michael’s posterous

This is my first time hearing Mistah Fab but it looks like he knows a thing or two how about social media.

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Last week Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, was on the Colbert Report. It is always good to put a face to the name especially when they are the creators of one of the hottest internet properties.

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Earlier today I received an email from the good folks at Twitter saying they went with a different candidate for the Founder Associate position. I have to give it to Twitter because it was well written let down email. They learned from their mistakes and used a BCC when sending it to the applicants. It was little let down that I didn’t get the job but I knew it wasn’t in Gods plan. I am starting to learn that its not what I want but what he wants. I am not upset, just gotta put that behind me and look ahead. I really felt good about getting the job and potentially moving out to San Francisco but for whatever reason God wants me in Philly right now. I've talked with a very close friend and she said the same exact thing. Just as long as we keep doing what he wants us to do there will be something even bigger down the line waiting for us. Its hard for me to believe that all the time but I've been doing it my way and haven't had much luck.

I am still praying and talking with God on seeing what he wants me to do. I know for now I will probably be staying put in the family business. I love the “startup culture” that small businesses have when hitting the scene. Thats what drew me to Twitter, a company with about 30 employees and a killer product looking to grow. Over the past couple years I would look at the family business like that but everybody in the company didn't have that same mindset. Most of the people in the company look at it as a 9-5 and that’s it. I look at the family business as more than that, not just because my father owns it but because of where the company can go. To fill you in, the family business is Ingram’s Plumbing and is the largest black owned plumbing service company in Philadelphia.

Right now, I will go hard in taking Ingram’s to the next level. I feel I am sitting on a gold mine because of how fragmented the “plumbing game” is in the city. Open up the yellow pages and you will find tons of plumbers BUT nobody has taken over the game. It seems that every company is content with how they are doing. I have been working with the family business for about 8 years now and it is still the same as it was back then. I always say that one day some big company will come through and take over the plumbing industry just like Rite Aid did with the mom and pop pharmacies and Home Depot with the local hardware stores. That day hasn’t happened yet.

I am not a “plumber”, I know plumbing terms and whatnot but I don’t perform any plumbing work. I know how to run the company and been involved in every aspect of the day to day operations. I have my “journeymens” license but that’s just for credentials as you don’t have to perform any plumbing work to get licensed in the city. There aren't too many young bodies who are winning to change the game in Philly. There are so many ideas that run through my head each day that I can see happening in the future. Paperless paperwork, signing for an invoice on a tablet to paying for your plumbing work online and implementing a service plan program. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have been coasting the past year. Sometimes I have to remind myself of not living for the moment. Yes I am young and thats what young people should do but those wanting to make a change think differently. I know I will have to be the catalyst that makes the change at Ingram’s. I know its not going to be hard and maybe that was what has been preventing me from doing it already. Enough is enough and I can’t talk about what I could’ve or should’ve done. Its a new day and time to bring the startup culture mindset to Ingram’s.

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I get asked this question a lot lately. To be funny I say it is Facebook statuses on steroids but in all actuality it is much more than that. Twitter is a social networking site that allows its users to send messages (140 characters or less) which are called Tweets to others users who choose to receive them. 

"...isnt Twitter just like a Facebook status?"

On the surface it might seem like a Facebook status but it is much more than that. Facebook is a two way street meaning that once I 'friend' you, my profile is accessible by you and vice versa. In Twitterland it is a one way street which can evolve into a two way street pending the necessary permits from your local government. Twitter users follow each other. Just because you follow a certain person doesn't mean they automatically follow you, hence the term one way street. To become a two way street that person has to follow you back. 

The Twitterverse is open. By default your Twitter is account is open and visible for the world to see even if they aren't Twitter users. You do have the option to lockdown your account and make it private by where you choose who can see your tweets. I'm personally against this as it takes value away from the Twitter service.   

The inhabitants of Twitter island send out tweets that show up in their followers feed. The feed is the first page you see when logging onto Twitter. It is the place where all your followers tweets are organized in chronological order. The more followers you have the more frequent your feed will be updated. 

"What's the purpose of Twitter?"

Twitter is an excellent communication tool but I find that it has a higher value as an information sharing tool. Most of your followers and the people you follow you will never meet in life and that isn't a bad thing. Whereas Facebook most of your friends are people you have met in life. Twitter allows you to expand your world and connect with other people who share your interests in a very easy and simplistic way. 

Personally, I follow a lot of people in the "tech" arena. Those include tech columnists, bloggers, young CEO's of various websites, engineers, developers and etc. If you haven't noticed my interests are tech related and eventually I want to start my own website. Twitter allows me a peek into those who have "made it" in the tech world and those who are trying to "make it". If you wanted to be a baker wouldn't it behoove you to listen to other bakers? Wouldn't be advantageous to you to read the same information they are reading on the internet? Twitter allows me to do all of this and more. 

"I have to follow people I don't know to unlock the full value of Twitter?"

Of course not! Twitterville can consist of people you know. My followers consist of family, friends and people who I have met through Twitter related events called Tweetups. When I was on Facebook I saw that on average my friends would update their statuses one to three times a day. If you start updating your status more than that people get pissed off. On Twitter there's none of that, send out as many tweets as you want, just ask Solange! A lot of people have their rules for "tweeting" but I say don't listen to them. Do as you please. Inhabitants in the Village of Twitter abides by their own set of rules and that's what makes up the Twitter culture.

"Are there any cool features that Twitter has to offer besides these tweets?

Without these tweets there will be no Twitter but if you need a little more to keep you satisfied Twitter has a lot to offer. The Twitter API allows numerous third party developers to create killer applications that tap into the Twitter network. A website called Twitpic allows you to post pictures into your tweets. There are applications Tweetdeck, Twhirl and Tweetie that allows you access Twitter without actually having to go to Twitter's website. These apps are much more powerful in terms of indexing information, accessing tweets and etc through your computer or your phone.

Twitter has a killer search feature at search.twitter.com. This allows you to search through all tweets recently posted. If Google is best at searching for what has happened then Twitter is best at searching for what is happening. For an example when Allen Iverson (basketball player for the Detroit Pistons) cut off his cornrows during the NBA All-Star game last month Twitter had the scoop on it. A friend told me about it but I wanted to get confirmation. I went to Google and searched for it but got nothing and then I searched for it on Twitter and several people tweeted about it. There was actually a Twitpic picture of Iverson with a low cut from someone who was in Phoenix at the time. 

"Whew, that's a lot of information! Thanks for telling me what Twitter is about."

Wait I'm not done, there is still more! But since you insist I'll bring it to end (Its 1.30a Tuesday morning and I'm getting tired). I hope you were able to see what Twitter is about. Don't look at Twitter as a competitor to Facebook because they both are different and their own ways. Until you try Twitter and become an active user is when you'll see what all the talk is about.

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I've been following Jamie's blog everyday since my last post about her website, twittershouldhireme.com. She has been faithful in updating her site and keeping all of us informed with the job she is trying to get with Twitter. Her blog posts over the past couple of weeks have been about how Twitter should make money, ways they can stay on top and her actual meeting she had at Twitter HQ. 

I am not gonna break down her meeting she had with Twitter as she has done great job of doing that herself. Jamie met with Jay, Sangetta, Biz, Evan and Jillian. Jamie mentioned that she was told it wasn't a job interview but a lot of job related questions were asked such as pay rate, past experience and etc. Sangetta informed Jamie that they were looking for someone with more experience for their PR coordinator position. I thought Jamie was shooting for the Admin to CEO position (which seems to be filled) or the unfilled Founders Associate position. 

All was not lost just because she didn't get the Twitter job. From her hard work on creating and maintaining her site another company called Tech Venture noticed her efforts. Jamie said she will be taking a part time (could possibly turn into full time work) position to do social media marketing for them. It looks like she excited about the position as that is where heart is, social media marketing (as evident by her awesome site). Congrats Jamie on getting a job in the field of your choice and having the opportunity to meet the brain trust behind Twitter.com!

Check out Jamie's interview she had with Jun Loayza from Viralogy. 

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I have to tip my hat to Jamie Varon and the site she created with the sole purpose of getting a job as Executive Admin to the CEO at Twitter. She is hip to the times as she is using all the latest technologies around in hopes of securing this job. I know its kinda weird giving props to an individual who I am possibly competing for the same job position. I can't hate on her, the website was an awesome idea. Its something that never crossed my mind but when I look back at it I probably wouldn't have made a website to promote myself for the job. Thats just me.

May the best person get the job. Kudos again Jamie on your site.

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This is interesting, Twitter had 2 job openings that I applied for. Founder Associate (FA) and Executive Admin to CEO (EAC). The EAC had been posted last week and now it is gone. I don't know why it was taken down so fast. I find it hard to believe the position was filled that fast as Twitter jobs take months to be filled. I also asked myself what was the difference between the two jobs. The EAC job duties weren't too far off from the FA position.

I am totally enamored by Twitter and the culture that it is creating. I applied for the Founder Associate position at the beginning of the new year and haven't heard anything since then. I stumbled upon the job opening when CNET had a story on their Business Development position that was ultimately filled by Kevin Thau. When I saw the FA position it didn't initially spark my interest just because it was across the country and I knew everybody and their mom would be applying for the job. After a couple days went by I realized I have nothing to lose and went full force ahead in applying for the job. I did make a big mistake. When I overnighted my resume to Twitter I addressed it to Evan Smith instead of Evan Williams. Don't ask me where I got Smith from. This was on the UPS label and on my letter. I didn't notice the error until Monday as I sent the package out on Saturday. Immediately when I noticed my gaffe I drafted another letter and ran down to the nearest post office. I would have preferred UPS/FedEx but it was 4:00 and I was still at work. Yes, Mr. Smith I mean Mr. Williams (a little dry humor for you) received my cover letter/resume and this is what he said here. 

Even though it has been two months since I applied for the position, I am not giving up on it yet. I've sent a few emails to the folks at Twitter and faxed in another letter to Evan Williams. I feel that I have done everything I could do without getting on a flight and heading over to Twitter HQ and demand a sit down. All I can do is leave it in the Lords hands and keep praying. 

The reason why I feel so connected to this job is that the description is everything I am doing in my current job. The only difference is right now I work for a plumbing service firm. Extract what kind of product is being sold or offered to their customers/users it is the same thing. If you read my earlier post below I have high aspirations of starting my own website. I am not looking to strike it rich quick. I want to work with people and be surrounded by like minds. I like where Twitter is, 30 employees, small business feel but no ceiling whatsoever in where they can go. I have never had a full time job in a structured environment. By working in the family business there are no rules or guidelines. You don't have set hours and your job description changes everyday. I feel this is a key ingredient in what kind of person is needed for this job.

When I think about it if you remove names and faces from this equation, thats the place I want to work for. It just so happens that in this particular instance it is Twitter. Wherever I go I know its not my dream job but it is the job that gets to my dream. Right now I know I need a solid foundation on the inner workings of a successful website before I start hunting down angels for seed money. I have the business experience. People always say make sure you are doing something you love not just something that just pays the bills. Honestly, I can say that I know what I want to do. I am ready...no girlfriend, no kids, no distractions besides those pesky credit card statements I receive every month. My time will come and when it does I'll be ready.

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