The RiverTini Pour-Off ... and Crawl-Home

Four months into managing BethanyEast PR here in San Antonio our newest client, Zocca was quickly invited to compete in the RiverTini Pour-Off at the Hyatt Regency ... it all came a bit sudden as I had only made plans to host a pre-Pour-Off event seeing as how registration had been closed for about a month (or 3) ... much to my surprise I got the call from the fantastica chicas at the Foundation asking us to compete since someone had dropped out. #highfive

Now, since being in TEXAS I've become a beer drinker, booty short wearer (just'once), bling-bling needer and margarita maker ... never have I been a place where being happy and comfy is so widely accepted, y'all know I'm from Detroit.  Working with the ladies at the Foundation was extremely easy and fun... the hubby (@MrOgba) and I had a blast at the event, especially trying all of the many (many many many many) martinis!

Check out some of the pics.

The evenings sponsor, Grey Goose!

ORO Restaurant had a good spread

These ladies loved the Zocca "Ferrari" Martini

@MrOgba, putting them back 

Our friend, Karen K. of the San Antonio River Foundation

By the end of the night EVERYONE was so nice! 

found this one on the Express News site

I want this job next year ... lest ye be judged! (smh)

The Judges Table

Candid Chili Pepper Martini 

Sweet Competition ... what's that about enemies being closer... our neighbors were so sweet ... until you tasted their martini ... SPICY!!

This guy spilled martini all over himself, so @MrOgba lent him an extra shirt ... j/k // but it's possible.

#TeamZocca

A viable competitor, Hotel Contessa/Las Ramblas ... 

The Guys from Hotel Contessa won last year.  They had an awesome presentation.

#200MartiniGiveAway .. Team #Zocca hooked it up!

My clients checking out the cuisine ... this food was REALLY good.

Team #WestinRiverwalk  #Zocca 

The winners trophy ... a giant martini glass .. congrats to Hofbrau!

By the end of the night @MrOgba were happy that we took the 10 minute bus ride to downtown San Antonio, driving home would have been all to interesting ... drink responsibly my friends.  TTYL

HomeGirl Chronicles #5 - I admit, #IFoundMyManOnTwitter

Surprise Surprise ... I have not the most random of women, but I do know a good thing when I see one ... check out my personal, SOCIAL MEDIA induced love story at ...

http://happilyblended.com/2012/02/love-story-igboswag-darealchrisreed/

special thanks to HARO.com and Blogger @BrandyEllen for the feature

#teamOgba

@DaRealChrisReed and @MrOgba

No more BlackCity313 .. tell everybody!

Good morning Faithful Readers!

Just a heads up, whereas I loved my old URL, and I love my hometown (Detroit CITTTTTTTYYYYY), I had to grow up the #BlackInTheCity blog a lil' bit ... the new URL is

BlackCityBlog.Blogspot.com

Add it to your favories, change your RSS feed list, ... do what you have to do, but there is no more BlackCity313, sorry about the confusion.

ttyl.

The King of Love ... who's leading our battle now?

The first thing any black child learns about Black History Month is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We learned his message, his battle, his opposers and his speech.  He was a fantastic man that the world has grown to truly appreciate, flaws and all.

I had the joy of attending the groundbreaking of his memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC about 5 years ago.  It was an exciting experience and the people that were there had a community feeling of love and acceptance.  And I treasure the moment spent with the likes of senators and tv personalities ... also, it was the last time I seen one of my best friends before she was killed by a drunk driver.

(RIP) Meloni, Kim & I w/ Soledad O'Brien .. #BlackInAmerica
@The MLK Memorial Groundbreaking in DC, 2006

When I think of Dr. King I think of everything that black people, women, orphans, people with disabilities, foreign Americans, and everyone that has suffered.  I think of the things that they've now accomplished after recognizing how to fight via Dr. King.

But I am sad because there aren't many stars that have risen to the occasion as King had.  Who is leading our people?  Where is that "voice" of reason when it comes to what battles we'll fight, or did we only learn to turn the other cheek ... and tweet anonymously, and crash a few computers, and sleep in a park  ... where's the real action?  The boycotts of big business?  The picketing of discrimination for those men that Governor in Georgia pardoned ... would the country be in such an uproar if those men were white?

What I am saying, in the words of my most favorite Nina Simone, What has happened now that the King of Love is dead?
ofcourse, we have a black president ... but congress has yet to be infiltrated by minorities  .. the senate too!
ofcousre, black boys are quarterbacks in the NFL ... but the NFL is owned by old white men who fine, yell at, starve and beat their high-priced (mostly) players ... same thing for the NCAA.
there maybe, free share of information across the board, but access to that information is limited in low income areas where libraries and public schools don't get the same amount of funding as their suburban counterparts ...
Are we still moving for the equality that Dr. King preached for?  Or have we settled for iPhones and tax refund checks?  Have they quieted our cries with free apps like twitter when gas prices are exuberant?

I know we aren't happy. but...

Are we still fighting?  

Let me know.

HomeGirl Chronicles #2: Make Your Own First Impression

Relying on introductions can be #TheWorst.  As a business person, neighbor, or just wanna buy a girl a drink you naturally want people to see you in a good light ... that is if you're like me.

As a marketer and publicist I find myself reaching out to people on a daily basis.  And I love when I get in touch with just the right person the first time-around ("Never Take a NO", new post coming soon).

I hate, however, when I have to go through other people to make a contact.  It requires patience and confidence that whomever your reference is can properly communicate information about you ... excuse me, GOOD information about you.

I mean, you can't always trust what people say or how it comes out.

So, I was overjoyed when I found @WhoDoYouKnowAt ... its a site that (1) Locate the proper people and describe their relationship to you .. or (2) Allow you to build your own interactional (because you have to define this now, since everything internet is social, interactional is the congregation of actual people in a common place)


#WHOAT.NET will let you use their CHAMPION GOLF COURSE .. that's right!  If they can't find the right person you want to talk to, they'll let you use their  golf course.


The site is coming soon and has already gotten much acclaim as a top contender for super stardom!  Check it out and let me know what you think!

http://whoat.net?lrRef=O0mIi

Got some great things in the terms of getting the coolest info and toys to my faithful tech-monsters. 


All this month readers will get some awesome opportunities to score FREE STUFF! Check back soon!


ttyl

New Year, New Lessons ... Putting an End to my Beginning

Happy New Year Everyone!!

BiTC celebrated its FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY yesterday ... and I never really cause a big fuss over it...I love my blog, but I don't really celebrate it like I should.  Instead I like to think back on my posts and think how they can be better, a skill I learned at the end of every school year during finals...

I have been a freelance publicist for almost 2 years now.  I've worked on campaigns in Detroit, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago and the DMV as well as completed tons of online campaigns.  It's been a weird year.

When I last talked about my employment situation I had just been fired from Nordstroms for reasons unknown, other than being a cool headed black girl. .. I took my new-found forced independence in stride, vowing never to go back on the clock again.  I created proposals for new events and drafted contracts with new clients. I hit the keyboard at 6am most mornings finding contacts in the media and focusing on gaining ground in the realm of B2B relations.

BiTC talked a lot of mess in 2012...

 Part of being freelance is creating my own schedule as well as managing my own customer service methods.  Which is often the hardest thing for new entrepreneurs.  Of course every one imagines being able to roll out of bed whenever you want, billing large clients for exuberant amounts of "consulting" hours, networking and laughing it up with other entrepreneurs over a glass of red wine and a t-bone steak....but managing a service-centered small business is getting more and more complicated.  Having 5 years of fresh corporate experience did not well enough prepare me for 2011, and neither did the 5 years I spent at Michigan (yup, I'm admitting to the 5th year victory lap...atleast I finished)

A quick move to San Antonio, TX put BiTC in a good place to grow

Real world experience taught me where to start learning when it came to building my small business.  

Whereas I have just gotten over the fear of "what if I can't pay my [insert life altering expense here]?" phase of being an entrepreneur...the phase where I find myself applying for a few open positions every now and then... to the "now, I demand a deposit before any services are begun." mindset of entrepreneurship.  

@darealChrisReed, circa '09
Woodward bus stop, downtown Detroit

In 2011 I focused a lot on finding the lessons I need to learn from ... or in my aunts' words, I got into a ton of trouble.  I took chances, and explored how to talk to people, what to say, when to ask for what you want and to walk away when people tell you NO...because I am obviously talking to the wrong person.

@BethanyEastPR, 2012 ... San Antonio, TX ..
still wide-eyed, not so much bushy-tailed

Now, it's 2012 and BethanyEast PR and Mgmt. Consulting has a ton of new projects, ideas and opportunities for clients and affiliates.  This year we will be creating marketing gold on an international scale. 

We've claimed the San Antonio/Houston and Austin circuit as our new home and are ready to make waves in the media, among diverse audience.  

The #BlackInTheCity blog will also be changing to include a well rounded approach to what it means to be Black in the City, in the Suburbs, in America (thanks Soledad) and in your own right ... this year I stand to prove that blackness may be universal, but it most definitely is not what it use to be.

I am putting an end to my beginning entrepreneurial lifestyle, this year marks the overhaul.  Stay blessed, learn often and ...

ttyl

Young, Gifted .. and Blogging!

This sounds like so much fun!! Can't wait to connect with other Black Bloggers and have some fun on the beach! 

Nationwide (November 28, 2011) -- Black Bloggers Connect is partnering with iHustleNation to present the Black Bloggers Connect Cruise 2012. Bloggers, vloggers, webpreneurs, mompreneurs, social media experts, tech gurus & business owners are all invited to join the Black Bloggers Connect Cruise to Ocho Rios, Jamaica & the Cayman Islands on June 2nd- June 7th 2012. Attendees will have the opportunity to: network with members of the Black online community, participate in break out discussions, be eligible for prize give-aways, and experience Ocho Rios, Jamaica & the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands yall! 

BlackBloggersConnect.com is one of the largest online collectives of Black bloggers worldwide. It is also the #1 resource for Black bloggers to network online. BBC members are from over 20 countries, across the world including: U.S.A, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Thailand and the U.K.   

"We are really excited about the Black Bloggers Connect Cruise 2012. We wanted the Black online world to connect in an exciting way. iHustlenation has hosted this cruise for 3 years with last year having hundreds of attendees from all over the country. This year, our partnership hopes to unite networking with relaxation and fun, " says Jessica Ann Mitchell, the founder of Black Bloggers Connect.  

Attendees that sign-up for the cruise on or before January 2nd will have their blog, website or business featured on the homepage of BlackBloggersConnect.com and NationalBlackPages.com. Attendees are able to sign-up and receive additional information at BBCCruise.com.  

Other cruise partners include: Naturals With Attitude, Next Level Entertainment Group, Time 2 Play, and Youtube sensations TxCutie and iHustleNation. Visit www.BBCCruise.com to get more information and register.

For sponsorship information, contact info@blackbloggersconnect.com.

Just to let everyone know, the BlackInTheCity blog is going to pay for me to go on this trip, so I need all of my loyal faithful readers to check out my ads and advertisers, leave a comment, let me know what you want the BlackInTheCity blog to talk about.  

Pretty sure these people aren't bloggers, but they're black and they look good...all that matters! Cruisin' yall!

See you on the ISLAND! 

What Are You Saying? Building Your Social ME.dia Message

Most of my jobs consist of writing, well, all of them actually.  Whether it be writing reviews for some of San Antonio's newest hotspots to the newest (most useless) of web Apps, I find that I am writing about 80% of my work day.  I blog, comment, share, forward, reply, invite and chat at almost 85 words per minute.  But it wasn't until earlier this week, a conversation with my boyfriend, where I found myself stuck in the conversation as to finding out verbalize the importance of what you want people to read, rather than what you want to say.  He was starting a blog and I was having a hard time letting him move past the first two steps because he hadn't planned out what the blog was going to be about.  


"How dare you start a blog without a plan" was my argument.  And no matter how many times I asked him what his fishing bowl of topics may be contain, he couldn't tell me...his only response, "It's going to be about me." ...but alas, that was not enough.

My Twitter Cloud, @daRealChrisReed, courtesy of tagxedo.com

My boutique PR firm is growing quite fast as I am becoming more and more acceptable with my aesthetic and how I've created a work ethic to accommodate my many business moves.  My work is becoming more streamlined and my clients are boasting new successes as contacts are more eager to return emails and phone calls. What's my secret?  Asking for what I want and not just taking what I can get ... and being able to really communicate is basically the root of all of my success.  


Which leads me to my point.  What's your message?  What are you trying to convey?  
Does your "Rise and Grind" tweets get lost in your "Beer for Breakfast" facebook update?  Is your LinkedIn "I'm all about business and professionalism" profile get overshadowed by all of your "Picture Me Clubbin" pic tags?  


As marketers reach out to specific demographics using social media its often uncertain how to tell gauge what type of consumer, professional and or business owner someone is because every message they post almost always negates the previous.  The world is becoming increasingly smaller (despite how much reaching 7 billion is being publicized) as we are able to see just about every thought, idea, new picture, friend, baby pic, business venture, party and purchase that all of our acquaintances are making up to the minute.  I remember when CNN tickers were only in stock trader language, now I am updated on break ups and new comments while friends (in Hawaii) challenge me to a game of Scrabble.  Anyone can google my name and find out what I do, how to contact me, what I did yesterday and what I am planning in March ... it's easy (I mean, I think I make it easy, especially with sites like About.me/ChrisBethany).  

Word Cloud of the #BlackIntheCity Blog

This week Klout.com restructured its Klout Scoring System which rates a persons effectiveness and influence on the web through a series of calculations and cloud observations.  This very specific algorithm is almost a 2.0 to the former website scoring system Google used in the past.  It gives individual persons the tool of understanding what optimized (searchable) content they've uploaded is saying about them.  


What are you saying?  Do you use social media and the web to air out your dirty laundry?  Or are you using this tool to build your road to success?  Which ever it is, pick a message and stick with it...maybe airing your dirties for everyone to see will bring you success ... but, um, isn't that what reality tv is for?  Whole 'nother subject.


Oh, I figured out that I was going to go ahead and accept my boyfriends idea of going blindly into Blog-stardom, only to be forwarded his blog URL, MrOgba.blogspot.com ... lol, its all about him, he was right.