Dating 2.0 – Best Medium for Post-Date “Thank You” Message

I date. I dig Social Media. And I spend a lot of time thinking about both. Because the problem is, like I always say, that in dating and in social media, it’s the blind leading the blind. Well, now, I think it’s time to pin down some answers. And that is what has inspired “Dating 2.0″ category on this blog. In each post, we tackle dating situations made sticky by this wired world we live in. I ask for your opinion. I give you mine. It’s fun, I promise. And maybe we’ll even set some standards along the way.

So far, we’ve tackled whether or not it is acceptable to getting a potential date’s phone number off Facebook and at what point to Facebook someone you are dating.

What is the best way to convey a post-date The digital dating dilemna of the day deals with the post-date “thank you” note. I think anyone who dates will agree that the process is almost like an interview at times. And so, the same way a follow-up note is almost mandatory for success during the hiring process, the same can be said for dating. In 1980, the only option to convey the message would have been through a phone call. In 2000, an e-mail might have provided another avenue of communication. But in 2010, with so many options, what’s the best medium to use?

What is the best way to convey a post-date "thank you" message?

View Results

Photo Credit: iain

Julie in DC: Part II

Friends,

I have some exciting news to share — I am about to embark on what I’ve been affectionately referring to as “Julie in DC: Part II”.

This week, I am leaving Amplify Public Affairs and will soon be joining RADIUS, a corporate travel management company (TMC) serving multinational corporations with regional or global travel consolidation needs, as their Online Marketing Manager. I have learned a lot during my time at Amplify but am now looking forward to tackling this new challenge of developing and implementing a complete online marketing strategy for RADIUS.

My last day as Social Media Strategist at Amplify Public Affairs will be Thursday, April 15th and, after a quick break to cruise around the Mexican Riviera with my mother and sisters, I will begin my new role as Online Marketing Manager at RADIUS on Wednesday, April 28th

Additionally, this past weekend, I moved into the apartment of one of my closest friends from college, Mindy. I feel fortunate to be able to share my home with a friend and we have already had a lot of fun decorating and making plans for future hostessing opportunities.

If you’d like to receive my new professional and personal contact information, just send me a quick note. I will be making the appropriate edits online in the coming weeks.

Best,

Julie

Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009″: DOTS Gloves

The following post is part of Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009“, during which she highlights 20 gifts that she’s deemed geek-worthy. Check back to see what other gadgets and tech goodies will make her list. And be sure to contact Julie or leave a comment below if you have a suggestion of your own!

DOTS Gloves

Why they’re geek-worthy: By now every geek – and beyond – has an iPhone or similar smartphone. And although many may have forgotten since we haven’t yet pulled out the gloves this season, it’s impossible to use a touch screen while gloved. DOTS Gloves have the perfect solution – the fingers of the gloves have little balls of threads (I think that’s how it works, at least) that enable you to reclaim use of your phone during winter months. AND they keep you warm, to boot. The D105 (picture below on the left) are already sold out, giving an indication just how geektastic of a gift this is, but you can can snag the D110 (pictured below on the right) for $20, and the even more solid D200 for $25.

Julie Minevich's Guide to Geek Gifts 2009: DOTS Gloves

If I have my history correct, DOTS Gloves were the first to create these types of gloves, making me like them even more, but since the D105 is sold out and the D110 is only available in Medium, I’d like to point you to a variety of other brands available on Amazon.

Office Euphemisms

Ever since I started working in a corporate environment (has it really been six years?!) I’ve been amused by the official sounding terms working professionals use to denote different workplace staples like doing things last minute and sneaking away from the office. I’ve listed three business terms that are some of my favorites as well as what they really mean.

Immediate Action Item

  • A forgotten tasks that needs to be done immediately to cover everyone’s behinds

Off-site meeting

  • An excuse to get out of the office, usually under the pretense of an important meeting.

To Run Something Up The Flagpole

  • The person saying this admits she/he does not have the authority to approve the request and needs to ask a superior with more power.

To Take a Conversation Offline

  • To discuss something in private one-on-one rather than in front of a group. This phrase is usually invoked when someone is uncomfortable but it is usually done under the pretense of not wanting to waste others’ time.

What are some of your favorite office euphemisms?

my assignment

My B2B (business-to-business) company sells hi-tech equipment to customers in a variety of different industries and is therefore looking for tradeshows to go to in order to get the company’s name out and to show people the product. My assignment is to basically find out where and when the tradeshows are. This sounds much more simple than it actually is.

I am going to be focusing on three industries (at least for now…). I must research numerous different professional organizations, associations, and clubs within these industries. Most of these organizations operate at both a national and state (or “area”) level. I must contact every chapter and determine whether they have a convention or tradeshow where my company can either send a speaker or be a sponsor. I will using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to keep track of chapters’ and contacts’ information, the number of events per year, whether we would be able to get involved, how much everything costs…

I’m a little nervous because this is the kind of thing that I could end up either doing really well or just really poorly. If it doesn’t go well at first, or if I get overwhelmed, I can just see myself pushing it off and avoiding completing it. Which, I obviously can’t do. My plan is to break up the assignment to make it less overwhelming and more enticing or else I’ll end up looking like this:

I would have benefited from UCSD’s Learn at Lunch lecture: “Just-in-Time Management: Instant Cure for Overwhelm” given by Nanci McGraw. The following describes my problems perfectly.

If you really “wanna,” says McGraw, you can avoid the dual pitfalls of perfectionism and procrastination that hold many people back. If everything’s got to be perfect before a task moves forward, for example, it might never get done. Sometimes, says McGraw, “pretty good is good enough,” especially if the alternative is inaction or lack of progress. Procrastination’s not always a bad thing, she says, again citing her father’s Western wisdom: “Some things deserve every amount of procrastination you can muster up, ‘cuz you hadn’t ought to be doin’ ‘em anyway.” (WOW!) But at work, putting things off now usually creates larger problems and more work later.

So, I guess when I’m trying to tackle this assignment, I’ll remind myself that I just have to get it done. First place to avoid procrastination and perfectionism: drafting a really good letter to send to all these people.