Twitter Updates For Relocation & Conferences: What Have You Missed?

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in conference and/or relocation industry updates, here are some of my recent tweets (nearly all are not already on this blog) that might interest you:

Latest Cartus survey reveals new global relocation trends http://bit.ly/cr6c5v

WITI's Women and Technology Summit, San Jose, CA, 12-14 Sept 2010 http://bit.ly/clxECs

Brookfields' annual Global #Relocation Trends Survey released http://bit.ly/9YKJNL

Top 10 Global #Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them - Free Webinar http://bit.ly/d6EeDU

43rd Atlas® Corporate Relocation Survey results: Less people willing to relocate. More short-termers http://bit.ly/bMDzqK @Atlas_Van_Lines

Forum for Expatriate Management holding Global Mobility Summit & Awards Dinner, New York, 4 Oct 2010 www.bit.ly/c0xcT7

Forum for Expatriate Management holding Global Mobility Summit & Awards Dinner, London, 15 Nov 2010 http://bit.ly/92ypX2

The sold-out EuRA Conference in Palma this week has been postponed until April due to ash havoc http://bit.ly/aW7w8x

Some of the speakers lined up for the first Fearless #Woman Summit in Atlanta, June 16-17 http://bit.ly/aeupgX

School Choice appoints Global Mobility expert Timothy Dwyer as new COO http://bit.ly/crhoj9 Read our i/v with CEO Liz http://bit.ly/aeaHPX

Did you go to the FIGT Conference in March? If yes, you might yourself in @crossingculture 's photos http://bit.ly/ch0cmZ

Mark your calendar: Next FIGT conference: Mar 17-19, 2011, Washington, DC. Subscribe for updates http://www.figt.org RT @crossingculture

Effective Parenting Conference Dubai 24 April Our friend Becky Grappo speaking: 'How To Get Kids To Think About T'row' http://bit.ly/ab8AfH

PwC's 'Talent mobility 2020: The Next Generation of International Assignments' expects 50% more expats http://bit.ly/aBDZEY RT @expatsguide

Info evening Paris (18 May) http://bit.ly/bB8MHh about Women's International Networking (W.I.N.) conference (6-9 Oct) Paris

Please click here if you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter.  Thanks.  Andrea. :-)

Twitter Updates For Writers: What Have You Missed?

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in 'all things writing' but you are not following me on Twitter, here are some writers' tidbits (not mentioned already in this blog) that I have tweeted recently, that you might enjoy...

Are you a mother and a writer? 6 writing opportunities for you http://bit.ly/cAE7jN Thanks to @HOHWWriter

12 steps to your Amazon bestseller - Tips from Stephanie Hale on @JoParfitt's blog http://bit.ly/cVdb4U

Opportunity for writers age 18-34 to be a Glimpse Correspondent for National Geographic http://bit.ly/aaDjiH via @WriterAbroad

London Book Fair went ahead, but attendance down 20%, numerous exhibitor stands empty & Tony Blair event cancelled http://bit.ly/csxF5e

Book Expo America (BEA) coming up next month! May 25 - 27 New York Headlined by Barbra Streisand http://bit.ly/a155b4

2010 Expat & Work Abroad Writing Contest Winners http://bit.ly/bMuwM6 Special congrats: Expat Women member Wendy Hollands (runner-up)!

Want to sell your books? Best 5 tips from book promo seminar in London last weekend thanks to @JoParfitt http://bit.ly/aozFzh (scroll down)

Writing and/or just about to publish a book? Read Anna M.Clark's experience on literary agent blog @rachellegardner http://bit.ly/cMH6hu

Excellent interview with expat author of Career In Your Suitcase @joparfitt about publishing and marketing your books http://bit.ly/bRuBl

Huffington Post List of 50 best book people on Twitter! RT @Thandelike @riverheadbooks http://ow.ly/1wvmV

Writers’ workshops around the world http://bit.ly/ddBcyp RT @Thandelike

How to judge, and sell, a book by its cover http://bit.ly/8YAGGA RT @JoParfitt

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, please click here. Thanks, Andrea.

Twitter Updates: What Have You Missed?

Hi Everyone, Here are some of the tidbits (not mentioned in this blog) that I have tweeted about recently, that might be of interest:

Fabulous list of Social Media events coming up! (Multiple countries) Thanks @mashable http://bit.ly/a1vgrT

Gilman Scholarships deadline 6 April! For US undergrad students planning to study abroad http://ow.ly/1uKlU
RT @goinglobal @ConnectStateGov

The 14th annual WebAwards are now open. Awards given in 96 industry categories. Entries close May 25.
http://www.webaward.org/

Hats off to @talentdiva for switching directions at 40. Already her radio show has 5000 listeners and her mag due soon!
http://bit.ly/dCNaDM

1 in 10 British pensioners are #expats? Maybe more?
http://bit.ly/c6fDzo

Travelling in the U.S.? Find wireless options for U.S. airports
http://ow.ly/1uOPA
RT @goinglobal

Loved this cartoon about Twitter on Social Media Examiner
http://bit.ly/9kqT8v

10 Social Media Metrics Your Company Should Monitor
http://bit.ly/aQU6Id
via @addthis

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, please click here. Thanks, Andrea.

What Have I Learnt About Twitter In Just One Month?

Hi Everyone, For those of you still sitting on the fence about Twitter, I thought I would share a little about what I have learnt so far...

1. It's Super Easy

Once you have your account, and you take a minute to learn how to shorten URLs/website addresses (try TinyURL or bit.ly), it is incredibly easy to type a 140-character message and tell the world your latest discovery.

2. It's Great For Keeping Up

Given that the messages are so short, it is very easy to keep up with what your friends are saying, or what others in your industry or interest groups are saying, just by following those people that might have 'news' for you.

Then every time you scan the 'news' from people who you follow, from their tweets which come to your Twitter account, you can retweet anything newsworthy in just a few seconds. It's brilliant: you can boost your own reputation for being 'in the know' and sharing valuable information just by retweeting. I pinch myself at how easy it is to do that.

3. It's Personal

Much to my surprise, Twitter can actually be quite personal. Instead of seeing just an email address on your blog subscription list, you get to not only see a photo (usually) of the person following you, but you can also click immediately on their profile to read their tweets, send a message to them, see who is following them and even follow them if you choose to (so they can message you directly and/or so you can just keep up with their tweets in the future). Again, you are learning who else is 'out there' and it's only taking you a few minutes.

Expat Michelle Fabio @michellefabio concurs:

"Twitter has deepened my relationships that previously had been conducted only through blog comments. Twitter really gives you an opportunity to nurture relationships built throughout the Internet and also find new ones based on similar interests. Plus it's so much fun!"

4. It's Fun

Twitter is much more fun than I expected. As soon as you learn something, you can share it within a minute or two. Once you are following friends or peers that do the same, there are lots of interesting 'learnings' being shared in 140 characters or less. It's fabulous.

Expat Jennifer @louloufrance wrote to me:

"[Twitter is] an excellent way of exchanging information about the subjects I'm interested in (cooking, cheese, France, wine, travel) as well as keeping up to date on news stories.... I love it!"

"A friend of mine started with Twitter and was about to give up on it [but] asked me for my thoughts on the media and after telling her how I used it to glean information she ended up finding a whole group of people in her field (TESL) and now says that it has renewed her interest in her career and has introduced her to new avenues that she would never discovered without Twitter."

5. It Saves You Time

Sure, you need to put aside time to read and write tweets. But, we are only talking about 140-character tweets. Super small. Super easy to scan, read and write, compared to researching all of those people's blogs/newsletters/websites that you would like to keep up with and then deciding if anything they say is 'newsworthy'.

Again, the more people you follow, the more 'news' that will come direct to your Twitter inbox, rather than you searching for it - saving your precious time and energy.

6. It Can Slow Your Blogging

On the negative side... unfortunately, I am finding that it is just so quick to tweet information out to the world, that that's where I am typing my/our news first. Then, if I don't have time to explain it all via a blog post when I tweet it, the blog post (usually, but not always) follows, but maybe the next day or the next week even. For everyone subscribed to this blog, I apologise and promise to try harder in that respect, so that I am not too far behind on the blog, compared to Twitter (smile).

On the positive side... in the past, if I had not had time to blog I simply would not share anything that I had learned until I did have time to blog. At least now, me and others like me, can share on Twitter straight away. So that has to be a good thing, right?

My Prediction: I predict that because of the ease of Twittering, blog owners who twitter will slow down with less regular blog posts. Whilst blog news might then fall a few days behind, for many of us who subscribe to various blog and newsletter feeds, perhaps a few less (but more consolidated) blog updates might not necessarily be a bad thing, as blog owners might focus their blog posts on truly valuable topics and post anything less newsworthy in just a 140-character Twitter update. Then anyone wanting news when it's super-hot and fresh, can read it on Twitter in the interim.

Maybe it's much like the tortoise and the hare... they'll both get to the finish line in the end, it just depends who wants to get there faster. ;-)

Andrea

Follow me on Twitter @andreaexpat

Expat Women February 2010 Home Page

Hi Everyone, Please take a look at our new Expat Women February home page, featuring a famous expat TV Star/Producer, a Nairobi bomb survivor and more...

Success Story
Debbie Travis
Television Star, Producer and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
Once upon a time, Brit Debbie Travis modeled with celebrity supermodel Gail Elliott. Today, long-term expat Debbie Travis is a household name in Canada, famous for producing and hosting three successful lifestyle television series (Debbie Travis' Facelift, Debbie Travis' Painted House and From The Ground Up with Debbie Travis) that now show worldwide. Debbie has also written nine books, she writes a syndicated newspaper column and she executive produces a variety of other television shows on real estate, cooking, renovations and more. She owns two television production companies and a self-named branding studio that produces a line of over 1,500 products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire, the biggest retailer in Canada...
Read more…

Business Idea
The French Paper
Nicola Wade
Five years ago Nicki and her family left London for rural France. A self-confessed magazine addict, Nicki now runs a publishing company in France with a glossy regional lifestyle magazine and a monthly English-language newspaper, with a combined readership of 45,000+...
Read more…

New Memoir
The Unofficial Diplomat
Joanne Grady Huskey
From being inside the US Embassy with her children in Nairobi when it was bombed, to being on the ground in Beijing during the sad events at Tiananmen Square in 1989, to acting in Bollywood, to co-founding a relocation company and an international school in India... Joanne has seemingly done it all...
Read more…

Expat Confession
Homesick New Mother Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
I am a trailing spouse and mother of one, who has been living in Japan for seven months. When I first arrived, I loved the thrill of it all. But now I hate Japan. I miss my mum for the emotional support and I wish she could help more with my son...
Read more…

Tweet, Tweet
How Twitter Can Rock Your Business
Stephanie Ward
Marketing Coach Stephanie Ward, an American expat in The Netherlands, shares with us ten reasons (and three testimonials) why you should be using Twitter as a new marketing strategy to boost your business profile and profits, wherever you live in the world...
Read more…

Learning A Language
Top 6 Fun Ways To Learn A Foreign Language: Using Music, Radio, TV and Movies
Susanna Zaraysky
Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you have not heard in years and you surprise yourself by singing all the lyrics? Music and catchy jingles can stick in our minds for years, while verb conjugation charts and memorized data disappear. So if you are trying to learn a new language, put down the verb conjugation charts for now and turn on your radio!
Read more...

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are reading this blog post online or you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters.

To receive our newsletter this week and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com, and receive your free e-book of our Winning Stories!

Thanks
Thanks Everyone for your support and enjoy your first day of February! Andrea

Writing, Editing & Start-Up Opportunities

Hi Everyone, In case you are not following me yet on Twitter, here are a couple of opportunities I tweeted about this week that might interest you:

1. She Writes is looking for a Chief Operating Officer

“The Company is seeking a founding business partner and Chief Operating Officer to further develop and refine the business side of She Reads/She Writes. Specific expertise should be in developing and growing revenue streams highly valuable to this target market, including:

• Connecting publishing experts with authors through She Writes Services
• Offering classes through the She Writes Studio
• Classifieds for monetizing business transactions on the site
• Strategic partnerships
• Curation and publishing of original content
• Book club services

The partner will be responsible for She Reads/She Writes financial planning and analysis, day-to-day operations, fundraising and business development. Compensation will include base salary, bonus potential and equity participation and will be sufficient to attract an outstanding candidate.”

2. BellaOnline is looking for Editors

No pay, but perhaps a great opportunity to build your profile and portfolio of experience.

“Our editors have both knowledge and passion about a subject. Our editors are a diverse network of women and men, from all age groups, all lifestyles, all races, colors, and creeds. Our mission is to represent and speak to women from all over the world and from all walks of life.

Most content sites require their writers to be well known professional writers who already have every skill necessary. BellaOnline is a training system. We have the focus of bringing in women who dream about writing and providing the training, the instructors and the support to help them achieve their goals.”

Follow me on Twitter and find out what I find out, when I find it out. Andrea :-)

10 Twitter Tips For Your Brand

Hi Everyone, Being newly-interested in Twitter, I found this Unstrapp'd article very worthwhile: 10 Overlooked Twitter Tweaks That Can Mean Big Things For Your Brand. Maybe you might too.

Here's a quick overview of their tips:

1. Name, Please!;
2. Be Cautious With Automatic Tweets;
3. Profile Picture;
4. Get Listed on Twitter Lists;
5. Write a Catchy Bio;
6. It’s In Your Backyard;
7. Don’t Link to Sales Pages;
8. Remove the “www.”;
9. Share Photos;
10. Brand Your Background; and

...Bonus Tip: Don’t Protect Your Tweets!

But the detail (and the whole Unstrapp'd website, actually) is much more interesting.

Tweet, Tweet...

Hi Everyone, Just a quick note to let you know that I have finally been convinced to join Twitter, so that I can try to share links to interesting news/articles/sites as soon as I find them. If you would like to follow me (and I promise not to over-tweet), please follow @andreaexpat.

Warmest thanks and best wishes for your day/evening, Andrea. :-)

Confused About Social Media, Blogs, Wikis, RSS, Podcasts, Twitter And More?

If you politely smile when these topics are mentioned, but are secretly confused about what they really mean and how they might apply to you, try visiting the CommonCraft Show. This online source of quick, user-friendly video explanations "in plain English" is excellent. Bravo CommonCraft.

Thanks go to Martina, an expat woman in Europe, for reminding us about CommonCraft.