I don’t know about you, but I usually get a strong hankering to give back this time of year. I feel so fortunate every day for my amazing, supportive, loving family, my incredibly dear friends, my relatively good health and happiness. I am always aware of what a blessed life I lead, but the holidays always increase those feelings of thankfulness.

To that end, I wanted to highlight a couple of ways we can all give back this holiday season, through events and various projects my friends and social media brethren are conducting. Today I’m starting with just two but as I learn of more ways we can all help others this holiday season, I’ll be sure to pass them along. And if you have any worthy ones you know of, please feel free to bring them to my attention.

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The first is an event here in Boston on Tuesday, Tweetsgiving Boston, organized in part by one of the most giving people I know, who I’m proud to call a friend, Gradon Tripp.

Tweetsgiving is actually a global, 48-hour event organized by U.S. non-profit Epic Change and is designed to encourage people to express their thanks using online tools and at live events. In honor of the people and things that make them grateful, guests will be invited to give to a common cause at events held across the globe. This year, proceeds will go toward building a technology lab at a primary school in Arusha, Tanzania. To read the full story about Tweetsgiving, click here. To find out about events in your city (they’re called gratitude parties, how lovely is that?), click here.

Here’s a quick video on the school children in Tanzania:

TweetsGiving 2009 from LittlePurpleCow Productions on Vimeo.

So, if you can’t attend an event, donate. If you can’t donate, spread the word online. Or just spread the word any way you know how. Tweetsgiving is another wonderful example of how social media is changing the world for the better.

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Next up is a project one of my favorite bloggers, Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks, is organizing to bring some joy to the terminally ill children at Texas Children’s Hospital near her home in Houston. She got to thinking about how much joy can come from a simple image and a few kind words, so she is asking you to do the following:

1.  Print a favourite photo of yours — one you’re proud of, one that is meaningful for you, whatever.  Please, no smaller than 4″x6″, and no larger than 8″x10″.  It can be of anything — your favourite pet, a flower, a sunset, whatever.  You can print one or more, or lots of prints of one image, or lots of prints of lots of images.  Whatever.  It’s up to you.  And seriously:  this doesn’t have to be professional quality — just pick a photo you’ve taken that you love.  If it means something to you, trust me, it will mean something to the person who receives it.

2.  On the back of the image(s), say something sweet.  It could be the story behind the picture, or just a short, lovely sentiment, or whatever.  I spoke with the Volunteer Services officer at Texas Children’s Hospital, and she had some advice:

• nothing religious in nature (like “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hannukah!” or whatever, since we don’t know the religious backgrounds of the kids who will be receiving the phtoographs or cards)
• nothing that says “Get well soon!” because well, frankly, some of the kids won’t be getting well
• restrict your notes say the kinds of things that a kid would love to hear.  You know, things like “You’re amazing!” or “You rock!” or “Dream big dreams!” or “Sending you warm thoughts!”  You get the idea.
• sign only your first name or an alias — no last names, please.
• no photographs of yourself or your family — stick to animals, nature, still lifes, scenery, that sort of thing.

3.  Also on the back of the image(s), sign your first name only (or alias, if that makes you more comfortable), and the city/country you’re writing from.  Because I’m thinking that the kids would be tickled pink to receive photographs from far away places like “Fargo, North Dakota,” let alone “Auckland, New Zealand.”

4.  Send your photo(s) to me postmarked no later than November 30th, 2009, to the following address:

Karen Walrond — Chookooloonks

650 W. Bough, Suite 150-108

Houston, Texas  77024

United States of America

and I’ll be sure to get your image(s) to the hospital.

5.  If you’re not comfortable sending a photograph, but you’re crafty, you can participate too! Just send your handmade card (or cards!) to the above address — with this only caveat:  please do not include anything on your card that can be pulled off and become a choking hazard.  This was a specific request from the Volunteer Services Officer.

–Excerpted from Chookooloonks

I love Karen’s project and hope to contribute myself. Lord knows I have more pictures than I know what to do with.

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I hope learning about one or both of these efforts has inspired you to give back this holiday season. Because we all have something to be thankful for.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
— William Arthur Ward

(Photo credit: chrissthegirl)

And what a year it has been.

Since I started blogging, we’ve elected a new president. One who nuzzles his wife in freight elevators.

Since I started blogging, I got engaged. Something I never would have expected if you’d asked me a year ago.

Since I started blogging, I’ve learned more about social media than I would have thought possible in a year. And then? I learned some more.

I’ve traveled. I’ve shopped. I’ve supported a cause.

I started something big on Twitter.

And yes, I cracked up a bit too. But, knowing me, that was to be expected.

Most importantly, I’ve made friends. Lots of friends. Lifelong friends. No hyperlinks needed here. If you’re reading this? You’re one of them.

I plan to write a blog post about what I’ve learned in one year of blogging, but I didn’t want to gunk up this post with any of my crazytalk or philosophical mumbo jumbo.

The point of this post is to say thank you. To those who have been reading since the start, to those who stop by on occasion, to all who are new: thanks for being here.

And there, for me. In different ways, at different moments. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.

I love you.

First of all, I’m excited to say that I am headed to the left coast tomorrow for a little business and pleasure. After work tomorrow I’ll be hopping on Virgin America’s spiffy new direct route from Boston to San Francisco (I’m even excited for the flight! I flew Virgin to London a few years back and the in-flight entertainment was nothing short of awesome).

This is the first time I’ve been to California since I was probably 8 or 9 years old and its my first trip to San Francisco EVER. Nuts, right? I’ve heard such good things. This weekend I’ll be hanging out in Napa and San Francisco with two of my favorite ladies in all the world, including my maid of honor, whom I haven’t seen since long before I got engaged. We’ll be doing the works – wine tours, Muir Woods, Golden Gate, City Lights (we’re book people), etc. And I’m told there will be a lot of eating, which is always entertaining. Anyways, I’m sure I’ll be tweeting up a storm, so be sure to check out my stream for all the touristy goodness.

Then next week, I’m headed to the Web 2.0 conference with our client, Berlin Partner! I’m psyched to hang with these guys for a few days as we talk to folks about how web 2.0 is booming in the German capital.

(at Web 2.0 NYC in 2008 with Alexander and Heidi)

Speaking of New York, the one and only downside of this trip is that it means I’ll have to miss the second SM4SC event in New York City on Friday, April 3rd! I’m definitely disappointed about this, especially since the last SM4SC event was so. much. fun.

The good news is that if YOU are anywhere near NYC or can get there by plane, train or automobile, there are still tickets left! Available at: http://sm4scnyc.eventbrite.com. All proceeds go to benefit a great organization called City Harvest, New York City’s only food rescue program.

This year, City Harvest will collect 23 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to more than 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 260,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.

A great cause, right? And the even better news is that even if you can’t make it to the event but still want to get involved, the awesome folks over at SM4SC are sponsoring an event TODAY (Thurs. March 26th) called #tenbuckthursday to encourage folks to give what they can, be it $1, $10 or $100, to the cause. You can do it online quickly and easily here at firstgiving.com/sm4scnyc and your donation is 100% tax deductable. Please share this message and tag any tweets, Tumblelogs or blog posts with #tenbuckthursday to help spread the message.

That’s it for now, kids. I’ll be coming at you from the West Coast next week!

I was referring to the list of wedding blogs I read (and yes, it is a big list, as you will see in a moment). Twice now I’ve been asked for this (I guess I’ve blabbed so much about how many wedding blogs I read, folks want to see if I really walk the walk), so I figured there must be some sort of interest out there.

Before you scroll down and your eyes start to bulge like this lady or you freak out and jump into a wall like this dog, know that I read all these through my Google reader, which is much easier and more manageable than going to all these individual websites every day. Also, some are better than others, depending on what you’re looking for. But they’ve all provided me with an interesting tip or idea at some point in time, and that’s why I continue to read them. At the bottom of this list I will give you my top five favorites.

One more note, this list represents but a tiny fraction of the number of wedding blogs out there. If you or your mom or your boyfriend’s sister’s aunt writes a wedding blog that’s not on this list, it’s not because I don’t like it! It’s probably just because I haven’t come across it yet.

And now, the big list of wedding blogs I read (and links to their feeds).

100 Layer Cake
http://100layercake.com/blog/feed

a $10,000 wedding.
http://tenthousandonly.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

A Bryan Blog
http://abryanphoto.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

A Practical Wedding
http://www.apracticalwedding.com/feeds/posts/default

Adam and Eve Wedding Consultants
http://adamandeveweddings.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Always a Blogsmaid
http://www.alwaysablogsmaid.com/weddingfaq/atom.xml

AN ATLANTA BRIDE
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/KWdx

Blue Orchid Designs™ :: Wedding Advice from the Pros
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BlueOrchidDesigns

Bridal Bar Blog
http://feeds.feedburner.com/bridalbarblogspot

Brooklyn Bride – Modern Wedding Blog
http://bklynbrideonline.com/?feed=rss2

classic bride
http://classicbride.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

DIY Bride
http://feeds.feedburner.com/diybride/mnwe

Don’t Be That Bride
http://dontbethatbride.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Elizabeth Anne Designs: Inspirations & Creations
http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/feed/

etsy wedding
http://etsywedding.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Grant-Riley Weddings
http://grantrileyweddings.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Green Wedding Shoes – Wedding Inspiration for the Stylish Southern California Bride
http://feeds.feedburner.com/GreenWeddingShoes

Grey Likes Weddings
http://greylikesweddings.wordpress.com/feed/

HaselBride
http://hasel.typepad.com/wedding/atom.xml

Isnt She Lovely
http://feeds.feedburner.com/IsntSheLovely

IT’S A JAIME THING…
http://justjaime28.wordpress.com/feed/

Modern Vintage Events
http://www.modernvintageevents.com/journal/rss.xml

Kate Rose Photography
http://katerosephotography.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

kiss the groom
http://www.kissthegroom.com/?feed=rss2

modern romance
http://modernromancepdx.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

My Wedding Report
http://www.myweddingreport.com/blog/?feed=rss2

Once Wed Blog
http://www.oncewed.com/rss/

perfect bound: bridal, style and design
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PerfectBound

Petalena: Creative Designs for Weddings and Special Events
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PetalenaFlowers

project wedding blog
http://www.projectwedding.com/blog/feed/

realweddings
http://www.weddingchicks.com/realweddings/atom.xml

Rock ‘n Roll Bride
http://www.rocknrollbride.com/?feed=rss2

snippet & ink: daily wedding inspiration
http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Something Old, Something New
http://kenziekate.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Southern Weddings Magazine
http://www.swsmag.net/blog/atom.xml

THE BRIDE’S CAFE
http://thebridescafe.typepad.com/my_weblog/atom.xml

The Bride’s Guide: Ideas from the Editors of Martha Stewart Weddings
http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/weddings/atom.xml

theunbride.com
http://theunbride.net/?feed=rss2

Tinywater Photography
http://www.tinywaterblog.com/?feed=rss2

VintageGlam Weddings
http://feeds.feedburner.com/VintageglamBlog

We Met in a Bar
http://wemetinabar.com/feed/

Wedding Chicks
http://www.weddingchicks.com/blog/atom.xml

Wedding Invitation News, Etiquette & Planning Blog
http://blog.weddingpaperdivas.com/feed/

Wedding Library Buzz
http://weddinglibrarybuzz.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Wiley Valentine
http://www.wileyvalentine.com/blog/feed/

{ritzy bee blog}
http://ritzybee.typepad.com/my_weblog/atom.xml

Whew! Okay, now, I have two fingers. Oops, sorry.

Okay, now, the fun part! Here are my top five favorites (in no particular order):

- Atlanta Bride: This is the personal blog of a woman that’s getting married in – obviously – Atlanta in just a few weeks! She is the ultimate in organized and thoughtful brides. Reading about her planning process, her struggles, her conquests, endeared her to me and I can’t wait to see the photos from her wedding!

- A Practical Wedding: I got hooked on this blog after they did a fantastic series called “Words to Read When you Wed.” Since then I’ve found that they consistently offer up great bits of practical advice, tips and ideas.

- Vintage Glam: If this list WERE in order (which it is not), Vintage Glam would definitely be higher than number 3! The vintage style weddings and ideas they feature here are right up my alley, and what’s even cooler? They recently started a section where people can buy and sell wedding-related goods, like dresses, accessories, decor items, etc. Sweet!

- Rock n’ Roll Bride: Talk about eye candy. This blog always features what I’d call “alternative” weddings, meaning anything that differs from yuppy, chicken-or-beef, Vera Wang and Manolos weddings. The brides on here are always rockin’, whether they’re tattooed up the ying yang or just have some serious vintage style going on. And I totally dig it.

- Southern Weddings magazine: This blog is so polished and sophisticated and always has beautiful weddings and creative details to share. I love the way they feature real weddings with the interview at the end. Wanwisa Wednesdays are always chock full of inspiration as well.

The reason for this wondrous occurrence is that the ever-lovely Ms. Pamela Seiple tagged me in a photo meme. Since we all know what a fan I am of memes (and I think this one works well because it’s so simple), I decided to join in.

This one, called the “sixth photo meme,” has participants go to the sixth page of their Flickr photostream, find the sixth picture, and post it to their blog. Maybe make a little reflection.

For me, this is a photo of the sugar pumpkins we bought back in October for the social media risotto I made.

Not the most exciting photo in the meme to be sure, and not my best work either. Plus I must have been in a particularly devilish mood when I titled this photo on Flickr, “Like Lambs to the Slaughter.” Still, for me, it’s apt. If you’re reading this right now, you probably know that I love fall.

Like, a lot. Really really.

And I’m minorly devastated that it’s almost over. So, it’s only appropriate that my submission to this meme would be a picture of some pumpkins and another little tribute to to the season I love most.

Can we have a moment of silence for fall?

…

Thank you.

Now, on to the fun part – tagging others to keep the meme going (yes, it’s so high school chain letter and you LOVE IT). For this meme I’m going to go ahead and tag Matt Knell, Gradon Tripp, Mike Davis, Meg Fowler, Alana Taylor and Whitney Hess.

Go meme, go!

So I sent a message on Twitter to my new friend Bryan Maleszyk (he is a serious foodie and turned me on to Russo’s in the first place).

My plea to him: “I need recipe ideas for tomorrow’s dinner – using Russo’s best!”

He replied immediately and suggested a pumpkin and sage risotto with crumbled amaretti (Italian cookies). Cue angelic choir – I was heaven. But it got even better. Bryan was kind enough to “live tweet” the entire recipe for me (including a side pear and gorgonzola salad) all of which, even more amazingly, was entirely off the top of his head.

The tweeted recipe went as follows:

Let me tell you: the meal came out absolutely delicious. The risotto had a rich creaminess that was balanced by the little kick from the cayenne pepper. I did have way more pumpkin than was necessary but that’s okay – I’m going to freeze it and make a fresh pumpkin pie soon.

Some photos to make you jealous:

The final verdict:

Yet another example of how social media makes my life better.

Many thanks to Bryan!

I’m sure everyone’s photos and other media will be rolling in over the next 48 hours (if you were there, don’t forget to tag everything with “sm4sc”) but I just wanted to share a few of my favorite moments (oddly enough, all in video form – a rarity for me):

The “Oh no! It’s on video!” moment with @bpw and @adamcohen.

[flickr video=2930275207]

The “Aww, we both did the harmony.” helium-sucking moment with @megfowler.

[flickr video=2930274341]

And the 12second wrap up at 2:30 am with @mknell.

sm4sc post-game report on 12seconds.tv

So great to hang with new and old friends. But best of all – this is only the beginning of so many good things.

Hope to see you there!

It’s the wave of the future. It’s the information super-highway to the tenth degree. It’s a wonderful, powerful, life-changing, free-ranging, show-stopping, eye-popping thing and it’s all too easy to get lost.

My social media story is a common one. Girl meets web, girl falls head over heels, girl dives in head-first, then forgets which ship she jumped from in the first place.

First, I must say that I love social media. No, really. I do. At its best it can grow businesses, help people, change lives, save lives. It can truly be a beautiful thing. But to get to all that you sometimes have to wade through some pretty nasty stuff . I’m talking broken friendships, ruined reputations, public shamings, and worse.

Granted, those things don’t happen every day. But what you do see every day, underlying all the s and the “lol”s, is a layer of superficiality, an attitude of stepping over others to get ahead, a demeanor of “I’m only talking to you because you know so-and-so.” Sometimes in this world, people are just numbers – a new follower, another subscriber, an extra web hit. It’s all, “Look at me. Look at me! LOOK AT ME!”

I know I sound incredibly jaded, and for a time I was. This stuff really bothered me. It still does. But I’ve learned to look past it by focusing on the people and issues I really care about. And by conducting myself in a way that helps the problem and doesn’t add to it.

I believe…
-in transparency: being open and honest about your actions and intentions.
-in supporting others: sharing others’ good thoughts, actions, and causes.
-in common decency: if you don’t have anything nice (or helpful or constructive) to say, it’s probably best to let it go.
-in listening.
-in fairness.
-in inclusion.
-that everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has experienced pain and sadness. Everyone has hopes and dreams. Everyone is human.
-that everyone deserves to have a voice and be heard.
-that not everyone you come across will stay in your life forever, but everyone deserves a first look.

(And here I feel compelled to plug my friend Gradon Tripp‘s very special project, Social Media 4 Social Change. This organization is all about using our collective talents and interests to help others. Its first event is coming up on October 10th to help raise funds for victims of domestic violence and abuse. They’re still looking for sponsors and donors. So check out the website and pass it on.)

Now I’m not suggesting we all gather round, grab hands, and sing “Kumbayah” (though I’d be up for it). But I am suggesting respecting each other a little bit, as individuals and as fellow hikers on the Social Media Trail.

I think we’d all be the better for it.

I’ve been somewhat neglectful of my blog for a few weeks now, mostly because I went on vacation and took a self-imposed “social media break.” But also because my good friend, Matt Knell, and I have been up at odd hours working on classing up this place.

And now, well, she’s a beaut, ain’t she?

Building a new website isn’t easy (fortunately Matt did most of the heavy lifting) and as I was agonizing over fonts and layouts and color schemes, I found myself wondering — what am I doing this for?

Social media, like any worthy enterprise, requires a great deal of commitment. It demands good writing, creative thinking, and those twin demons, Time and Effort.

But it also reaps great rewards. I’ve made more professional and personal connections in the past four months than any other time in my life. I have a gaggle of new friends, both in Boston and elsewhere, and have already found countless ways to put these connections and my small amount of knowledge to good use.

My hope is to use this new website as a tool for sharing information, strengthening existing relationships, and creating new ones.

And here I must pause to give Matt (@mknell) his official shout out, for all the hard work he put into this site. Matt is easily one of the most giving people I’ve ever met. No kidding, everyone needs a guy like this in their corner.  “Rockstar” doesn’t begin to describe it. I guess that’s why they just call him — the legendary awesomeness.

Thanks also to my pal Rob Mooney over at 10ton(studio) for designing my header. Rob: you rock.

Finally, to the list (albeit short) of folks who have been consistently tuning in to my ramblings, my sincerest and humblest thanks.

So there you have it! Let me know what you think of the site and expect big things to come.