Social media types are always talking about how to participate in online communities as a marketer. The first advice we give, is to listen. Listen? you’re thinking. The Internet is silent. The only noise is your iTunes in the background. So what do we really mean when we say listen?

Twitter is a global conversation about all sorts of things. Sometimes it’s about products or companies. But most of the time it’s socializing and networking. Social communities aren’t centered around making money. If all you talk about is your products people lose interest – unless your products are interesting to them.

Online communities are a great way to find groups of people and see what they community care about and get their feedback and input.  See what they care about and write about. Most importantly what they value.

Here’s how to find groups on Twitter and start listening:

1. Go to search.twitter.com and type in a term. Put it in quotes if you want to keep words together. Example, you want to reach blackberry enthusiasts. Type in blackberry. Read what people are writing. Look at the photo below to add Twitter search to your search bar so you don’t have to go to the site to do a Twitter search.
2. “Follow” the influencers. That means see who is writing about the topic the most. To follow them be logged into your Twitter account. Click on their name and under their picture there’s a button that says Follow. Click it.
3. Put RSS feeds on your company name, your competitors, and other terms you want to keep up on, regardless of who writes about it. On the right side there is a link to: Feed for this query

. Click that link and choose which feed reader to use from the dropdown menu at the top.

4. Hash tags are ways to track a group of people talking about something specific. You put a pound sign in front of the tag in your tweet. People make up their own tags. Like if you’re at a conference (like MacWorld could be #MacWorld) and people who are there want to discuss it or others want to see what people what. To see the most popular tags right now see: http://hashtags.org
5. Get email alerts on words you want to track on Twitter with http://tweetbeep.com

Kevin Sprouls Illustration of Barack Obama

I “met” Kevin Sprouls, who was the originator of the WSJ portrait artist through a contact on Twitter. He drew my hedcut and originated the Wall Street Journal style illustrations.  I asked for an interview. My favorite part is that he admits to letting his feelings about a person influence how he draws them.

You can see a lot of Kevin Sproul’s work on his web site www.sprouls.com or blog at www.sprouls.com/blog. I won’t touch Wikipedia but I think he’s worthy of an entry. He started the classic style of Wall Street Journal illustrations and I consider myself lucky to have gotten to know him and his work.

How did you start as an illustrator and what led you to the wsj?
KS: I feel I’ve been drawing all my life. I remember my Godmother, Aunt Em, very early on taking pains to change me over from being a southpaw to right-handedness. She was tough! I drew in grade school, and with the neighborhood kids. I loved comic books even before I could read.

I received a set of rapidograph pens halfway through high school that became the genesis of the wsj portrait style, as the technical pen lends itself very well to pointillism.

My college roommate, Kevin Harrington, introduced me to Dow Jones, and Co. after graduation. I freelanced for the firm for 2 years before getting into the wall street journal portraits. The Journal was a subsidiary of Dow Jones.

At the same time as I began producing portraits for Glynn Mapes, the front page editor (on a more or less experimental basis). He had been charged with instituting an art department for the paper. Before this, the “art department” consisted of a small staff who mainly created financial charts and operated the paper’s photostat camera, among other duties. I believe I charged him $75 per portrait. I was 24 (and very green!) at the time.

After several months, the paper thought enough of my work to hire me as the first in-house illustrator.
I honed the “hedcut” portrait style, and a year or so later, began to train other artists we hired to the craft.

What is the process you go through to draw someone?
KS: It’s simple. I will take a photographic image, usually a jpeg file sent via email, get it to the
size I want, and transfer the image onto illustration board. I make a contour drawing of
the image, making a “map” of the visage. After that, it’s a matter of inking the drawing.

What was your favorite WSJ portrait to draw and why? do you learn about a person by illustrating them?
KS: Tough question, as I’ve probably drawn 10′s of 1000′s by now. I remember drawing Idi Amin. For
some reason, his portrait came out really well! I confess to being a rather mercurial character,
so I might be inclined to “editorialize” in some cases.

For instance, I thought Judge Rehnquist was a bum, and did give him a rather sinister countenance (not at all far from the photo). Same with the Ayatollah Khomeni —withering! I became disillusioned by George Schultz (Reagan Era) and gave him a somewhat sour affect in my last of three renditions of him. These small sins, however, are vastly outweighed by the many politico’s and businessmen who I made look undeservingly good!

I do get a feeling about a person from paying attention to the face. Usually, it’s a sympathetic feeling, which helps me to hand in a good result in the finished art.

Describe some of the work you’ve done.
KS: Wow, this could take some time, as I have been putting the pen to it for over two decades after
quitting my “day job.” To name just a few:

• A 2-year stint doing b&w illo’s for Chris Curry at the New Yorker in the 90′s.
• I had a hand in the launch of the Saturn automobile, illustrating parts of their oversized, glossy brochure (Dria Hill A/D, Hal Riney & Partners).
• I produced the art for the print part of Bell Canada’s “Fables” campaign (mid-90′s).
• A dream stint of three years doing a weekly portrait for Infiniti automobiles which would appear every Thursday in the wsj (Chiat\Day, Drivers campaign, 2005-2008).
• A recent architectural illustration I did of my Alma Mater’s (Temple University) school abroad, in Rome (2008), was a particular career highlight.
• Packaging illos for Martha Stewart, Editorial illos for Esquire, Men’s Health, Runner’s World, etc, etc.

What do you love most about what you do?
KS: I love the craft of it. To be able to make a living doing something you can do well is very rewarding.
It’s up-and-down, of course. But, once in a while, you “wow” people, and their appreciation/feedback
can be a great incentive to putting in the long hours toward the next accomplishment.

Thanks to Kevin Sprouls for letting me interview him. If you have any questions for him, please leave comments.

I asked people on Twitter how they’d describe what Twitter is to someone who’d never heard of it. They had to answer in 140 characters or less. Here’s what I got:

	JonBacon @NewspaperGrl A micro-blogging platform that works like google chat. about 8 hours ago from twhirl in reply to NewspaperGrl
	Matt_Siltala @NewspaperGrl the single best place online to find and network with people in your industry. about 8 hours ago from TwitterFon in reply to NewspaperGrl
	healthITgirl @NewspaperGrl a conversation limited by 140 chars. about 9 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	gwiegand @NewspaperGrl thoughts you’d like to share with others in 140 chars or less about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to NewspaperGrl
	l
	chrisknudsen @NewspaperGrl a digital channel wasting time, bragging, and self-promotion about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to NewspaperGrl
	tammyRhoman @NewspaperGrl Twitter is a place to concisely network, learn & teach others about you, your product & identity{brand} [Great question!] about 9 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	dmx @NewspaperGrl a 1-900 phone chat line with built in self-voicemail! about 9 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	roxycross @NewspaperGrl Miniblogs for sharing cool stuff with your friends and THE BEST marketing tool in the world. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	Murley @NewspaperGrl A descriptive term for Twitter that I like, and that fits, is “micro-blogging.” Blogging for 140 characters is easy and fun. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	imcre8tive @NewspaperGrl My first impression of Twitter is that there is a lot of talking, and not enough listening. I think it’s because of the UI. about 10 hours ago from twhirl in reply to NewspaperGrl
	GoogleGod @NewspaperGrl I would describe twitter to someone who has never heard of it before as a portal that connects 1000′s directly or indirectly. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl

	woodylewis @NewspaperGrl Twitter is a live communication channel featuring real-time messages from people you’ve chosen to follow online. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	amabaie @NewspaperGrl You send the Twitter sign-up page and tell them to jump in, the water’s warm! about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to NewspaperGrl
	jojeda @NewspaperGrl Miniature blogging with a bit of instant messaging or text messaging flavor thrown in. about 10 hours ago from web in reply to NewspaperGrl
	jonahsigel @NewspaperGrl Intstant messaging that is open to the world about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to NewspaperGrl

How about you? How do you describe Twitter?

I was recently interviewed on KSL (a Utah radio station) about Twitter.

Here’s a beginner’s guide to start Twittering:

1. Go to www.twitter.com and sign up (skip the part in the video that says to go to their web page). Put in a picture of yourself, a link to your web site or blog (if you have one), and a little about yourself.

2. Once you’re on you’ll need to find people to “follow.” Go to search.twitter.com and type in something you’re interested in, like “economy” your business name, or any topic or person you’re interested in.

That’s what I mean by “listening” on Twitter when I said:

“Meiners-Thaeler’s advice to new users is to get online and listen for a while before deciding to tweet away on your own.”

3. If you like what someone has said, you can “follow” them. Click on the link right of a picture and you’ll go to that person’s Twitter profile. Click “follow” under their picture. Follow as many people you want and you’ll see everything they write. If you’re using Twitter to build business contacts, follow people in your industry.

4. You’ll get an email each time you get a new follower. You may want to follow them back. Try not to let it go to your head or get upset if someone stops following you

You can get updates on IM, on the web site (login at Twitter.com), or as text messages on your cell phone. When you feel comfortable you can start writing short updates or tweets. To respond to what someone has written, type in @theirscreenname. To see if someone has written a message to you, click the @replies link on the right side of your profile page. There’s also a link to direct messages which are messages to you that only you can see.

You can follow me @newspapergrl by going to www.twitter.com/newspapergrl and clicking “follow.”

Over the holidays I experienced something so all-American – 4 days at Disney World. Or: prepared to be overwhelmed. By long waits for bad food (except the fish and chips in Canada at Epcot), by throngs of people, waiting in line a lot, and beholding the amazing efficiency Disney has in moving people. Oh yes, and fun.

What I learned from Walt Disney’s life about business:

• Find a business partner who compliments your skills and who you can trust. Walt had a creative visionary mind and Roy was the practical mind. The brothers not only worked together until Walt died but they respected each other. Having been in partnerships and watched my family fight over a family business I can appreciate the luck of having a sibling you could do business with and trust. Final word – before Walt died Roy changed the name of Disney World so it would be Walt Disney World.

• Try many things. Walt Disney wasn’t an instant success but he never rested on success he found. He was willing to bank everything on his next idea. That takes courage and determination.  Once finding success he was always expanding on it. He risked past success to do it. It wasn’t a lateral move but eventually he reached the tipping point and his cumulative efforts worked on a big scale.

• Create a business from a simple idea with mass appeal. Walt Disney wanted to entertain his two daughters. He wanted a place where all of them could have fun together. It was something he related to and a simple need he had that parents all over the world can relate to. He found an answer that is timeless. People still love taking their kids to Disney parks he dreamed up.

• Use technology, don’t be threatened by it. Others thought television or other innovations would hurt their business. Disney saw technology as an opportunity. It was a tool to spread his ideas. Social media and the Internet have hurt industries and transformed them. Smart business owners use technology to their advantage rather than being ruined by it (or competitors who utilize it better). Most of the older shows (Honey I Shrank the Kids needs a makeover) or rides weren’t as popular as the newer ones that appealed to kids who don’t know the Muppets.

When I went to Disney Land I was struck by the happiness and sense of fun of the employees. I don’t know if it was the economy or the crowds but Disney World wasn’t like that when I visited. Also, I wished for healthier food choices.

My favorite place was Animal Kingdom. I got out of the factory and into a created world that was more self-guided and authentic. I loved seeing the fruit bats and the spider webs I found on the walking tour.

I thought how carefully controlled everything was, which removed the fear. I’ve never liked roller coasters but I knew Everest would be over soon. It was fun. The real scary parts in life are the things you can’t control and don’t know the ending of – like bouncing around a little in the airplane on the way home. Or this economy.

At this point, being in such an overtly marketed world was a strange juxiposition with real life. In this life, it’s suddenly in vogue to save money and consume less. This is good but I’m not sure where it’s taking us. So back to the things I learned about business at Disneyworld. That is that solutions come from people, tools, expansion/innovation, and technology.

This is more of a personal post about a great birthday today. Facebook let my friends know so I had a lot of birthday greetings. Which I like. My husband made it great too. I don’t have high expectations because I have a birthday after all of the partying has past and I feel like I want things to be mellow. Warning: some sappiness ahead. Here’s what Stephen did for me:

• First he made me an incredible breakfast including cinnamon rolls. He served it on a birthday plate. He brought sushi and a chicken salad last night. He made dinner tonight, and Saturday is dinner out at one of our favorite places (I’m getting crab), plus a Jazz game.
• I got the earrings that I wanted. It’s a sign of love that he ordered them online with PayPal.
• When I got home the Wall-e remote controlled robot greeted me with a card that said Eva (our name for Eve). I followed him to a vase with a dozen gorgeous red roses. We saw Wall-e on our honeymoon and so it’s romantic to me. With all the eating of the past weeks I’m pondering the warnings about leading a sedentary life and eating to much.

We’ve been married for about 6 months and I have never been treated better. I’ve probably written about how I had jerks for bosses for a few years. I think I irrationally took out my angst on men. Then something switched and I have bosses who are wonderful – better than I deserve. Then I married a man and it’s the same.

There’s nothing like having someone to back me up in life. My son got a stepdad who has qualities I lack and that add a lot to our life. Plus I married into in-laws and a family that rocks.

I also got to go to Politis PR firm today for an interview about Twitter. It should air tomorrow on KSL. I love talking about Twitter. Yesterday SEOMoz (which I respect a lot) linked to a post I wrote about finding reputable SEOs. So all in all, a great day – thanks to everyone.

I’m stealing an idea from another blog and having a theme of the year rather than individual goals for the new year. Ever since I got a divorce I have struggled with commitment – completing what I start. There’s something cosmic that shifted for me then. If I couldn’t make good on such a fundamental commitment – that of marriage – how could I be trusted with other important commitments? This trips me up even though I don’t regret that decision. I just didn’t struggle with commitment before then like I have since.

I honestly want to keep commitments and it’s part of having integrity. For life to work well there must be integrity.

It frustrates me to no end to not finish things. I finished college, I finished many other small and large things. However, there’s a gap that I want to close between what I say I will do and what I actually accomplish. Of course there are things I walk away from faster when I realize they aren’t a good match and completing them wouldn’t be helpful. I know myself a bit better and will avoid making commitments to things I can’t feel passionate about doing.

I’ve consciously made less commitments and been more careful about promising so that I don’t commit to something I can’t honor. I struggle again and again with this. When I buy something it is a commitment to find a place for and care for it. So I want to buy less and enjoy more what I do buy.

My night stand is full of partially read books that I loved but haven’t finished. Each Good Read invite reminds me that I can’t share good books with my friends because I haven’t finished any.

I’ve started writing a book and feel stuck because I think it’s almost done but it’s only half the words that it should be. It needs fine tuning and completion. Blogging my incompleteness is part of my plan to be accountable. I’m not going to say I never keep commitments, I do all of the time but I can improve quite a bit.

So this new year I want to make and keep commitments both large and small and follow up with the people I’ve made them to better. This will build trust with others and myself.

But first let me celebrate what I did complete this year:

• After months of wishing, hoping, and looking for a solution, I finally redesigned this blog! It still needs work but it is completed with a new logo, design, and upgrade. Now I must figure out why it’s so damn slow.

• Marriage, which was quite a commitment and journey of personal growth. It’s taken me more offline than when I was single and could be online more. The adjustment was brutal at times but it’s been a good sacrifice. Stephen is really good to me and for me in ways that still amaze me. He laughs with me through my quirks and finds them endearing. Plus I have a new family that instantly accepted me in and who are excellent people.
• I tried working from home and decided it wasn’t for me. I like working beside other people and collaboration too much. I decided that I’m not going to take on any extended contracts full time that require that I work from home.

• I sharpened my online PR skills even more. For the first time I got a few perfect scores on my press releases on PRWeb and saw more success and more clients. Press releases are still one of the things I love doing the most. I take interest in each one. I love learning about businesses and most add to my understanding of all the various things going on in the world of business. I like that a press release can be completed and wrapped up quickly rather than longer projects that are more nebulous and drawn-out. Of course on occasion that happens with press releases too, and I get restless. Plus it takes a unique ability to see a story, communicate it, and apply SEO skills so it’s seen by the most people possible (through distribution and search engines) who care or who might care about the subject.

Specifically I want to complete these things over this year:

• Join Toastmasters to improve my public speaking. Welcome chances to improve by accepting invitations to speak.
• My online PR book finished and printed.
• My new watch web site up and going.
• Convert my online store to an affiliate store (I hate filling orders).
• Start a new business I’m working on and see it through (a business partner is very helpful in this endeavor and I have one!).
• Read books and finish the ones I like. I’ve joined a book club for that but it’s more for personal enjoyment. I also want to not only buy but read ebooks and other books to continue to understand and keep up on internet marketing, entrepreneurship, leadership, and social media.

So next year I’ll review how I’ve done and I’ll let you know how I do. Any advice, insight, direction, or encouragement welcome. I hope your holidays were happy and that you are optimistic about the year ahead. I am.

I’m a Nightline junkie and last night was classic and a tradition I support – public shame of the worst behaved people in America. These are the liars, the crooks and the narcissistic. They are who you love to hate. Martin Bashir had a fun time playing the awards show host.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich won and he was deserving but I think others on the list caused more pain and suffering to a lot more people. Yet somehow they remain defiant and unfazed by the damage they’ve done.

Contrast that with 60 Minutes (another one of my favorite news shows) and the Ex-NBA Ref Tim Donaghy. He actually shows remorse (this links to the video and here’s part 2) and responsibility not only for what he did but for the pain it caused others.

Richard Scrushy was CEO of HealthSouth, the Fortune 500 healthcare company. I can’t find his segment but he is actually quoted saying how jail really hurts families!! Oh yeah? so does the things he’s in jail for! It was amazing to see him blame the punishment for the crime!

If I taught an ethics class I would juxtapose these stories. I’d show how very rarely do famous people in power take responsibility. I’d pull quotes and talk about the fallout. I’d show people talking about how their lives were in shambles. I’d look for someone locally to come in and speak about the damage someone else’s dishonesty caused them personally and financially. I’d talk about how you prevent yourself from such crimes. I’d wonder why we don’t have more checks in place to catch things before they get this far.

I’m not a pessimist but I am concerned for our country. I’ve watched many things recently that have been alarming or heartbreaking — and that’s just our country.

So Nightline, I hope tonight you talk about the opposite — the people who bring honor to our country and who have integrity.