Last week I had the honor of sitting down with Louis Basile, @WildflowerCEO on Twitter, and talking about the Wildflower business and social media.  The goal of the interview was to give businesses viewpoints from companies who are already using social media in their business.  I picked Wildflower because of their interaction on a recent blog post I wrote about here.

Several things came out the conversation that I would like to share but the first being a huge thanks to Louis for the generosity of sharing his time and passion for the business with me.  It was also great to meet Lauren who manages their @WildflowerBread account and their online presence (she makes a wicked latte too).  So with that said, let’s move on to the 3 big take-aways I would like to share.

1 – Good Social Media Comes From Good Businesses – When talking with Louis, there is no doubt he has a wealth of experience in both business, the industry and specific category (fast-casual) under which Wildflower restaurants fall.  He is also clear on what has made the business successful to date – the value of a handshake and word of mouth referrals, being sleek and nimble, and being customer centric and focused.  Wildflower has used social media to improve upon all of these.

The Wildflower Twitter account is used to connect with customers, promote the brand/products/events and as a channel to be respectful, responsive and appreciative of customers.  To Wildflower, the ability to have this kind of connection and interaction with customers and stakeholders is of huge value to the business.  The ability to add this kind of connection, feedback and service to their company made the decision to undertake a social media initiative an easy one for Louis.  But they take it one step further.

Louis uses the WildflowerCEO account to directly ask questions about how Wildflower is doing.  There is no event or product promotion via this account but rather, it acts as a vehicle to directly ask customers how well Wildflower is meeting their expectations and delivering on the Wildflower brand promise.  It’s a great distinction in how two accounts can be used to achieve different objectives and at different levels in the company.

2 – The Value Of Social Media To A Business – Although Louis mentioned that his biggest fear

Louis Basile

in starting/using social media was around time management of both staff and himself personally, it has shown itself to be incredibly valuable to Wildflower.

One of the main benefits to Wildflower has been the ability to connect with ‘Bread Heads’ (fans of Wildflower bread).  But just connecting isn’t enough to Wildflower, the ability to be transparent, kind and accountable were mentioned several times throughout the interview.  These values lead to delivering ‘over-the-top’ customer service which is also something that Wildflower prides itself on.

And although many businesses have been concerned over online review sites like Yelp, Louis views it as a way to raise the bar within Wildflower.  To him, it is a way to remind his staff how important it is to always be thoughtful and accountable in order to ‘treat people right’.  And although he knows Wildflower will never be perfect (no business is), social media allows him to strive for that goal by easily being able to see snapshots and views of the company from those who mean so much to the business – the bread heads!  This immediate feedback helps him to better respond and adjust to customers faster.

3 – How To Get Started – As mentioned earlier, time management was an initial concern for Wildflower but when asked what his advice would be to other companies considering utilizing social media, here were is thoughts:

1. Hire A Consultant – Though not mandatory, this was the approach Wildflower took to help them get a grasp on tools, messaging, etiquette and get started quickly.
2. Just Jump In – At some point in time, this is what you are going to have to do.  Based on your comfort level, Louis also suggested jumping in and asking questions of people already in social networks,  “The community is incredibly open and willing to help and you can form your own network of consultants to help get you started”.
3. Stay The Course – It takes time to begin to see the impact social media can have on an organization – both internally and externally.   So stick with it, experiment and have fun.
4. Clarify Roles – In Wildflower’s case, be clear about the differences between the company account and a C-Level account.  This could be in setting response expectations, messaging, frequency, measurement and results.

Well said.  Hopefully everyone can tell that I REALLY enjoyed this interview, was impressed with Louis’ business philosophy and how Wildflower is approaching social media.  If you have not been to a Wildflower, I would highly encourage you to make a visit or return to your favorite location, enjoy a meal and then let them know what you thought.  I can tell you they are eager to hear your feedback and appreciative of your business.

Also, if you have any questions that came up as you read the article, please leave them below and myself and/or Louis will be happy to respond.  One of the questions I wanted to address that was asked via Twitter by @jmchood.

Twitter Question by Justin

I thought Louis’ answer was both unexpected and great all at the same time, “Hopefully, never.”

Louis went on to explain that Wildflower’s brand promise centers around the idea of ALWAYS giving customers the best product at the best price, so a coupon type of incentive discounts the promise and that should never happen.  Now, to be fair, we didn’t go on to discuss any type of loyalty program or other benefits of FourSquare in business (check out this post by Jay Baer for some ideas).  Thanks Justin. So what’s your question?

The Social Latte is incredibly proud to be part of the Phoenix 2010 Twestival event tonight at Martini Ranch from 7p – 10p.  What is Twestival you ask?  Well let me tell you and be sure to watch the video in the sidebar!  There is still time to get tickets or make a donation!

On Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of Education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness.  Twestival™ (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good.  All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects.

Building Schools

While other Twestivals around the country will be raising funds for any one of eight Concern Worldwide focus areas like training teachers, school meals, classroom supplies, and education for girls to name just a few, Phoenix will be focusing on funds for building schools.

Millions more must learn in overcrowded, unhealthy, unsafe environments. Often, children must attend ‘outdoor’ schools, where they are vulnerable to extremes of weather and classes are irregular at best. Concern works closely with communities and local government to build and renovate schools and classrooms for the poorest, most vulnerable children.

To help raise funds for the cause, The Social Latte is teaming with Page.ly (an AWESOME company we’ll talk more about in a future post) to create a great offer.

Page.ly is donating 4 lifetime WordPress hosting accounts each with a 1 year domain registration. And for 1 of those 4 accounts, The Social Latte has partnered with Page.ly to add $500 worth of WordPress site design.

That means you could leave the event tonight with a completely custom site designed just for your business and NEVER have to pay hosting or maintenance fees for THE LIFE OF YOUR BUSINESS! The only thing you will have to worry about is the $10/yr charge to maintain your domain.  WOW!

And in addition to this great incentive, there are a bunch of other great raffle, food and beverage items and silent auction items donated by local companies like Wildflower, InfusionSoft, Go Daddy, Phoenix Suns, Session and more.  Check out all of the great prizes here.

Hope to see you there tonight!

I had a great time speaking this morning with the Jewish Community Foundation.  It’s always great to talk to new audiences with different backgrounds, as well as, talk with non-profits on ways they can leverage social media to help their organizations. Which, in my view, isn’t that different from the public sector.

There are several commonalities between the public and private sector, but the one that stands out the most and should always be considered first by any organization is establishing your ‘Social Media Motive’.   The idea of ‘social media motive’ came up via a comment on a great blog post done by @SusanBaier as a guest post on @JayBaer‘s Convince And Convert blog titled Do You Know Your Customers Enough to be a Social Media Hit? (incidentally, they are both great people to follow on Twitter)  You can see the exchange below.

Comment Exchange On Social Motive

I am a huge fan of NCIS and Criminal Intent, and obviously motive is critical in legal situations, but for our purposes, we’ll define motive as:

Something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.

So when you and/or your business are looking at social media, be sure to be clear on WHY you are deciding to spend your precious time, money and energy on social media and the actions you want as a result – both internally and externally.  Some motives you might want to consider include but are in no way limited to…

• Build relationships with online influencers in your industry so that you have a community to interact with to help you improve your current business model or help you solve business challenges and overcome obstacles.
• Share your existing or create new rich media content on new channels so your content can easily be shared across the web to gain greater exposure, influence and provide value to current and potential clients.
• Equip online content creators within your industry with facts that can easily be shared so that you can help reduce the amount of incorrect information and/or become known as the trusted source for information.

Also be sure to not only know your own ‘incentive’ for social media, but also consider the incentive for your community to follow, friend and interact with you via social media.  What are you going to provide via social media channels that adds value and fills a need for you AND your audience?

Once you know why you are implementing social media into your organization, you can enter the planning phase, ask what your success metrics are, answer how much time you will you spend, and what tools you will use.

But without first establishing your motive, I can promise you, you’ll never be found guilty of social media success.

And as promised at the presentation, the slides from the presentation are included below.  I hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this post and/or the presentation today.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to Put Together a Corporate Social Media Policy in 5 Minutes (futurelab.net)
• Recommended: Jay Baer’s Twitter 20 of live interview on Twitter inclusing free E-book (fredzimny.wordpress.com)

Presenting at CenPhoCamp

First and foremost, I would like to thank Tyler Hurst and the team behind CenPhoCamp and say that it was an honor to be selected to speak.  I really had a great time and was one of the most enjoyable events I have been to in some time.  I would also like to thank everyone who took time out of their weekend to attend the event and making it such a success.  Lastly, thanks to all the presenters for sharing their expertise in so many different areas – I am always learning things from you and I am so grateful.

If you were not able to make it to CenPhoCamp, here is the ‘idea’ behind the conference.

Cen­Pho­Camp is an uncon­fer­ence designed to bring small, local orga­ni­za­tions together with the cus­tomers they serve. Unlike a typ­i­cal sem­i­nar, par­tic­i­pants are encour­aged to ask ques­tions, to leave ses­sions they don’t think are help­ful and even con­tribute to the learn­ing as they see fit.

Devel­oped as a series of tracks, each hour-long pre­sen­ta­tion adheres to one of the fol­low­ing themes: Begin­ner, where those new to mar­ket­ing can learn about basic approaches, Tech­nol­ogy, offer­ing instruc­tions on the lat­est web apps and Com­mu­nity, designed to help busi­nesses enable their cus­tomers to be their best adver­tis­ers. A Round­table dis­cus­sion led by indus­try experts com­pletes each hour’s offerings.

I was asked to present an hour-long class on Twitter and below you can find my slides.  If anyone has any questions or additional comments/feedback for me, please don’t be shy.  Once again, thanks to everyone involved.

It was a great week at The Social Latte so I thought that I would share a couple of the ‘first time’ accomplishments that made the week standout.

First and foremost was the launch of FoxPop with 20th Century Fox that coincided with the release of Night At The Museum 2 – Battle Of The Smithsonian on December 1st. It’s a great movie and lends itself very well to demonstrating the application’s features and adding to an already great movie-watching experience.

And just as exciting as the release was being contacted by Time.com and being asked to put content together for an article they released on the same day. Although the deadline was incredibly tight, working with Steven James Snyder of @Techland and is editor Stefania was a great experience and truly a pleasure.  They created a great video explaining how the technology works which can be viewed below:

But what was even better is that the article was actually featured on the front page of Time.com which was AWESOME! Everyone involved with Spot411 was very excited to see the article there and marks a great company moment.

So if you haven’t already done so, be sure to checkout FoxPop and Spot411!

Tweetsgiving Home

One of my favorite #Hashtags going around on Twitter right now is #Tweetsgiving.  You can find out more about the event at the Tweetsgiving site but the idea is:

TweetsGiving is a global celebration that aims to change the world through the power of gratitude.  You share your gratitude, give and then spread the love.

They also have a listing of their ‘Top Turkeys’ who have donated $100 or more.  So what I want to do is to say thanks ‘Twitter-Style’ to the 100 tweeps  who I am most thankful for this year and donate $1 in each of your honor.

You have all made me feel like a ‘Top Turkey’ in my world at different points through the year for different reasons.  Some of you picked me up when I was down, made me laugh when I was sad, celebrated with me, made me think in a different way, blazed a path where there had been none before or just been there when I had a question with a smile and a helping hand.  I get asked all the time about the ROI on Social Media and for some reason people can’t understand that on some days, my biggest return is being connected to you.

For all those on the list, thank you for what you have added to my life as I am truly thankful for you.  I hope that in some way I have given back or will have the chance to give back for all you have given me.

And to the rest of the people who I follow who are not on this list, I am looking forward to the next year and adding to my list!

@joanjakel – because behind every good man is a better woman.

@raillife –for being a great Tempe community member, social media & business advocate, entrepreneur, and most of all, a great friend.

@marismith –for being so amazingly gracious with your time, talent and treasures. How can you NOT be thankful for turquoise?

@phxreguy – whenever I am looking for a new toy to add to my blog, I go here first. Beer, blogs and real estate, – how can you go wrong?

@tempechamber –for all that you have done to support me as a person, a business owner and a community leader.

@cwaterhouse –for being my measuring stick of how to be nice and care about people at all times.

@spot411 @ageshah @shiftyz – for pushing me to work harder, think bigger and want it more than the next guy.

@tscu – for being a great learner and a cool person to talk with. I love what you guys are doing and the way work in the community.

@focuswebtech – for being a great sounding board, business partner and your encouragement.

@jennkaye – if I am ever feeling down, I just head to your twitter stream, read a few updates, and I feel better. You are the best!

@chatchew – for being who you are and inspiration to other women.  I am so excited for the places you are going.

@jenn_ex – we have different styles and I like that, ATA was a blast and I look forward to more fun.  Thanks for all you do.

@tdhurst – for always opening my mind to different view points. I may not always agree, but I admire it.

@realjoe – for creating places like @LibertyMarket where I can spend time with all the people on this list.

@redpear @bwilley @krysvs -for creating my home away from home, ideas, trust and adding music and humor to the office with style.  Thanks for being a sponsor for so many great events in the Social Media community.

@kconnolly @tomascorrillo @drewlesueur @jjmerrill – for being the best mashed potatoes on the Turkey Day Table.

@shannopop @ktvan – for being two very smart ladies that I look to when I have questions and two of my favorite people to run into at social media events and La Bocca.

@bretgiles – for letting me be part of the @agencyside team and being an awesome Tucson Tour Guide – it has meant so much!

@visualintent – for proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

@laceyfrench – for all you do @agencyside and all of your encouragement and creating my favorite event of the year Bolo2009.

@scatour – there aren’t words to thank you enough. All the best to you and @SitewireAgency.

@nchitel – for being a tireless example of how to network yourself to success and all of your help this year.

@stevengroves @lonsafko – for always having a great smile, a big hello and always being willing to offer your expertise and The Social Media Bible.

@nossmedia – if its technology, you’re the guy I am asking first.  Thanks for all your support and expertise over the last several months.  It wouldn’t have been the same without you around.

@jaybaer – Convince and Convert is one of my favorite blogs and the one time I was able to hear him speak at #SMAZ was great.

@deanouellette – for some hilarious sports tweets, Vegas times, and shared beers – fun times.

@jmchood – for being the smartest self-depricating person I know in a blue shirt.

@brucesand – for creating my favorite place to unwind and watch the game after a long day.

@dianewallace – for the amazing talent you have at capturing the essence of people and being a great friend.

@jmoriarty – for encouraging me to get involved and creating so many opportunities in Phoenix for me to do so.

@katiecharland – because nerdy smart girls are hot!

@garvee – for bringing the passion and the thunder. I am totally enjoying your book – Crush It!

@jpolish – for creating an example of what entrepreneurship can be and all of your awesome marketing ideas.

@paulvalach – for all your help at @PodCampAZ.

@ryancmiller – for your great insight and thoughts. Next time I need to go to New York!

@unmarketing – for being a great example of engagement – you set an amazing standard.

@losama & @beverlykidd – for the great example you set in using new media in TV News.

@chuckreynolds – even though I couldn’t be there, thanks for the work on WordCampAZ and being all things WordPress .

@ambercadabra – For being the community manager and person I aspire to be.

@amandavega – for fun times, great shoes and a great guide to giving. More martini’s please!

@angela_albright – because sometimes, things have to go wrong before you know how to make them right.

@austinmiles – for a whacked out sense of humor and a passion for cars.  Thanks for your input and ideas.

@mrsraillife – Dancefloor. Blog World. ’nuff said!

@bethcochran – for being a great PR gal and a good friend who always has a smile and a warm hello.  Thanks much!

@boldavenue – the name alone is enough as it makes me think about traveling life’s highways with the right attitude but the person behind it is just as cool.

@CenPho – for being a great neighbor at @PodCampAZ and to ladies following their passion around a great location.

@ChrisBrogan @problogger- for being a leaders in a new frontier, it’s not always easy to do and I admire how you have done it.

@YelpAZ – for always having time for a question and doing such an awesome job at what she does. YOU ROCK GABI!

@dhollings – for being one of the first tweeters I followed and setting me on the right path to grow.

@dlmoriarty & @jlknapp – because the IgnintePhx registration desk was so fun. One of my top events of 2009.

@dneighbors @conrey @strebel @gangplank – for being great contact points for  help with business and creating an awesome atmosphere to learn, aspire and veg.

@Drew_Alumni_GU – You and your Gonzaga spirit are contagious, rock on to you and Zags everywhere.

@durtbagz – how can you go wrong with a name like that, a great product and an awesome personality. Can you say Christmas present!

@LocalFirstAZ – for putting local first and providing the resources to help make it happen in AZ.

@sallywitzky – YOU HAVE A MILLIONAIRE MIND and are a great business partner, thank you.

@chrislee @gawthrock @matthewpetro @hepnova @dpatricklewis @halfacat @tysoncrosbie – for being cool people I have met over Twitter who are just as cool IRL.

@GilbertJenn – for your passion to lead at the city level and make a difference in your community while raising a family.

@GuyKawasaki – for a truly great Twitter session at Bolo2009, pressing the Twitter edge and being willing to share how you do it .

@jefftego – for being the biggest Cavs fan I know and a great friend.

@kinchie – for being one of the first people I followed and learned from. I have always enjoyed your work.

@coachjoelle – for being a constant source of Twitter sunshine.

@karriannGraf @amyporterfield @coachlaura @kickofftopic- social media friends who are walking the walk and rocking the world

@mashable – being a great source of information on all things social media and helping me stay up-to-date

@MsHerr – for having a style all your own and being so active in the community, as well as, being pretty amazing on the dance floor

@nickminer – the other half of the nick-nick duo, thanks for being a great friend, business mind and the opportunities you introduced me to this year

@pagely @hootsuite @lastfm @uservoice – for being some of my favorite tools I never would have known about without Twitter

@pearsonified – because #thesis rocks, can’t say that enough.  It’s been my favorite tool for myself and my clients.

@prestonism – it’s time to get together and catchup, thanks for all of your support throughout the year

@stevemacdonald – thanks for the trust, the opportunities and the crazy roller-coaster ride we have been on this year

@wholefoods – for being my favorite place for #EVFN, great eats and an awesome IPA selection.

@SouthwestAir @Comcastcares @Starbucks @DunkinDonuts – for being some of my favorite Social Media Brands to watch and learn from.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday filled with gratitude ~ JackAlert.

As with most things in life, paying attention to the details can make all the difference.  Now, I don’t confess to be the most detail-oriented person about all things, but if you are going to work in the technology field where one missed letter or change in caSe can ruin thousands of lines of code, you have to learn to pay attention.  So I have learned to pay attention to the details in Social Media, but my closet is a mess and when I can’t find something it can get ugly – trade-offs.

While working recently with a friend and answering social media questions during our complimentary 30-minute consultation I mentioned that I couldn’t find his name in Twitter.  I had just assumed that he had not yet signed up for an account, but it turns out he had.  Below is the screen shot of the initial setup.

Initial Twitter Account Setup

Notice that when you compare Matthew’s account to my account, the difference between the Name Field and the Twitter Handle.  My Twitter handle is ‘JackAlert’ but my name is entered as ‘Jack Smith’.  Matthew’s name and Twitter handle were identical.

Twitter Comparison

Consequently, when I searched for Matthew in Twitter, his profile was not returned.

Search Results Do Not Find Matthew Coates

When I contacted Matthew, I advised he make that one small change and the results can be seen below (special thanks to Matthew for letting me use this example and if you’re looking for a Realtor, you can find Matthew here.)

Matthew Is Found!

So be sure to pay attention to the details when creating your Social Media profiles.  For businesses, this should include:

• SPELL CHECKING-   Sounds basic, but there are thousands of profiles with typos.
• KEYWORDS – Your profile should contain keywords people search for when looking for your type of business.
• YOUR PICTURE – I believe social media is personal and even though you may be representing a company via social media, people want to talk to a person, not a logo.  So display the picture of a person rather than a log0.  Leave the logo and branding for your website, fan page design and twitter background (which we’d be happy to help with).
• MIX IT UP – I like to know a little business and a little fun/personal about people I connect with through social media.  If you can add a little personality and character, I think that’s all the better.

Thanks for stopping by and if you have any other social media questions, be sure to leave them on our Social Media Q&A page.  Has anyone seen my car keys?

One of the greatest things about Social Media and Web design today is that anyone can do it, which can also be one of the worst things for your image and brand.  Can virtually anyone find a site that offers some type of ‘FREE’ template for your Web site, blog or Twitter account?  The answer is a resounding ‘yes’, but the better question is, should they?

Without boring you with an exact stat, the percentage of consumers that are going to the Web first to research you, your product or your service before they ever meet you in person or visit your storefront has never been higher and shows no signs of slowing.  So with that said, your website, blog, Facebook Fan page or Twitter page is more and more often setting the first impression of you and your organization with your stakeholders.  Has it been hurriedly thrown together with little thought and expertise or is it part of a unified message and brand?

One of my favorite things about the work we do with our clients at The Social Latte is that it is more than just talking about social media strategy and teaching (although both are important), we actually build and execute on the strategies and advice we preach.  Sitting down and ‘getting dirty’ with the design and code of a site is one of my favorite things to do because that is the first place you start to see some tangible results.  And although a social media site needs to do a lot more than look pretty to achieve results, we all know how important first impressions can be.

Home Instead Corporate Web Site

As a franchise owner of Home Instead, one of our recent clients tasked us with creating their social media presence to match the new branding on their corporate site.  When their clients visited their social media sites, they wanted to make sure they were making the right impression and leveraging the work done on their brand by the corporate office.  Makes sense right?

We started from scratch with only a few personal photos and went to work and here are the results of our work.  First on the list was creating their blog, and of course we used my favorite WordPress framework – Thesis.  Notice the blog is a little less ‘formal’ than the website in look and feel, but still ties in all of the corporate branding and colors.

Home Instead Blog - Richmond Virgina

Next on the list was their custom Twitter background page created to match their corporate branding.

Teresa Steinfatt Twitter Page

When we presented our work to the client, there was actually some concern their clients would mistake their sites for the actual corporate sites (which we found flattering – mission accomplished!).  So we made sure to add some local photos, images and information about their Richmond, Virginia location.  And although a social media site is never ‘complete’ in my opinion because you should always be adding content and functionality to maximize its value, our client has a solid foundation to start from that professionally represents their them and their brand.

The Social Latte specifically focuses on creating your ‘online home’ and making sure the first ‘electronic impression’ of your business is the best one possible  Is it time for you to upgrade your corporate image?  I’ll be sure to post an update when we complete their Facebook Fan page.

Since I seem to get asked about LinkedIn all the time, I thought I would share some of the replies I often give.  Below are some quick thoughts and ideas to consider when reviewing and/or creating your LinkedIn Profile.

• Write a headline that draws people in.  Rather than displaying your job title, tell people what problem you solve or benefit you provide to them.  How can you help them in ways others cannot?  Here is mine, “Helping businesses understand, integrate, measure and maximize social media in their business.”
• Change the system-generated URL to be your name or business name.  Rather than being www.linkedin.com/pub/jack-smith/3/76a/8b5, you can be www.linkedin.com/in/thesociallatte
• Upload a professional-looking head shot.  I tell people all the time, that the biggest thing you can do to be successful in social media is to have a picture!  It doesn’t have to be straight out of Vogue, but you can do wonders with cameras these days.  And if you want to make sure you get the best shot at the best price, be sure to check out my friend Diane Wallace.
• Add Web sites of relevance.  Not only can you use your website home page, you could create links to your services, about us, or other pages.  What about a link to your Twitter account of Facebook Fan Page?

My LinkedIn Profile - JackAlert

• Include your contact information.  If you want to be contacted about networking opportunities, jobs or whatever else, be sure you give people an easy way to do so.
• Get endorsed by others.  How do you get endorsed by others you ask?  Simple, you give endorsements yourself when they are deserved and sincere.
• Join groups of interest and post and comment about topics in your industry.  Birds of a feather flock together which is great, but also be sure to check out groups in related fields or of personal interest.  You never know what you’ll find.
• Add your LinkedIn profile URL to your e-mail signature, as well as, any other social media sites you may frequent.  Invite people to connect with you in a variety of different ways.
• Update your status – Be sure to update your profile to let people who drop by your profile know what you are up to.  Updates can inluce books you are reading, projects you are working, issues you need help with or ones you can help others with and much more – get creative!

Hope you found a nugget or two to help with your own profile.  You can find my LinkedIn Profile here.  If you haven’t already done so, consider adding me to your network.  And for more great information on LinkedIn, check out this article on How To Build Your Personal Brand at Mashable.

I am super excited to invite you to the first event/Tweetup created by The Social Latte that will combine networking, ME BARTENDING with drinks and food at happy hour pricing and great 80′s music. The event will take place at one of my favorite new ‘American Saloons’ – Sign Of The Whale at the corner of Warner and McClintock.  The Facebook Invitation is here.

We’ll have a private room with Happy Hour pricing from 5-7 for networking and socializing and then I’ll be bartender from 7p – 10p with DJ Mike in charge of the 80′s tunes.  I’m sure I’ll have some crazy 80′s outfit on, so I encourage you to do the same and pay tribute to the passing of the ‘King Of Pop’ – Michael Jackson may be gone, but the 80′s LIVE ON!

Date:	Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Time:	5:00pm – 10:00pm
Location:	Sign Of The Whale
Street:	1706 E. Warner Rd, #3
City/Town:	Tempe, AZ
	View Map Google MapQuest Microsoft Yahoo

Leave a comment below with your favorite 80′s Song and we’ll get it on the playlist!

To get you in the mood, check out the video to the right or this great Michael Jackson Twitter Mashup of Billie Jean.