNicole, how did you come up with your Twiter handle, and how has #nptalk been going for you?

A: that’s a great question, my twitter handle…My name was taken, so I did my name with an underscore…

that seemed boring, so one day I was brainstorming and it just hit me…socialnicole sounded good, easy to remember

and when I decide to do something I usually do it without too much thought, so the name was available and I took it.

nptalk has been amazing, the community continues to grow. I feel so fortunate to get to be a part of this wonderful group of ppl.

each week, i meet new ppl, but we also have lots of regulars who participate and share, it’s really a nice resource #nptalk

Recently I have had 2 new ppl join volunteer for #nptalk @jjmillard who does the transcript and @hannahfeder who writes the summary.

With @jjmillard and @hannahfeder helping out, it has made follow up much easier and more manageable…nice reference for ppl #nptalk

Q – #2    @SocialNicole What moved you to start #nptalk, and what kind of topics have you been able to cover?

A: One day last March I was asking lots of questions about fundraising on Twitter, got like 20 ppl in a discussion, tagged it

during that @marcseyon from trinidad, one of my fav twitter ppl, dm’d me and told me I should start a chat…

I said, what? I don’t know how to do that…and so @marcseyon dm’d me all the details and

that same day I asked the people who joined the discussion what they thought of a chat, they said yes, do it…

so I officially started it that day, like I said when I have an idea I usually run with it, or when others give me a good idea…

we have talked about all kinds of things facebook, facebook fan pages, twitter, SEO, Website development, advocacy w/social media,

fundraising, professional development, content creation, enewsletters, you name it we have or will be talking about it…

social media plans, getting “buy in” from leadership, social media marketing, training staff to use social media….

Q – #3    In addition to your #nptalk, what kinds of events have you attended lately, and what have you volunteered for?

A: I was a volunteer for the #sethgodinmpls event last month, I just attended the #nme10 in chicago Tuesday which was awesome!

#Nme10 new marketing experiment put on by @nmlteam @chrisbrogan’s company, met amazing people, learned so much…

Met @AmberCadabra @TheTimHayden @DavidBThomas @cbarger @paulaberg @DavidBaeza @justinlevy @georgeju @geoffh just to name a few #nme10

and I cannot wait to go to #bwe10 in October…good times… :)

Q – #4    Something else happened to you this summer. You purchased the #iPhone4. How has your experience been with it?

A: Ha ha…I think you are baiting me… I LOVE APPLE, I LOVE IPHONES!!!! I LOVE MACS!!!

even if iPhone 4 is the worse actual phone I have ever owned, it drops calls all the time…and I get terrible service in my house

errible service with AT&T in my house, that sits in the city between two tours and I have a microcell to help but it does not good

but the iphone 4 rocks for everything else, just because drop calls all day long…I hate talking on the phone anyway, so it’s ok :)

the iphone 4 is super fast and I love the new os on it, and the screen is super sensitive and I like everything, except calling ppl

and i hate AT&T and cannot wait for apple to drop the contract with them…but otherwise life is good… :)

Q – #5    So iPhone4 = Good, AT&T = Bad. Now you took a very big and adult step this summer with your business. What happened?

A: Yes, I hired a designer @grandciel, who made me a fab logo and I hired a lawyer @mplslawyer who made me an LLC and now I’m a grown up

You can see my new logo and business info at www.socialnicole.com

Q – #6    That must feel good! In addition to that, with a name like @SocialNicole, you must do some speaking. Any this summer?

A: I did a presentation at the University of St. Catherine for their Summer Leadership Series about….social media and career growth

and I spoke with @girlmeetsgeek at #jmu612 about Linkedin…that was fun…

and I have a few more speaking things coming up mid october…so the speaking/training gig is going well…it’s fun and…

and I get to meet a lot of new people every time I present…so it keeps me…social… :)

Q – #7    On a different level… how do you manage with having your own biz, pets and kids? Are you getting the hang of it?

A: my puppies waiting to go to dog park #jectv #TwitPict http://twitpic.com/2rlq6x

Ha ha ha…everyday is an adventure…working from home can be challenging the dogs are very spoiled, fortunately kids are in school.

but I love it…lots of flexibility…just have to manage time well…yes, I am getting the hang of it… :)

Q – #8    Good! Now earlier you mentioned #bwe10. What is that about, and what are you hoping to learn? Is it a BIG Conf?

A: Ha ha #bwe10 is a fairly big conference…blog world expo, it’s all about blogging and social media stuff…in vegas…

I am excited to attend #bwe10, will hang out with a lot of minnesota people but also get to meet a lot of people I know on twitter…

I think about 4000 people attend?…

I am sure I will learn tons of blogging and social media stuff, my focus will probably be on SEO, that’s been a big focus of mine…

Q – #9    So what plans/goals do you have for yourself for the next year or so? For your biz and professionally.

A: I am just planning on growing my business, I have great clients and enjoy the work, doing more speaking and I want to write more…

I want to blog 3 or more times per week, so I am working on getting better at actually finishing the posts…

I also hope that #nptalk will grow and continue to serve people, perhaps we will branch out and get our own website…

And of course continue to grow my IRL network along with my social networks. I love all the people I get to meet and enjoy…

building relationships and connecting people and making things happen. That is really what I love, helping people reach their goals.

@JoelECarlson – That all sounds good @SocialNicole! Enjoy your weekend and keep up the good work. Thanks for your time today. :)

@SocialNicole – Thank you @joelecarlson…and you keep doing great things…your Twitterviews are great, love the new website…and thanks for all…

Thanks @joelecarlson for all the great things you do in the community, you have helped with so many great events…thank you.

@JoelECarlson – Hello everybody, and welcome to an early AM Twitterview with @cafecyan. Grab your coffee and lets get Tweet’n. :)

Q – #1    So @cafecyan, how did you come up with your Twitter handle and where did you grow up?

A: My Twitter handle is my blog name, a combo of my name and my husband’s name, Ryan.

I also used to be in print photography, so cyan was a color I often did color corrections with. Grew up in good ‘ol Burnsville, MN

Q – #2    I see. So what HS did you attend and then what kind of schooling or training did you get after that?

A: Went to Burnsville High School, then to Arizona State (too much $$) so I transferred to U of WI – La Crosse after a year of fun.

My degree is in Human Resources and I’m also professionally certified (oolala, fancy). I was a total business geek.

Q – #3    Interesting! So how did you transfer from biz interest into your food interest?

A: I have been writing Cafe Cyan since 2006 as a hobby to keep track of the new recipes we were creating/making…

I was inspired by the vegan and vegetarian bloggers out there doing cool stuff with vegetables; there was a great community going on.

Laid off last year after 8+ years in recruiting (love recruiting, btw) & 2 weeks after layoff, @WCCO asked me to start a food blog.

I decided to put my career on pause and run with the food thing. I’ve accomplished a lot in the last year. It’s been a blast!

Q – #4    Neat! So in addition to recipes, how else do you cover food topics on your blog?

A: It’s mostly a food journal, but I also share stories from vacations, events, and talk about unique ingredients like black garlic.

A few of us bloggers have started a bread baking club and are baking our way through @ArtisanBreadIn5 Anyone is welcome!

On my @WCCO blog, Bite of Minnesota, I write about local farmers markets & using local ingredients. I want people to experience!

I have just started writing about events & restaurant happenings on @hotdishblog & write restaurant features for @TCFOODFINDS.

Q – #5    What are some local bakeries or local grocery/co-op’s that you’d recommend?

A: I try to bake my own bread, but Great Harvest Bread is close to me and works in a pinch.

I love Mississippi Market Co-op, but @VNFCoop is closer for me. I also love stopping at the fancy stores like Lunds and Kowalskis.

Q – #6    You know your local food places! Nice to be a little diverse in your work too! So what is your favorite comfort food?

A: I lean towards carbs for comfort food: pizza, garlic bread, potato and tortilla chips, mac & cheese.

But, if I’m in need of a pick-me-up, I drink freshly squeezed lemon juice w/salt. It perks me up & makes me feel comforted.

Q – #7    Also, what’s your favorite: Restaurant, cooking utensil store, cooking gadget and unique food?

A: Restaurant: @omminneapolis & French Meadow Bakery. I really don’t have a fav cooking utensil store (I already have enough!)

Cooking gadget: either my immersion blender or microplane grater. Use them both ALL the time.

Unique food: I’m really into black garlic right now & use in everything. I also love spirulina (in smoothies) & nutritional yeast.

Q – #8    Cool! So what’s your thought on healthy eating? Do you think more people are starting to give it more attention?

A: I thing we all TRY to eat healthier but I don’t think it is happening consistently enough.

I often tell people to focus on getting your fruits, veg, and whole grains first. The rest will fall into place naturally.

Q – #9    I can’t believe the hour is almost up! You’re fun to chat with. :) What advice or mantra would you like to end with today?

A: It’s been fun! I challenge people to get out of their comfort zones and try something new – make life exciting – YOU control it.

@JoelECarlson – Thanks for your time and for sharing today! Have a great day and a super weekend!

@cafecyan – Thanks @JoelECarlson! This has been fun and I appreciated your questions. Have a great day too!