@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone and welcome to my Post-Oscars Twitterview with @KatrinaSzish. Lights, camera, action!

@KatrinaSzish – So much to discuss today! Fashion, co-hosts, speeches…

Q – #1    Before we get into the awards, a little bit about you. Where did you grow up? How did you get into fashion?

A: I grew up in Wyomissing, PA and always loved fashion. I modeled for many years but stopped when I got into Harvard

Q – #2    Harvard, wow! What did you major in, and then how did you get into reporting on fashion?

A: Studied English Lit and upon graduation moved to NYC and interned at CNN Style with Elsa Klensch. Moved on to VOGUE and GQ as editor

Then left magazines for TV and never looked back! Pop culture, fashion and entertainment are my primary “beats”

Q – #3    Very cool! Let now then move on to the #Oscars. What was your impression of how the hosts did and their fashion?

A: Enjoyed Anne Hathaway’s EIGHT costume changes, but I was disappointed by the “hip” hosts. Anne tried, James didn’t.

Billy Crystal should come back. The moment he took the stage, everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief.

Was looking forward to the new era of Oscar hosting, but it fell flat — felt contrived and forced. James was way off.

Q – #4    Agreed. Of the presenters at the #oscars, who did you enjoy the most and who impressed you the least?

A: I thought Justin Timberlake’s “admission” to being Banksy was funny, and I love Mila Kounis’ insouciance — good pair!

Josh Brolin/Javiar Bardem were awkward (and the matching white coats were odd). Jude/Robert Downey banter was amusing

Reese is always a class act (though didn’t love her look). @IAMJHUD seemed nervous. So did Gwyneth during her solo!

Q – #5    There were some definite highs & lows. I have to agree though with @MrJayManuel, I did like Reese’s look. Best speech?

A: knows I think Reese looked like a bad prom goer. : ) Christian Bale’s speech felt the most authentic. I appreciated his

(cont) …humility and his ability to poke fun at himself (the expletive comment re: Melissa Leo). He was real.

I wanted to love Natalie’s speech, dress, etc., but she also seemed “off.” Also wished she had given Mila a shout-out!

Funny thing about Reese’s look — men seemed to loved it, women not so much. And I usually LOVE Reese!

Q – #6    I understand the 1k “thank you’s”, but if they’re said at #GoldenGlobes, why repeat at the #Oscars? Best men fashion?

A: Well, because it’s the #Oscars. It’s the biggest “thank you” to give or to get, so you can’t skimp! For men’s fashion…

Best-dressed man: Justin Timberlake in a perfectly-tailored classic Tom Ford peak-lapel tux. I also like the navy blue

(cont) navy blue trend for men this awards season. Lots at #GoldenGlobes and Robert Downey, Jr. last night.

Q – #7    Are you a fan of men that don’t wear the bow-tie but instead wear the standard neck tie? A smart look?

A: I always prefer a classic bow-tie. Every man looks handsome with a bow-tie. If a standard necktie is worn with a tux

then the tux better be impeccably tailored and elegant. I didn’t like Christian Bale in all black.

Q – #8    Lets shift to the actresses. Best hair, use of jewelry and best non-use of jewelry.

A: Best hair: Gwyneth. Sleek and modern, not fussy. The best use of jewelry was actually the NON-use of jewelry.

It was refreshing to see strapless dresses without huge earrings & necklaces detracting/distracting from the necklines.

Q – #9    Any style or fashion that you saw at the #oscars or other award shows that you think will catch on this year?

A: We’re going to continue to see dresses with higher necklines (a la Amy Adams/Michelle Williams) through next fall…

…as evidence by what was shown on many runways for Fall 2011 during New York Fashion Week less than 2 weeks ago.

Sparkle and sexy back details will also top trend lists. Color trends will range from nude/white to super-brights.

Q – #10    Did you enjoy #NYFashionWeek? Any specific “hot colors” for 2011?

A: I’ve covered #NYFashionWeek since 1996 (!), and it has changed a lot. BUT, there were some beautiful collections.

SPRING hot colors: coral, citron, honeysuckle, hot pink, lime green, white FALL hot colors: gray, orange, camel

Speaking of camel, the dress Gwyneth wore to perform last night was straight off of the @MichaelKors Fall runway.

@JoelECarlson – Thank you VERY much @KatrinaSzish for you review of the #oscars, your style suggestions and spending some of your time on #jectv today.

@KatrinaSzish – Thanks so much for having me! Such a fun format. Loving #jectv and the Twitterview.

@JoelECarlson – Hello everybody to the Food-Friday Twitterview of @RandomSweets. Time for a 1hr sugar rush! :)

@RandomSweets – Lovely morning everyone! It’s the best way to start a Friday–with Sugar!

Q – #1    So @RandomSweets, lets learn a little bit about you. Where did you grow up, attend high school and what did you do after HS?

A: Grew up in Brookings SD and moved to Mpls alone when I was 17. Waitress a long time. Became a non-trad in college in my late 20s

earned two 2-yr degrees from STI (marketing and business) Business Mgt from @UsiouxFalls and wrkg on Mass Comm master’s at @sdstate

Q – #2    What kind of work did you do after college, and how did you get interested in food blogging?

A: Worked 10,000 ppl music event marketing for couple yrs and then freelance mkting for local seasonal businesses

Food blogging started bcz pple were requesting my recipes and I never wrote them down. I love to write and take photos

I don’t freelance anymore since my FT job @Daktronics keeps me super busy

Q – #3    I see. How did you decide to focus on sweets, and how can people find your blog?

A: Always loved baking, eating sweets and am in love w/cheesecake. My kids only want Kraft macaroni so don’t cook much

my blog is Random Sweetness Baking | named for its randomness http://bit.ly/bHdSrS

Q – #4    So what kind of sweet treats have you posted recently, and how often do you post generally?

A: Most recently cupcakes for @Frosting4Cause, White Chocolate Peppermint Twist Cheesecake, Andes Mint Cheesecake

I may only post once/twice per month right now. Been baking a lot but kids’ hockey season limits my time blogging

I’ve catered up to 15 different flavors of cheesecake to an event but I don’t blog them all

Q – #5    Mom’s lives are busy. :) Your recipes that you use, are they all made up by you, is there a process that you have?

A: Some recipes are directly from online or a cookbook. Some are a mix bcz I like to add my own touch. Some are mine.

I’ve gotten to where I make up my own recipes for cheesecakes now

Q – #6    Awesome! Lets now find out your FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, flavor, winter activity and newest cookbook.

A: Pizza King (flat greasy squares), Knotty Pine (burger/salad), Guadalajara’s (enchilada), Nick’s Hamburger

favorite store(s) @tjmaxx and @HomeGoods and amazon.com

flavor–well, that would have to be anything chocolate! And then add some liqueur to it and I’m in heaven.

Winter = baking, hockey, baking, hockey. Cheer for @mnwild and @GoldenGopherHky. And our Brookings Rangers.

Haven’t purchased a cookbook in a while. Buy lots baking/cooking magazines. @wherewomencook w/ @thepioneerwoman is cool

instead of cookbooks, I like fellow food blogs like @Sweetapolita @sweetopia @DineandDish @TwoPeasandPod @PickyPalate

and @farmgirlsdabble @HowSweetBlog @AbloggableLife @VanillaBeanBake @WayMoreHomemade @freshtartsteph @andrewzimmern

and these too: @FoodforMyFamily @KitchenInTheMkt @UnplannedCookin @smithbites @Crazy4Kale @katenthekitchen

Q – #7    Are there any cooking programs on tv/cable that you enjoy watching?

A: Yes, I like @Paula_Deen for all her butter and @ChefGuyFieri for the heat. I am sorta a cross between the two.

Minus the tatoos. And I don’t say ya’ll. Dontchaknow…

Q – #8    LOL! :)  To the cooks/bakers that are contemplating taking their skills online, what advice would you give them?

A: Can I ask you how you came to hosting Foodie Friday on your Twitterviews? I really enjoy them

Be yourself–you can use other blogs as inspiration, but just be YOU. There IS an audience for you. And have fun!

@JoelECarlson Good advice! Thank you @RandomSweets for sharing some of your life and time on #jectv today. Have a great afternoon and stay warm. :)

Thank you, Joel. I really appreciate your interest. Now, go get yourself some sugar action!

Can I ask you how you came to hosting Foodie Friday on your Twitterviews? I really enjoy them

Be yourself–you can use other blogs as inspiration, but just be YOU. There IS an audience for you. And have fun!

Good advice! Thank you @RandomSweets for sharing some of your life and time on #jectv today. Have a great afternoon and stay warm. :)

Thank you, Joel. I really appreciate your interest. Now, go get yourself some sugar action!

In the former Sears building off of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis, there is a great market called the Midtown Global Market. They feature numerous food offerings from a wide variety of areas around the world, and also feature fresh locally grown foods. In addition to that, there is a working kitchen that is used by cooks/caterers called Kitchen in the Market which recently expanded its space inside the Global Market.

To showcase the space and the variety of offerings that they have available, the 2 owners, Molly Hermann and Tracy Morgan had a VIP celebration on Thursday February 24, 2011.

There were city officials, local media and some friends that were invited to attend this splendid occasion.

The new space is a kitchen that would put a smile on the face of any foodie or chef.  It has lots of cooking prep areas, display areas for retail options and a large area to conduct cooking classes which is a wonderful feature.

The public should really take advantage of this and can do so by checking out the schedule on the Kitchen in the Market website.

There were some wonderful displays outside the kitchen area of some of the variety of food offerings that are available by those associated with the Kitchen.

You could tell at the event that both Molly and Tracy are very happy with the results as to how the Kitchen turned out and were wonderful hosts of the event.

The staff that they had assisting with the event were very kind and helpful to everyone in attendance.  This kitchen concept is a truly great idea. May both of them and the Kitchen in the Market have continued years of success!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone, and welcome to the Twitterview of @NicoledeB. Grab your cup o’ Joel and lets get to Tweeting!

@NicoledeB – Hi Joel, got my coffee. Thanks for having me.

Q – #1    So @NicoledeB, a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and where did you go to school?

A: I’m from Reston, VA – went to HS there b4 going to @WilliamsCollege in #Massachusetts, majored in Anthropology

@JoelECarlson – LOL – I meant cup o’ Joe, not cup o’ Joel. :D

@NicoledeB – It’s kind of catchy, tho #cupojoel

perhaps you read Cup of Jo? great blog, but not one I’d see you poring over http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/

Q – #2    Anthropology?! Interesting. What made you choose that as a major? What was your 1st job after college?

A: anthropology studies human relationships & culture – one I got past the 101 class, I became entranced by it.

post-college, thought about law school & was paralegal but it wasn’t for me. Soon got into #marketing & public issues

Q – #3    So what led you to the kind of work that you do now? To what degree is social media used with your work?

A: technically, 1st job, paralagel, but really had 3 jobs, asst dir of nonprofit, mktg consultant & worked @ #foundation

working w/mentor Patricia Barr who was national policy advocate & philanthropist inspired me to get into social change

social media is hugely important @wk_kellogg_fdn for interacting w/people on the ground doing the work we do

I’m lucky 2 work w/great team who are social media savvy & curious & full of ideas & pushing always @wk_kellogg_fdn

Q – #4    Great! @NicoledeB, would you explain what @wk_kellogg_fdn is and what it does?

A: @wk_kellogg_fdn is a #foundation & makes grants to #nonprofits in areas of #healthykids #educatedkids #securefamilies

@wk_kellogg_fdn focuses support on improving conditions 4 vulnerable children 0-8 nationwide & in #MI #NM #MS #NOLA

@wk_kellogg_fdn has made #race a huge part of its work – meaning: healing #racism – that’s big.

here’s a great ground level view of our work @wk_kellogg_fdn http://annualreport.wkkf.org/ #jectv

Q – #5    I see. Now you have a good Social Media following in MN. How has that developed?

A: I lived in #MN until last Sept. I moved to take this job in #MI. Minnesota will always feel like home to me.

Q – #6    Cool! Now for @NicoledeB’s FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, winter activity, comfort food and recent book.

A: OK, favorites… @JoelECarlson, you asked… I’m a caffeine addict, so wherever I travel I seek #coffee, particularly #intelligentsia

@bluebottlecoffee, @peacecoffee & @stumptown also get the high 5 from me in the fave #coffee dept

great online store: @ofakind – ltd editions neat stuff. Featured MN girl now in LA Clare Vivier recently (love her)

comfort food – gack, let me preface this w/I’m on day 7 of P90X & I work out like a fiend – mac&cheese w/bacon!

I’d say my fave year-round activity is travel. Hands down. New places (treasured familiar places, too), food, people!

As for recent books, too many! But I’ll rec. kid’s book on financial literacy I heard of today: http://amzn.to/hlig6C

Q – #7    @NicoledeB, what are some of cities that you’ve been to in your recent travels? Do you have any other hobbies?

A: just spent wknd in Chicago. Recently in Miami, LA, SF, NYC. Got to see Alaska 1st time this fall – awesome.

I like art – from checking out little galleries to Art Basel Miami #abmb; I geek out to anything mid-century modern

I’m an avid iPhone photog. Instagram & hipstamatic, natch. My flickr collection is out of control. Just for fun.

Q – #8    @NicoledeB Which iPhone do you have? Are you going to switch to Verizon?

A: here’s flickr stream http://bit.ly/gz8R5m if anyone’s curious. I have iPhone 4, prolly won’t switch unless to android

Q – #9    To close, what advice would you give to people interested in getting involved with the kind of work that you do?

A:    interested in #philanthropy: pick something you are willing to go deep & wide in (issue area/etc) & find HOW you fit

#nonprofits and #philanthropy always can use #financial capacity. Being able to tell great stories also important.

working on social change is hard; problems not always evident. Creative, persistent, curious people welcome!

whoops, I meant solutions to problems not always evident.

@JoelECarlson – Thanks @NicoledeB for sharing some of your life, comments and time today! :) Where does your traveling take you to next?

@NicoledeB – thank you, it was fun. Next stop is Austin for #SxSw unless I feel like a spur of the moment trip in between!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone, and welcome to the Food-Friday Twitterview of @FoodforMyFamily. Set your timers to 1hr and then serve. :)

Q – #1    So @FoodforMyFamily, lets find out a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and go to school?

A: I grew up in the Twin Cities. St. Paul, then moved to Champlin. Graduated from high school and found myself @ UofMN

my husband and I moved back towards campus while he was in grad school, and we’ve been here ever since.

Q – #2    I see. So what did you take for coursework at the UofM, and what did you do after you finished there?

A: I studied psychology and Spanish studies at UMN, and after I worked at The Courage Center b4 leaving to work 4 myself,

Q – #3    What kind of business is is, and how did you come up with the idea?

A: I originally did accounting work and later editing, transcription and consulting for different clients.

then I transitioned that into freelance writing when I needed something more personally fulfilling.

Food, cooking & feeding others had always been important to me, and it was one of the reasons I chose psychology in school, so it…

…seemed like a natural choice to start writing about what I loved and was passionate about.

Q – #4    What is the name of your blog, and what kind of cooking do you blog about?

A: My blog is http://foodformyfamily.com/ and I blog about what we eat as a family, menu plans, involving your family in cooking…

right now I’m doing a series on picky eaters: looking at different reasons for, different types, appropriate responses

Q – #5    What has been the response to your blog and how frequently do you generally make a posting?

A: I post 3x a week on my own blog. I write FT, tho, so you can find me writing several other places throughout the week

Q – #6    Lets get to @FoodforMyFamily’s FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, winter activity, comfort food and recent book.

A: Favorite MN restaurants right now: @CTKitchentable and @128cafe (of course, for being such gracious hosts) & my own dining room.

favorite winter activity: watching winter melt away into spring… We snowboard and cross-country ski, too.

Favorite comfort food: anything my grandma made for me as a child, which was mostly from her Eastern European roots.

I am currently reading @unmarketing’s book. #unbook

Q – #7    To close, you have 2 other hobbies, photography & the violin. With a family of 4, how do you make time for them?

A: unfortunately, they often get pushed aside, but because the photography is part of the job, it’s easier to justify.

& I do both in other areas: I teach violin lessons, and I also do photography for weddings, portraits, etc.

@JoelECarlson – You have a very diverse life. How fun! Thank you so much @FoodforMyFamily for your time and comments today. Have a great weekend!

@FoodforMyFamily – Thanks for having me, @JoelECarlson! Have a fantastic weekend.

Social Media has become a great tool to network with new people and reconnect with old friends.  It allows for a different way to interact and exchange thoughts and ideas with others. Expanding your “human reach” in a digital way. With all of the open access to people now, it has also caused concern and worry for some.

Just as there became a flood of spammers once email took off, it has similarly happened with Social Media. You get businesses or businesses portraying themselves as models, that will follow you and try to sell you something.  There’s another group though too that are REAL people that may follow you, but with a bad motive that can cause stress and anxiety – stalkers.

Imagine getting a friend or follow request, and everything seems fine, but then you get DM’d or messaged, and things go in an odd and uncomfortable direction.  I’ve heard 1st hand stories from women who’ve gone through this very problem, being stalked via Social Media. Thank goodness for deleting, blocking and reporting via the internet, but what if that’s not enough?  If they get a NEW account and do the same thing over and over again. Then legal action may need to be taken.  Posting your physical location may not be a good thing to do for awhile if you’re being digitally stalked.  Saying where you’re going or what your future plans will be may not be a good idea at that time either. Self-editing and planning are key.

This isn’t meant to be a “Gloom & Doom” post,  but just a reminder that with all the good that has come from and will continue to come from Social Media, a certain level of caution is an element to include in your personal Social Media planning.

@JoelECarlson – Hello, and welcome to the Food-Friday Twitterview of @kevin_hunt, the Social Media Mgr of Gen Mills Corporate. Lets begin!

@Kevin_Hunt – Hi Joel, glad to have the opportunity!

Q – #1    To start out @kevin_hunt, where did you grow up, attend High School, and then what did you do after HS?

A: Grew up in Ham Lake and went to Blaine HS, went to @UWEauClaire to study broadcast journalism and get into TV news

Grew up with two brothers, I’m the middle, older brother lives in Big Lake, younger brother is in Florida

Q – #2    What kind of TV news work did you do, and what stations did you work at?

A: As a kid I wanted to be a sports anchor, I tried that and more at @WEAU13News but liked producing news better

I spent a year or so producing news in Eau Claire and went to @wfrv5 in Green Bay for a year, in 94

I got a job at @KSTP in 1995 and spent the next 10 years producing about every newscast there, then as an exec producer

I also got to work with @5hauser at KSTP on “At Issue” and did political coverage, elections, breaking news, etc…

Q – #3    When and how did you take the leap into getting involved with Social Media?

A: When I left the TV world behind in 2005 to accept a corp comm job at then Thomson, now Thomson Reuters, in Eagan…

the move allowed me to dive in to the PR side of the world… Blogs were still new, podcasts were new…

I became convinced in late 2007 that our team there needed to be blogging for the biz, so we started small…

We noticed a lot of lawyers, legal professionals, were already well ahead of us, so we listened first…

We focused on creating good content, less about the biz and more about customers, with text, podcasts, videos, etc..

The social stuff grew at Thomson Reuters and we eventually redeisgned the blog to what it is there today…

I also had a role in creating social media guidelines and helping evangelize social to leadership and employees

Q – #4    Great plan! No doubt @CbetanbourtPR benefited from that plan too! So when did you start w/Gen Mills?

A: I started as Social Media Manager for General Mills in Dec… I report through Corporate PR…

I am heading up the social PR strategy for corporate reputation platforms like innovation, sustainability, etc…

We’re planning some great stuff! The biggest part of my work involves content creation, writing, video, etc…

But monitoring, engagement and social media oversight and training across General Mills also is part of my job

Q – #5    Congrats on the new position! Now to FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, winter activity, comfort food & recent book.

A: Thanks, it’s a great fit for me. Let’s see… I live in Farmington so my wife and I love Teresa’s Mexican rest. in Lakeville

Fav store is the Apple Store at MOA, I’m a fanboy. Fav comfort food is my Mom’s tator tot hotdish…

I love coaching youth basketball in the winter – I have 3 kids – it’s fun to teach kids the game, and…

I just finished “Content Rules” from @cc_chapman and @MarketingProfs… Great book!

Q – #6    Ah, okay. To close today @kevin_hunt, what advice would you give to HS students as to courses to take in college for SM work?

A: I’d look at a combo of journalism, PR, marketing and biz… There’s so much to learn from each and…

I’d also create content, interview profs, students, blog, shoot and edit video, podcast… be active and be social!

@JoelECarlson – Thank you very much @kevin_hunt for sharing some of your life and passions on #jectv today. Have a great weekend! :)

@Kevin_Hunt – Thanks Joel, it was my pleasure. Thanks for doing these Twitterviews!