Name Michelle A.K.A. @MissSarcastic
Location New York
Web YouTube Channel
Bio My vlogging Twitter account, where I lay the sarcasm on thick and nothing is professional.

I have followed Michelle for a while and find her to be entertaining, smart and real. Her above bio makes her fun, the bio below makes her interesting. Bio I have a thing for social media and tech, and a bad beta user habit. I’m part of BrewPR and a NYU Adjunct Professor teaching social media. As soon as I started to mention Michelle’s name around some of my friends I realized how many friends we had in common and they all speak very highly of her!
I believe she may even stop by the hotel today… sure would be nice to cross one off the list before the day even ends.

Name Seth Godin
Bio Seth has written twelve books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.

American Way Magazine calls him, “America’s Greatest Marketer,” and his blog is perhaps the most popular in the world written by a single individual. His latest book, LINCHPIN, hit the Amazon top 10 on the first day it was published and became a New York Times bestseller.
As an entrepreneur, he has founded dozens of companies, most of which failed. Yoyodyne, his first internet company, was funded by Flatiron and Softbank and acquired by Yahoo! in 1998. It pioneered the use of ethical direct mail online, something Seth calls Permission Marketing. He was VP of Direct Marketing at Yahoo! for a year.

When I think of Seth Godin my thoughts are this; When people say “think outside the box” I imagine Seth asking “what box.” Innovative thinker, inspiring writer and breaker of conformity. Seth’s views on education, the workplace and challenging the ‘norm’ make him a hero to me and someone I think we should all follow. Meeting Seth would complete the circle of books, blog posts and real person.

Name AJ Bombers A.K.A. @AJBombers
Location Milwaukee, WI
Web http://ajbombers.com
Bio Milwaukee’s best new hamburger joint, smoke free and loads of p-nut bombs. Where everybody knows your name. Well, at least your twitter name.

There is not a lot to say… why would I not want to recommend a place that has “gi-normous’” orders of fries and has replied to every tweet I have ever included them in?
I can’t think of a better use of social media from a restaurant… nothing even comes close. I want to meet everyone that works there – in many ways I feel as though I already have!

These are my #followfriday picks for this week. I already follow them all in one way or another and I believe you should as well… If you have ever met any of these people please let me know what you thought (or warn me, especially about those burger people from Milwaukee)
Happy Friday all ~ Enjoy the weekend!

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Yamile Diaz:

Yamile is the face, heart and soul of Lily’s restaurant here at the Roger Smith Hotel. He takes customer service seriously and it shows. He speaks multiple languages ( great for our visitors from overseas ), he is willing to do whatever it takes to make a guest happy and most of all he cares. If you have the stomach to handle one of the most energized people you could meet please stop by and say hello to Yamile…Or you can find him on Twitter as @RSYamilio

John Knowles:

John is the President and CEO of Panman Production and has produced numerous films, live broadcasts and content for the Roger Smith Hotel.Most recently John and his team produced a series of six short films called “The Roger Smith Shorts” which were screened last night at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. His creative juices and passion for new innovative ways of sharing visual arts on and off line have taught me about a whole new way of creating and sharing stories.
John can easily be found -> On Twitter @PanmanProd @Pancity or see his YouTube channel Roger Smith News.

Melissa Rodriguez:

Melissa is one of our friendliest bartenders, although she is so much more. Aside from entertaining, serving and being a creative mixologist, Melissa is in culinary school and has started a food blog FoodVixenNYC. Melissa is a text book example of what it means to be a Roger Smith employee.
Many of you know Melissa in real life… until now you may not have known how to find her when not sitting at her bar…now you can
On twitter @FoodVixenNYC

Have a great weekend and enjoy the World Cup!
GO USA!

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Have you ever taken a road trip? Not a day trip. What I am talking about is a multi-day excursion encompassing different states, cultures and obstacles along the way. If you do this alone it can be fun, do it with a group of people and it becomes life changing.  In March I was lucky to be a part of an initiative by Chevy in which eight groups from around the country were given the opportunity to drive to SXSW in Austin, TX. There were five of us: Me, two people I knew well, one I had just met and lastly one I didn’t meet until the morning of our departure.  Three of these people live in NYC and they are my Follow Friday focus this week.  Khayyam Wakil, one of the five will appear in a future post… for now he gets this brief cameo (luv ya buddy)

When you are in a car for four days with people the trials and tribulations can either make you want to kill them, hug them, laugh with them, cry with them and in this case all of the above
Most importantly you get to ‘live’ with them. Not as acquaintances, not as someone you nod to at a cocktail party – you get to experience their idiosyncrasies – what really makes them click.
I was honored to travel with this group, they added value to my life and have the innate ability to be genuine, outspoken and stand behind their values. For this I applaud them, embrace them as friends and strongly encourage you to do the same.

Sarah Simmons:  Hands-down the Matriarch of the Chevy Tahoe. The voice of reason, organizer of insanity and most of all – just one of the most wonderful people to have a conversation with.

Nick McGlynn: Opposite of Sarah – Creator of insanity, A.D.D. overload master and photographer extraordinaire. Nick also possessed a skill none of us could match… he, for some reason, was the ONLY person that could consistently communicate with the On-Star ‘voice’. Thank you N-I-C-K !.

Jessica Randazza: PR and networking genius. Jessica kept us laughing, kept us calm and most of all was the ‘smile’ of the group. Willing to do anything for the cause-  dressing in tinfoil, arm-wrestling a diner cook and getting a Chevy tattoo (in Sharpie). Most of all a loyal friend.

As we head into this long holiday weekend remember this:
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.  I strongly believe the three people I featured this week give there all every day and I am lucky to call them friends.

Have a Safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.

B

Sarah Simmons:

Sarah is Food and Wine magazine’s Home Cook Superstar.  Sarah spends her days crafting new recipes and making instructional cooking videos in the hopes of helping others to become superstars in their own kitchens.
Tell her what you want to make!

Twitter: @SarahmcSimmons
Blog: homecooksuperstar

Nick McGlynn:

Nick currently does freelance event photography for various companies including his own site Random Night Out. Most recent full time job was at Gawker Media where Nick worked in their video department editing clips and managing interns. He also throw a monthly media event called Obliterati.

Twitter: @NMcglynn
Blog: nickmcglynn.com

Jessica Randazza:

A public relations and social media strategist for a global public relations agency with an extensive focus on nonprofit and consumer and currently resides in New York City.Its Jessica’s mission and desire to stay engaged in emerging technologies that enhance the way that consumers and individuals connect online. Which means she spends a lot of time on her iPhone — in fact she never puts it down.
She’s also is co-founder of ColdPavement, an exercise in meeting and talking with people you may or may not know in the communications field.
A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, vegetarian cook  extraordinaire, shoe enthusiast, struggling seamstress and yogini.

Twitter: @JessicaRandazza
Blog: jessicarandazza .com

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Week two of #followfriday or #FF is very special. You shouldn’t just follow Sarah because of her amazing work in the entrepreneurial world, Phil for his intuitive instincts and passion for location based utilities or Jason because he can connect you with anyone you may ‘need’ to know. You should follow these three because they have the natural ability to enrich your life, not your career, your life. As I sit on the Bolt Bus cruising up to Boston I am reminded that I moved to NYC two years ago and the friends I have made since are friends for life. Sarah, Jason and Phil are three of those people.

These are three people worth the ‘follow’.

Happy Friday and Enjoy your weekend!

Sarah Prevette a.k.a. Canada

Bio:

Entrepreneur. Startup afficionado. Founder of Sprouter

Company: http://sprouter.com/sarah

Website: http://sprouter.com/
Twitter: @Sarahprevette

Phil Di Giulio - PegShot

Bio : NY based entrepreneur interested in the influence of digital media on local economies. Co-founded @pegshot @wellcomemat Organize @futureoflocal
Companies:
http://realestatevideo.wellcomemat.com/
http://pegshot.com/

Twitter: @Holaphil @pegshot

Jason Keath - Social Fresh

Bio Where we’re going, we don’t need roads… [Founder of @SoFresh]

Company: http://socialfresh.com

Social Fresh is a social media event and community company based out of Charlotte, NC. Social Fresh flagship events are one day conferences targeted for marketers, focused on case studies, and currently being offered across the country in under-served cities.
Twitter: @JakRose @SoFresh

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“You should name the bar after Henry…he’s pretty much the cutest thing in the world and I think you should appreciate him a bit more around there.”

Our Fearless leader on 'his' terrace @RSHotel

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Happy ‘Follow’ Friday !

Elizabeth King:

Elizabeth is the author of “OUTSMARTING the SAT” (Ten Speed, 2008) and President of Elizabeth King Coaching, Inc., a test preparation company based in New York City. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Cultural Economics and is the recipient of a Mount Holyoke College Class of 1905 Alumnae Fellowship and a Mount Holyoke College Bardwell Fellowship.

Blog: StayOutOfSchool.com

StayOutOfSchool.com investigates why one of the greatest, albeit hard-headed, creative thinkers of our time advises young, creative college graduates to stay out of graduate school. The exploration will reach further, though, into how institutional education at all levels, creativity, individuality, and the fruit of “the school of life” have long been at war. Ultimately, Stay Out Of School aims to critically assess those issues most relevant to the 21st century thinker and innovator and recommend ways to bring those issues to light inside the classroom and ingratiate them into American culture.

Twitter: @ElizabethOnline

Adam Hirsch:

Chief Operations Officer of Mashable - The #1 Social Media News Site Co-Founder of My Social Dog – The first social network to connect local dog owners in real-time

Adam Hirsch is the COO, responsible for event planning (MashMeets, Open Web Awards, Conferences, etc), partnership and sponsorship opportunities, marketing, client relations and of course, Pete’s “2nd in Command.” Always on the hunt for a partnership or opportunity to improve Mashable.  Adam is a New York City native and a graduate of Cornell University.

Blog: Mashable.com

Founded in July 2005, Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. With more than 15 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the most prolific blog reviewing new Web sites and services, publishing breaking news on what’s new on the web and offering social media resources and guides. Mashable’s audience includes early adopters, social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, brands and corporations, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists. Mashable is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users — an increasingly influential demographic.

Twitter: @AdamHirsch

Steve Etzler:

Business Development Institute (BDI), founded in 2001 in New York City by Steve Etzler and managed by Maria Feola, is a leading conference and webinar producer for communicators.  Our programs educate while providing valuable networking opportunities to our attendees.  Over 8,000 leaders have attended our programs on the latest trends, issues and opportunities that impact communicators.  The quality of our speakers, program topics, format, network, and value are what differentiates BDI from its competitors.

Blog: BDIOnLine.com

On January 13, 2010, Business Development Institute and PR Newswire hosted the first event of 2010: Social Integration – Harmonizing Social Channels into the Marketing, Communications, & Service Platform.  Over 250 people attended the case studies and two interactive roundtable sessions. BlogTalkRadio has provided an audio cast of the case studies with presentations from HP, NHL, PepsiCo, Harvard Business School, Michelin North America, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, and Sprint Nextel . To access the audio cast, please visit www.bdionline.com/socialintegrationrecording.html.

Twitter:@bdionline

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I would not have had the courage to leave my career and fight for something bigger, more important. The friends that I have made combined with the joy and love I have experienced in the last eighteen months have made me realize this is living. Its about actually getting the most out of life with no excuses. Life is filled with mistakes, heartache and pain – no matter how optimistic you are. Surviving cancer has made me  (and this will be a fun over use of overused words) a guru-maven-expert-cowboy-ninja-coach-superuser-connoisseur and master sage of finding the good in everything.
Its there, we are all good people.

The video in this post is a shortened version of my talk at SXSW with my friend Drew Olanoff. Without cancer mine or his, we are not friends. I BlameDrewsCancer for creating our friendship…see, even cancer has a good side. Thank you to all that attended our talk & to all of you that have supported and encouraged me.

Special thanks to Hugh Forrest and SXSW for the amazing opportunity to share our stories and a forum to hear the stories of others.
To @DannyGoulash & @Adwal for editing the video and The Team of The Roger Smith Hotel for the time and support to do it all!

LiveStrong

Bsimi

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“Hey Brian – you’re up” said Steve, a local businessman and member of the volunteer fire department with my dad. I replied “well kinda, I’m eating cookie dough – is there something wrong?” Steve pauses… “it’s about your dad” he mumbles.
You see, I hadn’t talked to my dad in a few years. I would like to say it was because of busy schedules or the long distance between us… I would like to say it was a cliche. The truth is we lived about a mile and a half apart and my dad was retired with a lot of free time. We hadn’t talked because that’s what stubborn people do, we don’t budge – we don’t cave – we never give in. It didn’t make me sad (not on the outside), I was trained by the best… taught not to cry – emotions were not allowed – tears a sign of weakness.
“What’s happened to him now,” I asked, half thinking it was a joke. My dad was always up for a good prank and at times was just a prick. “He has- suffered – a massive- heart attack” were the words Steve forced out between deep breaths. I still didn’t believe him and I have to admit, at the time, I didn’t care. I arose from the trunk and started looking out the window as I asked “So how is he?” sadly still expecting it to be a joke. I was half asleep yet well aware of the date. “We were not able to save him… we have lost your dad…we have lost Henry” I sat back down and replied “So my dad is dead? Does my mom know?”
“Your mom is at the hospital- it was in his sleep – she tried – she did her best,” were the last words Steve said to me. I thanked him for calling, hung up and ate the rest of my snack. I brought my empty glass to the sink, threw away the plastic wrap, returned the phone to its base and then went back to sleep.
When I woke up a few hours later I turned to my wife and said “I think my dad died this morning…” I remember her thinking I was April Fooling her. I sat up and called my mom. When she answered she couldn’t speak, she was sobbing, as soon as I said “Mom it’s me” she lost it. I knew right away this was not joke. There would be no punchline, no clever twist.
My dad died at the age of 53 and I never got to say “Goodbye.” For years I blamed him, me, him, me, him…until a couple years ago I came to the realization that it isn’t about blame, it’s about life being too short. All our lives people piss us off, screw us over, say bad things… if we all keep subscribing to the principles of blame none of us will ever get to say goodbye.
I know today is April Fool’s Day – Please enjoy it and may the gods of a great prank shine down on you and your plots. Also remember this- at the end of the day all we really have is each other. Surprise someone today, not with a joke, surprise them with a friendly call or email… surprise them by being kind.

Writing this something very important has occurred to me: it actually isn’t about saying goodbye, it’s about having the courage to say hello.

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Here is the tweet sent out by Roger A.K.A. @yaysarcasm to @SuzanneVara Owner of Kherize5 Advertising & Social Media Agency and my response:

Roger quickly responded with a tweet leading me closer to the truth:

I instantly looked up “Heavier Than Heaven” on-line continuing to track down the truth behind Roger’s tweet… its not that I didn’t believe you Roger but afterall it is twitter…right?!

Here is what I found next:

page 205 Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain By Charles R. Cross

I have walked into work today feeling a little bit different. Call me corny but in a Hotel that has built a reputation on story telling and people this to me is a damn good one. Kurt Cobain, Nirvana… fan or not you have to admit the history and nostalgia behind this discovery is a story to be repeated and shared.

I end by thanking Roger @YaySarcasm and @SuzannaVara for having a social conversation and sharing your insights with us here @RSHotel ! I will always remember this… its just cool.

R.I.P.

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OUR ROGER SMITH FAMILY

We were honored to be a part of The Shorty Awards and be listed in the Customer Service Category alongside:

thinkgeek

Team McLaren

Shani Sammons

Mike Johansson

and of course, and big congrats to, Winner  ComcastBonnie

Thank you again to all that have supported us and make our jobs here at RSH more fun because we are surrounded by greatness everyday!

See you next year… with a lead image photo from behind the podium

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