never B4

Getting a Jump On Social Networking

Social networking for me has come to mean spending even more time on my computer: checking status updates on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, network updates on LinkedIN and most recently "who's where" on BrightKite. 

I get a lot out of this extra screen time.  I reconnect with old and new friends on Facebook, keep open channels with past and present colleagues on LinkedIN, get breaking news and information on topics I'm interested in through Twitter.  Yet, I've run out of time to get myself out there in the real world to meet new people face-to-face.

The trouble with face-to-face networking I've found is that we tend to get shy.  The beauty of  online social networking sites is no one is bashful.  Strangers easily connect with strangers and openly share information, both personal and professional.  Myself included.

This week, I started to wonder if face-to-face social networking would be less intimidating if it was couched in something else people are always trying find time to do -- exercise.   The challenge is finding an exercise that provides a good but fast workout and ability to talk.

Swimming, for instance, doesn't work.

Jumping rope, does.  In 10 minute intervals, you can burn up to 160 calories.   It's also easy to do and it's a great outdoor exercise (perfect for the warm weather coming).

With all this in mind, I kicked off a Never B4 social networking experiment this week to see if I can build a neighborhood jump rope group to connect neighborhood professionals (face-to-face), provide intense exercise quickly and let us all get a little fresh air and fun before work.

So far, I found a location to meet -- John Jay Park.  The basketball courts there are deserted at that hour and the breeze off the river is refreshing.    I went for my first day-break jumping session on Friday and got a great workout in just 20 minutes.

As you can see, I  need to brush up on my jumping skills before leading a group.  At this point,  I can only do the traditional 2-foot jumping.  I think I'll wait until I can do all the "moves" before officially inviting others to join.

My goal is to have the group up and running by mid-May and have it go through the summer.  A mid-May start will give me time to become a stronger jumper and also advertise the idea. It will be interesting to see if people will be brave enough to join, or shy away to the anonymity of online networking.

If you know anyone living on the upper east side of NYC and think they might be interested in joining this jump rope group, please ask them to email me (cboyle.now@gmail.com).  Or, if you have thoughts, question or suggestions about this or future Never B4 ideas, post a comment.

The Paltry Poultry Prize Is Yours To Win!

You know you want to win this coveted piece of wooden poultry!  If not for its sheer good looks, than simply because it's a prize you've never won b4. 

If that's not motivating enough, there's also $25 in cold-hard cash that you could win as a bonus -- enough for a half tank of gas, 2 movie tickets plus a few kernels of popcorn, or a decent bottle of wine.

Before you get caught up in the fantasy of winning, let me first tell you what it takes to enter this once-in-a-lifetime contest.  All you have to do is come up with a clever caption for the following, oh-so-flattering, photo of me in Budapest, Hungary. 

TO WIN: COME UP WITH THE BEST CAPTION FOR THIS PHOTO

To enter a caption, simply type your idea in the comments section at the bottom of this post (or click here).  Make sure you enter your name and a valid email address too so that I can contact you if you win and even more importantly -- arrange for the deliver of your Paltry Poultry Prize.

To qualify for the $25 cash bonus on top, all you need to do is invite a friend of yours to visit this blog.  Simply copy me (cboyle.now@gmail.com) on the email you send to that friend and if you win, I'll make sure your chicken is delivered with the $25 tucked under its  wing.

By now, I'm sure several questions have popped into your mind, so let me try to answer those in advance....

Q. Have I completely lost my mind?
A. Almost.

Q. Why A Contest? 
A. For those of you who know me, you know I've dabbled in corporate sweepstakes but today I realized that I've never run one of my own.  Thus, this contest is a Never b4.  Also, I entered a Twitter Haiku contest (another Never B4) today that was offered by Copyblogger and it motivated me to organize a contest of my own.  Lastly, I'm always looking for new readers for this blog so I'm hoping you will help me spread the Never B4 word.

Q. How will this contest will be judged?
A.  Rest assured, I will not be evaluating the entries.  I've recruited an independent judge to pick the one caption he/she feels is the most clever and brings out an interesting aspect of the picture.

Q. Are there any special rules?
A. There are only 2 rules:

1. You must enter your caption idea as a comment to this post by 12 noon (EST) on Wednesday November 19th.
2. To qualify for the $25 cash bonus you need to email the URL for this blog to one other person and copy me on that email.

This is your moment to win (who cares if it's only a Paltry Poultry Prize) so seize the day and send me a caption before Nov 19th!

Good luck!

 

Found Me a Mascot and a Cause!

Sports teams, clubs, political parties and even TV shows have mascots.  The Colbert Report has Stephen Jr. a baby bald eagle, the democrats have the donkey, republicans have the elephant, the stock market has a bull or a bear depending on the day.  So, this week I challenged myself to find a Never B4 mascot and here she is:

Sahara is the perfect mascot for this Never B4 space because...

A. She's damn cute! 

B. She's experienced many Never B4's in her 6-year life: 
        NB4 #1: she was abadoned by her family and left at a garbage dump
        NB4 #2: she was rescued by a stranger and brought to shelter
        NB4 #3: that shelter sedated her and nearly euthanized her
        NB4 #4: the stranger from NB4 #2 swooped in to rescue her again and took her to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where she is now waiting for her ultimate NB4 - to be adopted.

C. She gives me some of the joy of having a dog in my life again (which my travel schedule, city-sized apartment and my cat have prevented until now).

D. She's also raised my awareness of the overwhelming number of pets being left behind in foreclosed homes.  Their families leave them when they're forced to move out, just like they leave old furniture or bags of garbage.  They are alone with no food and no way out. 

It's hard to believe but it's happening more and more frequently as the economy continues to turn south and foreclosures rise across the country. Owners are abandoning pets at alarming rates.  Shelters are over-flowing and animals are being euthanized more and more frequently due to limited space and money at the shelter.

Knowing there's not a lot I can do to turn the economy around, I decided to take a step to help some of the forgotten victims of our foreclosure and unemployment crises -- the pets people can no longer afford to own.  I'm sponsoring Sahara as my Never B4 mascot to help her have a better life, to help the Best Friend Animal Sanctuary that took her in and will never euthanize her and also to spread the word that these animals and shelters need all the help they can get. 

I'll be sponsoring Sahara until her ultimate Never B4 dream of being adopted comes true.  In the coming weeks, I'll post more pics of her and if anyone out there knows a family who would love to adopt her, please email me at cboyle.now@gmail.com. 

For anyone in the same situation I am (meaning: can't bring a new pet home right now) think about sponsoring one as a mascot for your family, your book club, your kid's school, your company or just for yourself. There are cats, dogs, birds, bunnies and barnyard pets like horses and even pigs. You can a sponsor a pet with a one-time $25 donation and/or you can sponsor them more frequently.  A little goes a long way.

If you or someone you know is facing the painful reality of needing to give up a pet due to economic hardships, click here to read an article from the Human Society that may make the painful process more smooth for both pet and owner. 

****

I'd also like to thank all of you that followed me last week as I wrote my first real-time, 4-day novel on Twitter.  It was a real challenge but a lot of fun. 

What do you think of Sahara?  Click on the headline above, scroll down to the bottom of the page and add your thoughts in the comments section.

Twitter Me Timbers!

On Tuesday, September 9th when the 8am train pulls into the Harlem 125th Street Station, I will begin my first Twitter Novel and on Friday, September 12th at exactly 6:36pm, I'll finish it.

As you've probably noticed, I like to write.  Yet, the idea of writing a novel just plain intimidates me.  Keeping the characters straight, the plot aligned and my own momentum going is just too daunting of a task.  A Twitter Novel, on the other hand, tempts me because the Twitter messaging service limits each entry to 140 characters (yes, characters not words) and I'm limiting my writing time to my morning and evening train commute over the next 4 days only.  The best part of all though, is the story will take place in real time.  So, if you're up at 8am tomorrow, you can start reading my novel as it happens (on your cell phone or on the web).  The story will unfold in sporadic bursts throughout my 49-minute morning ride, then develop further on my commute home in the evening and continue on each subsequent train ride this week. 

The story began tonight when I read this flyer:

Tomorrow I will be wearing the requested red shirt and I'll seek out a seat on the second to last car on the 8am Southeast train, as instructed. I have no idea what the author of this flyer has in store for all of us on that car but I'll soon find out and I'll keep you all posted on the drama as it unfolds. 

I hope you'll follow me on Twitter just in case this adventure gets dangerous.  To follow me, you'll need to create a Twitter account which takes 15 seconds and it's free (click hereif you first want to watch a short video on how Twitter works). Then simply look for my username: Neverb4.  I'll also send email invites to everyone that I have in my address book which should make things a bit easier for you to find me.

Wish me luck! Oh and don't worry if you don't catch the adventure right at the beginning tomorrow at 8am.  You can catch up at any time by logging onto Twitter and looking for my Neverb4 username.

I'd like to say a special thanks to Marci Alboher whose blog Shifting Careers motivated me to create my own Twitter account today (another Never b4) and inspired me to attempt a Twitter Novel.