L to R: Patrick Hamilton, Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis, myself, Babydaddy

Special thanks are in order to Philly Gay Calendar, who allowed me to meet the band.

Are you a designer, copywriter, or creative visionary? Philly Ad Kids could use your services. The site is currently looking for applicants to compete in a contest for a new logo. If you’re interested, head over to the PAK’s blog post, which outlines prizes, rules and such.

Among those in attendance at this binge fest were Jason Kaminsky of Philly Ad Kids and Sharif Pendleton of Masters of None. Sharif was kind enough to make a special edition black version of his acclaimed “ill” necklace, the original of which I wore when I was featured on Philadelphia Magazine’s online Jimmy Street Style column. The “ill,” for those who are not immediate sports fan, was lifted from the official Philadelphia Phillies logo.

The night was truly a testament of how social media can bring really interesting people together for equally interesting events. I met most of the participants through Twitter and Facebook, and I had not been so active in social media, it’s doubtful as to whether or not I would have the chance to participate in the contest or even receive a limited-edition piece of art from a talented designer. Social media often is mocked, very rarely understood, and usually abused by many. On the other hand, it is my belief that it serves as a very organic way of cultivating relationships with unique folks that you may not have the privilege of meeting in your social circles.

The event itself was living proof that when used properly and fully embraced, social media can really allow you to meet interesting, dynamic people and partake in incredibly unique and amazing experiences. Just please don’t litter my Facebook news feed with junk, of course.

“All you gotta have is nerve.” – Lady Gaga, pop icon

The largest obstacles to making your dreams come true are your own fears. Once you surmount them, you will be unstoppable, because by then you will have worked up the courage to set out what for you really want in life. Sure, there may be other external forces that might throw bumps in the road, but if your nerve is strong enough, those hindrances will not be enough to knock you off your stride. This quote also resonates with me, because it speaks to the importance of owning your own thoughts and actions. Regardless of how extreme or unconventional they might appear to society, the fact that they are exclusively and undoubtedly yours, nobody can deny them. Others might not accept them, but they will be respected. You have nothing to lose except the opportunities in life or in your career that you do not leverage.

“Something magical happens when you do what you love.” – Nicki Minaj, rapper

We all have talents, and when we exercise them, we lose ourselves and channel all of our energy into those actions. The end result is brilliance. We were all born with talents, and not acting upon them is nothing but a waste of what makes you unique.

“The haters don’t take days off. So why should we?” – Sarah Rosete, singer, Electrik Red

The job market, especially in this economy, is filled with plenty of talented, hungry people who are begging for a shot. These are the people you are competing with for the kind of success you want. They are just as energized as you are, so you cannot forget that you need to work even harder to keep them on their toes. It’s a harsh reality, but sometimes to achieve success, we have to be our own most demanding coaches.

“Someone once told me, a cloud does not know why it moves in a certain direction or at such a speed, it just feels an impulsion. But the Sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and perhaps you will know as well when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.” – Ebony Bones, singer

This is perhaps the most “hippie” quote you will see me decipher. But I am going to break it down for you anyway. We all have what I often refer to as “inner compasses” that point us in certain directions. Call it a “gut instinct,” or whatever you want, but there is something inherent in us that forces us to make certain decisions in our lives and in our careers. We can’t explain them; they just feel so right. One day, after we make those tough choices, we will hopefully see what it was that made us move in that direction. And hopefully, they will have paid off.

Which quotes inspire you? I’d love to hear them. Feel free to leave a comment!

The double-edged sword of Foursquare, conversely, is that you are exposed to updates that are useless and therefore slightly annoying. I have been using the app for only a few months, but I have so far identified three very annoying Foursquare habits:

1. Checking into your own home. You’ve seen your friends check into places like “Shawn’s Shack” or “Paul’s Pad.” No, these are not legitimate places of businesses. These are fictional titles given to the places where people that want extra Foursquare points and an additional Mayorship eat, sleep, and crap. Is it really necessary to “check” into your own home every time you come through the door? Or when you wake up? They’re given, and you better be prepared for when your friends begin to leave inappropriate “tips” about how your mattress is crab-infested.
2. Checking into your place of work. Checking into your place of business is also not impressive or useful. The fact that you may have a job at all in this economy itself is a blessing, so be advised not to ruin a good thing by making a habit of checking into work so much that your boss notices a slight dip in your productivity. No matter how many times you check into work, you are not the Mayor of your workplace, unless you own the building or are the company’s CEO.
3. Checking into the mundane. I describe “mundane” places as those that are not really worth sharing to absolutely anyone, such as the neighborhood CVS when you’re buying your pubic crab medication, the Shell gas station on Route 73 when you’re refueling the Shaggin’ Wagon, or the post office while you mail the old Savage Garden CD you’ve sold on Amazon Marketplace. Sure, it’s understandable the more places you check into, the greater likelihood that you will earn a Mayorship and enjoy some kind of coupon or discount. But is 50% off the next pack of Orbit gum really worth the price of your friends’ scrutiny? I think not.

Clearly, this post was written in jest, but there some truths to these annoying Foursquare habits. Are you guilty of any of these habits? Or is one of your friends a culprit? Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!

You can read about the contest here, but what I find noteworthy about this contest is that the nominees will be measured by Edelman PR’s TweetLevel measurement system. This system measures a tweeter by four characteristics: influence, popularity, engagement, and trust. Such factors that determine this measurement include quantity of posts and followers, and interaction rates, among others. Without having to be interviewed, if you are a successful tweeter by these definitions, you might one step closer to having a job with MTV.

The TweetLevel score perked my curiosity, so I decided to measure my exact score on Edelman’s TweetLevel site. My final score was 39. On a scale of 0-100, that seems a bit low at first. On the other hand, I was surprised that my score was much higher than well-established brands and individuals who have larger followings than I do, both online and offline. These include:

• Pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKlein
• Apparel chains GAP and Banana Republic, and designer Karl Lagerfeld
• Esteemed New York Times writer and author Tara Parker Pope and TV personality and Current TV co-founder Max Lugavere
• Microsoft Research (tied)
• Advertising agencies Ogilvy Worldwide, Digitas Health (tied), and Germany’s premiere digital shop Neue Digitale

Don’t get me wrong; I think bragging about Twitter followers is a bit tacky. But I do find these scores interesting, since they indicate that popularity and success on Twitter are not as cut and dry as one would think.

You can take the test here by simply entering in your Twitter user name. What is your score? Are you surprised?