Also, please note there is NO Topics on Fire tonight!

POSTPONED Continuing the focus on hyper local learning and real time reaching out, we are starting Lunch and Learn sessions on some of the topics we get asked about the most. The first of these is on April 18th at Rick’s Pond View (no walk ins, EventBrite signup or email me if you need to pay cash at the door), and is a class on how to keep your kids safe online. (Hashtag #KIDSAFENH)

Also in the hyper local category is the next Social Media Breakfast NH on April 17th (no walk ins, EventBrite signup only). University of New Hampshire (UNH) has generously offered to sponsor this event. This, the third Social Media Breakfast NH, is all about education and social media. We will have two speakers, and then instead of a third speaker we’ll do an open Q&A that will allow the educators present to pick our brains and learn from us in real time. (Hashtag #SMBNH)

Another upcoming event is the next podcast: Topics on Fire, Episode 15: Inbound/Viral Marketing. That will be on TalkShoe next Sunday 4/19 at 10:00PM EDT. You can follow the call here to get a reminder when it will start sent to your email inbox. (Hashtag #TOF)Last Topics on Fire Episode was on Music and Social Media. Have a listen:

There are more classes in the lunch and learn series coming, and more events planned. Stay tuned as we keep finding ways to share knowledge with you and foster connections.

Original post: Topics on Fire is on its 14th episode. I’m so happy at the support it receives from people, and pleased when I hear that you all learned something from an episode, or just plain had fun. So far the two most popular episodes have been Part Two of the Gender Gap and Social Media/Technology and the New Year, New You episode.

Tonight we talk about one of my favorite topics, music and social media. I am honored to have long time friend and musician Flint Mavis as one of our panelists. He has one foot in each side of the equation as a MySpace account executive and session guitarist in Los Angeles. He has been heard wailing his axe in several bands over the years. Also joining us is new friend Joe Marrapodi from Get Rare. You all may know Joe best as friend and manager to Pete Yorn, but through Get Rare I had the pleasure to get to know Joe recently before the WERS 60th Anniversary show in Boston. Carla Lynne Hall will also be on our panel. She is a musician and music blogger (Her blog is Rock Star Life Lessons) and someone I connect with frequently on Twitter. A champion of indie music, she has loads of great advice for musicians looking to make their way online. Piano rocker Matthew Ebel will be on as well. He is known for using social media and the internet to book gigs and sell his music direct to his fans. The other panelists will be announced closer to the start time.

I hope to see you all there! It’s on TalkShoe at 10PM Eastern Time tonight, 3/29.

The video from the event is below (Thank you, Kevin from DimDim!). We had some trouble starting the recording from this first live cast of our fist SMBNH, so you miss my opening remarks (I’m not sure that’s a bad thing) but you do see all of the speakers and their slides. Enjoy! (And yes, I plan to live cast future SMBNHs if the venue supports the bandwidth, now that we’ve hopefully worked out any kinks in this first live cast)

How is social media having an impact on your online and offline relationships? What are some things you can do to safeguard your non-tech based friendships, loves and family dynamics? What can you do to enhance your online relationships with real people? Note: this is about personal relationships, not B2C or B2B relationships.

Current panel includes myself as moderator and social media and marketing enthisiast Ben Grossman, Perkett PR’s own Christine Major, Thomas Edwards of Project Infinity plus networking coach Diane Darling as panelists. This will be a good one, y’all.

UPDATE: Below is the embedded podcast for your to listen to. It was a blast – thanks so much to the panelists for being on the show.

Topics on Fire, Episode 13: Social Media and Relationships

How is social media having an impact on your online and offline relationships? What are some things you can do to safeguard your non-tech based friendships, loves and family dynamics? What can you do to enhance your online relationships with real people? Note: this is about personal relationships, not B2C relationships.

Current panel includes myself as moderator and author and podcaster Tee Morris plus networking coach Diane Darling as panelists. Slots available for more panelists.

Topics on Fire, Episode 14: Social Media and Finances

We’ll be tapping some of your favorite social media and online finance thought leaders to help you navigate the choppy economic days ahead. Topics we will be touching on: using social media tools to stay informed about changes in the economy and to find resources to understand what they mean for you, social media budget tools, juggling the costs of maintaining a web presence in a down economy, online money tools, online loan info, making financial judgment calls online, and more.

Current panel includes myself as moderator. Chris Penn of Financial Aid Podcast may be joining us, schedule permitting. Slots available for more panelists.

Do you have a topic idea for a future episode? Let me know. I like for the episodes to touch on social media in some way, but as you can see by our recent forays into fashion and wine, the connection is allowed to be a bit loose. This is all about having some fun while getting valuable opinion and information, after all!

Panelists include Emilio Saez Van Eerd of La Casa De Las Vides winery in spain (hence the one-time time change interfering with your football watching – trust me, it is so worth it!), Dale Cruse of Drinks Are on Me wine blog, Craig Drollett of Bin Ends Wine sales and tasting and Michael Cochran of Cult Vines boutique direct to consumer winery. I’m excited to talk wine with all of you, so put those football games on DVR or TiVo and spend an hour with us, won’t you?

UPDATE: Here is the embedded audio from the podcast. I’ll have the links from the chat room up as well shortly, so check back!

Tonight’s podcast was a lot of fun, and incredibly educational. Those are my favorite kind of podcast – friends jawing it up over issues that intrigue them or interest them, with everyone walking away learning something. Panelists this evening included Scott Monty of Ford, Dmitri Gunn (man of mystery), Jamie Scheu from Hill Holliday and Thomas Edwards from Project Infinity. The chat room was lively and there was plenty of information being given and questions being asked.

The best parts of the podcast can only be found from listening to the podcast, and I highly recommend you do so. It’s only an hour long, and it is jam-packed with fashion advice and advice on fundamentals and culture and other interesting tidbits you need to navigate any social situation. You can listen to the embedded file above, listen on the TalkShoe page, or subscribe to it on iTunes.

I always try to come back and put an abridged version of the useful chat room tips and links here in the blog so that anyone who missed the live chat can see what was shared and what as asked. Here is your chat room sketch from tonight’s sartorial podcast (the very condensed version taken from 27 pages of chat transcript, focused mostly on links and tips):

At one point, after much banter in chat about ties, bow ties, getting your man to dress well, and other topics, Meg Fowler postulated: “If you want a man to dress well, take him out and tell him if he tries on eight things, you’ll buy him dinner. Then get him into eight things that will make him look gorgeous. When he SEES, and others compliment him, he’s more willing to try. But go with the style of guys he likes.”

After which Triston asked in chat: “To the women in the room, as one who enjoys being well-dressed and in fashion, is it really that hard to get guys to do?”

Anna (ShoeSmitten) replied: “It is! Here in Kansas…”
Christine (Cmajor) replied: “No – my husband wants to dress up nice. He just doesn’t know how to do it.”

Some back and forth ensued in the chat about places to shop on a budget. Some suggested places:

Ben Grossman, Thomas Edwards, Meg Fowler all mentioned H&M

Keven Doanes and Triston mentioned Express

Kevin Micalizzi, WayneNh and others mentioned Mens Wearhouse

Justin Herman, Scott Monty and Dmitri Gunn all mentioned JosABank

Triston added Banana Republic

As the discussion centered around fundamentals and building a wardrobe on the call, Justin Herman said “The tie is everything – a new tie makes an old suit look new”

Scott Monty and others discussed the idea of “disposble clothing” and why to avoid it in chat.

Anna (Shoe Smitten) points out that a pair of shoes can really make an outfit

Meg Fowler suggests you “Buy men’s magazines, get the basic ideas down. You can buy them other places”

Triston talks about knowing your own body type and dressing accordingly in chat.

Kevin Micalizzi and Triston discuss the importance of the lint roller.

More chat room debate about ties (keep in mind all of this chat room banter is occurring at the same time the podcast is going on)

Kevin Micalizzi offered up this link to settle the tie knotting debate from chat: http://www.tieknot.com/

Thomas Edwards offers this link from the podcast http://www.projectinfinity.me/style-old/2008/10/29/there-are-other-ways-to-tie-a-tie-you-know-what-im-talking-a.html

Scott Monty offers the link http://www.beautiesltd.com the follows it up with a bit of a poem:
For those who have lusted / to be honored and trusted / a bowtie, I say, never hurt /
For it isn’t your tie / Most people will eye / It’s the soupstain there on your shirt

Meg Fowler recommends this book http://www.amazon.com/Esquire-Rules-Guide-Books-Hearst/dp/1588166937/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231126470&sr=1-3

Scott monty links us to http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com and http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com

Triston asks “Are the fifties styled skinny ties and suits making their way back into more than just the casual-dressy realm…meaning the professional realm?” and it is answered in the audio podcast.

Anna (Shoe Smitten) posts http://iluwfashion.blogspot.com/ and http://manolomen.com/

Meg Fowler recommends, for wine, that you don’t order the names you know, as that’s where the markup happens

Ben Grossman offers up his love of http://www.benetton.com

Scott Monty replies “Not my style. I like http://www.bensilver.com”

Scott Monty says “For shirts, http://ctshirts.com and http://j-tshirts.com and http://www.MyTailor.com”

Anna recommends stopping by her blog for fashion tips also: blog: http://www.shoesmitten.com

Scott Monty linked to the Fashion vs. Style site: http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2008/08/fashion-vs-style.html

Scott Monty recommends this link about fathers vs. sons http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2008/12/basic-politeness.html

Thomas Edwards asks “What is Style? http://www.projectinfinity.me/style-old/2008/12/16/what-the-hell-is-style-anyway.html”

Scott Monty says “Gentlemen, make this the cornerstone of your reading: “My Father’s Fashion Tips,” by Tom Junod (GQ, December 1996) http://men.style.com/gq/features/la”

Scott also recommends http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_5711