What started as a regular day turned into a pretty adventure-packed one. I left in the morning to go about my usual business, stopped at Refresh Fort Lauderdale in the evening and then headed to the movies to catch the midnight screening of Iron Man 2. With all the tweeting, texting and checking in, my phone was down to one bar of battery so I turned it off in case I needed it for an emergency.

We got out of the movies around 2:30 a.m. to deal with a stressful situation: We locked the keys in the car and the lights were on. Luckily we had two cars. We took the available car and hit the road en route to pick up the spare key. Finally, with spare key in hand, we got to the car to find that the battery was dead. We then headed to my house to pick up my jumper cables and was greeted by my frantic mother. It was 4:30 a.m. and I forgot to text her to let her know I was alive and what’s worst, I had turned my phone off to conserve its battery. She had called me hundreds of times and even called to wake up my brother to see if he knew about my whereabouts. Knowing that I’m incredibly transparent in everything I do, she decided to check my Facebook page and voila!

She finally calmed down after seeing that I checked in to the movie theater at midnight to catch the movie.

This was a whole long story only to say that FourSquare saved her a call to the police, hospital, morgue and any other horrifying place a mother thinks of calling when their child isn’t responsive.

Then, I got to thinking: With so many news stories on how the police catch suspected crooks via Facebook and Twitter, FourSquare could be used as a great tool to start tracking people who have disappeared, for example.

Worst case scenario: I went missing that night. My mother or even investigators will know where I was at what time of the day (assuming my check ins are honest – which in my case, they are) and even know who was with me. People who checked in to that location with me can probably answer some questions that can help find me.

I’m very picky about who I allow to follow me on FourSquare because in reality, there are some crazy people out there and I don’t want them knowing my every move, but I rest a little better now knowing that my checking in could possibly save me if I were faced with my worst case scenario, which I hope I never have to test.

My mother also got a lesson on how FourSquare works just in case she ever needs to know where I am.

I sent in all my paper work and a huge check (almost $700!!) on January 24 and it’s now April 8, a little less than week away from being interviewed – one of the last steps to being fully transitioned. It seems like a long time between January and April, but believe me when I say it all went by really quick. Everything happened in two-week increments – this includes letters, updates and appointments.

So here I am, studying from a booklet I was given titled “Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the New Naturalization Test” and I’m a little nervous because to my disbelief, I tried to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and I forgot it! Therefore, I MUST study.

I’m a firm believer in repetition and redundancy being a great tool to remember facts. What better way to repeat and remember my study questions than to tweet them and have my network answer them? Not only do I write the questions and answers, but I also see the answer pop up as my friends tweet them.

You might be surprised at how much you forgot from all those Civics classes and exams we took in school. Think you remember it all? Follow me on Twitter and test yourself! I’ll be periodically tweeting questions from today until Monday – Tuesday morning is my exam.

I bet whoever created this exam never thought we’d be using Social Media to study for it!

The event was, essentially, WorstPizza.com taking their famous Pizza TweetUps to the next level by teaming up with a local Chevy dealership. 20 people were selected to ride in five brand new Chevy’s to various pizza restaurants, eat pizza, drive the cars and critique both.

We all met up at Maroone Chevrolet to get our t-shirts, sign some waivers and dig through our Chevy Pizza Crawl Survival Kits, fully equipped with pizza cutters, floss, hand sanitizer, tissues, whoopee cushions, a compass, breath mints, gum, whistles and much more fun stuff!

Rachel (@PRDivaRach)

We then went outside to meet our escorts for the day: a Tahoe, a Malibu, an Equinox, a Corvette (convertible) and a Camaro.

Jarret, Alina, Leah and I piled into the Camaro and immediately named her Roxy. That car is just as sexy on the inside as it is on the outside. We had to test the OnStar feature on every car so we called OnStar, asked the operator for directions to our destination and the car was suddenly speaking to us, telling us where to go.

Jarret (@Jarret23) and Alina (@TheAlina)

Jarret showed off his driving skills as he quickly got us on the highway – naturally, everyone driving wanted to test the cars’ potential once we were on I-95. Here’s a tip: while the Camaro is an amazing car, even from the the backseat, tweeting, taking pictures and video taping everyone’s reactions can get a little nauseating. I had to put all the electronic devices down and breath for a little bit or I’d be the first person to throw up… even before eating all the pizza! Regardless of that little set back, I’m in love with the car.

We got to our first destination, Zuccarelli’s Italian Kitchen, where the pizza was ok. It good enough to gobble up, but not enough to ask for seconds. It had a thin crust and was crunchy – not my type, but still tasty.

Next adventure: I was up to drive the Equinox! Jarret, Stephanie, Alina and Angie came along with me.

Me (@AgustinaP)

I called OnStar to get directions and the operator told me that my car wasn’t equipped with their directions feature. I felt left out in the cold and driving blind! She asked if I wanted to upgrade to that feature for $9.95… uh, no thanks, but at least now I know that the feature is cheap! I had no choice but to follow the Camaro. Bad move. I floored that little sporty-looking SUV and still couldn’t keep up. Even Stephanie asked if I was flooring it. I think I made it up to 60 MPH – way too slow for my liking.

A really cool feature about the car though: when I put the car in reverse and looked in the rear view mirror, not only was I glancing behind me, but at a little video camera that turned on to show me what I was backing in to. I was torn! Do I believe my eyes in the mirror that said I was about to hit the car behind me, or the camera that showed I still had about two feet of space?!

We arrived at our second destination, Palm Springs Pizza & Restaurant, where everyone gave the pizza a thumbs down. I didn’t mind it because it took me back to my childhood – I thought it tasted the same as Chuck E Cheese pizza. My only flaw with it is that I can’t stand when pizza is cut into squares and not slices.

Stephanie (@MidTownChica) and Angie (@AngieDi)

I called shotgun for the Malibu and had to listen to Alisha grill me for convincing her to drive that car when she wanted to drive the Corvette – oops Jarret, Angie and Joel came along for the slow, but fun ride. Alisha took advantage of an unhappy situation and asked the OnStar operator for some “rolls of hundreds.”

Alisha (@AlishaVera)

We drove, slowly, very slowly, to our third destination, Dom & Louie’s Pizza where the pizza was finger-licking good, but a little too hot. Their Godfather Pizza is huge!

Mike (@MikeLaMonica)

Filled to rim with pizza, I went back into the Camaro. Mike drove with Dori co-piloting and Angie and I held on for dear life in the back seat as Mike decided to race Johnny in his Equinox down I-95. I wonder what other drivers might have been thinking to see those two, oddly-paired cars race each other. I was in dire need of a barf bag and highly recommend Chevy to include one in their Survival Kit for the next time. While I managed to hold my food down, I decided to not eat anymore pizza for the day.

Johnny (@JohnnyBond86) and Willie (@MoreWillie)

I had to go back on my word as soon as we got to our fourth stop, Augy’s Italian Restaurant & Pizza. Their pizza was super doughy and loaded with cheese! I took one bite just to satisfy my taste buds and called it quits, but wow, was that one bite the best I had all day!

Michael (@TheWaffle), Joel (@JoelKodner), Seth (@BocaToyStore) and Robert (@Krow272)

I then jumped into the super sexy Corvette with Alina and zoomed towards our final stop. Our zooming was quickly slowed down when we realized that OnStar took us in the wrong direction and we had no idea how to get to where everyone else was. It was also impossible to hear OnStar’s directions while having the convertible top down.

Alina (@TheAlina)

Eventually, we made it to Tucci’s Fire N Coal where all I ingested was water.

We all survived the Chevy Pizza Crawl and were kicking back with some beer, water, a few more slices of pizza and recaps of the day.

Craig then gave out prizes for the day: Joel won funniest tweet, I won for honesty, Jarret won for funniest picture, Willie won the raffle and Johnny won for craziest driver.

Angie (@AngieDi), Joel (@JoelKodner), Craig (@Lapp), Stephanie (@MidTownChica), Me (@AgustinaP), Jarret (@Jarret23), Willie (@MoreWillie) and Johnny (JohnnyBond23)

It was a fun-filled day with friends, pizza and cars. What better way is there to spend your Saturday?

My review of the cars:

I didn’t go in the Tahoe because I’m just not SUV person and didn’t care to test it out.

The Malibu and Equinox are clearly family cars. Their inability to go over 60 MPH also makes me believe they’re perfect for a first time teenage driver and if my kids are anything like me as drivers, they’re definitely getting a Malibu or Equinox.

The Corvette is nice, but I don’t like two-seated cars or cars with long noses.

The Camaro is hands-down my favorite car. My VW lease is up in two months and I plan on checking out the Camaro soon

Thank you Chevy and Worst Pizza for a great day and experience!

As friends, we tend to listen to each other and support one another in times of need. Some of those needy times are when we’re stressed and need to vent. What if the venting is work-related? How would hearing so much negativity from someone on the “inside” affect our perception of their employer?

A company’s biggest asset is their employees.

After reading each comment from last weeks’ post, I tried to imagine the opposite effect:

“Employees are arguably the BEST brand ambassadors for any company,” wrote Cristina Sotolongo. Imagine if these brand ambassadors are unhappy and complaining about their boss, the company and the way things are run.

“This goes back to the need for ‘authenticity,’” wrote Brian Breslin. Being that our brand ambassadors are our friends, we’ll believe them and more than likely take their side and look down on the company that makes them so unhappy.

“Even if we aren’t altogether familiar with a company or how it works, I think we have a tendency to give it a chance if people we trust are working in its behalf,” wrote Eileen Spiegler. Again, if the people we trust aren’t happy, we’ll more than likely put the blame on the company.

“Thanks for wanting a front row seat to our new ventures!” wrote Mallory Colliflower. If our friends are happy and are excited to work at a company, we’ll get excited to hear about new developments and become loyal fans, but if they’re not happy, we probably won’t give that company any thought.

We’re always hearing about Word of Mouth and its power. In my opinion, negative Word of Mouth is much more powerful and spreads quicker because people find it juicy.

All in all, companies need to be very careful, more so nowadays with Social Media, to ensure their employees are happy. I know you can’t always please everyone, but employers need to make a conscious effort to listen to their employees. There are several cases where companies have noticed their employees complaining about their job via Social Media and fired them. Then there are the companies that see these complaints and take the necessary measures to make the disgruntled employee happy – those are the companies I admire.

Several friends of mine have gotten some really great jobs in the past few months at big-name companies. For example, Cristina Sotolongo now works for the Miami Science Museum, Lori Marie Todd now works for John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Mallory Colliflower now works for AutoNation.

I’ve known about these companies well before my friends started working there, but it wasn’t until they were hired that I felt compelled to hit that “Become a Fan” or “Follow” button. I wonder how many people react the same way I do. I can think of a few reasons for taking action once they’re hired:

1. I want to support them and the company they now work with.

2. I know the greatness they’re capable of and want a front row seat to all their projects.

3. I now feel a more personal connection to the company or organization.

That personal connection feeling is what I find very interesting. In all honesty, I can’t really analyze that feeling and was hoping for some other perspectives. What are your thoughts?

Please go to 12seconds.tv and post your Social Media predictions for 2010. How do you think the industry will change? Which network do you think will lead in popularity, usefulness, etc. Any thoughts you may have, we want to hear about it. PLEASE REMEMBER to use the #SM2010 hashtag. And make sure to come to the event to see your predictions discussed in a panel.

We need your Social Media predictions! #SMCSF #SM2010 on 12seconds.tv

Social Media Prediction: Rise of video #SMCSF #SM2010 on 12seconds.tv

Want to meet the SMCSF board? Make sure to follow Alex de Carvalho, Angie Henderson Moncada, Denise Jacobs, John Prieur, Matthew Chamberlin, Michelle Catin, Neil Bardach, Toby Srebnik, Ulises I. Orozco.

I need to write my bio for the Association for Women in Communications, South Florida and had a thought: ask all my friends to help me write it! I have an idea for everyone’s cooperation, but first, I need comments.

Check out the first half of my idea:

NOTE: Please keep your comments professional. This project is professional and any comments that are outside of the realm of profesionalism will be deleted.

Thanks in advance for your help!

For example, I listen to NPR every morning during my commute to my office and whenever I hear Niala Boodhoo and Bridget Carey come on to talk about Social Media, not only am I eagerly nodding in approval with everything they say, but I tweet them as soon as I get to the office. I send them a tweet about how much I agreed with what they said and enjoyed hearing their story.

I’m cheating a little bit with Boodhoo and Carey’s case because I met them before hearing them on the radio. I became a fan of their work after meeting them in person and then looking them up. Hearing them on the radio only added to my excitement of being their fan, and connecting with them through Social Media helped boost my being a fan into more of a friendship.

How I met Kenny Malone is a little different. Maybe it’s the fearless publicist in me or the solid implementation of Social Media in my every day life that made me feel like it was OK to shoot him a random email expressing my opinion after hearing his report on Sesame Street (look for “Follow that (Big) Bird: Memories of ‘Sesame Street’, 40 years on” next to 11/20). His story left me in shock at how true it was and I wanted to tell him how I felt. To my surprise, he responded almost immediately with what seemed like a private follow up to his story.
Earlier this week, Malone did a story about StoryCorps and asked Miami Herald/WLRN staff members if they’ve ever cried during the four minute show. Naturally, I felt compelled to email him and tell him about how much I cry during that show and ask him if he reacts the same way – if you’ve ever heard StoryCorps, you know how heart-felt the stories can be.

It’s Social Media that encourages and facilitates conversation. It’s Social Media that makes it easy to connect with pretty much anyone online. It’s Social Media that helps fans feel more like friends. And it’s Social Media that helps build invaluable relationships.

Luckily, I was able to connect with the outside world via Twitter on my phone.

After complaining about Comcasts’ services being down on Twitter, @ComcastBill replied apologizing for my situation and offering to help. (I started following him after he showed his sense of humor by saying that he actually can’t help Cowboys fans – nothing makes me happier than someone who wants to connect/help and actually takes the time to read my short bio).

I told @ComcastBill the city I live in, but that wasn’t enough information for him to figure out what the problem was. He requested my detailed address via Direct Message. Now, here’s where I was slightly torn. I knew that he wouldn’t be able to help me unless I gave him more information, but how did I know he was a legitimate Comcast representative? Just because his Twitter handle had “Comcast” in it doesn’t guarantee he is who he says he is.

I’m more than sure he works for Comcast, but with all the fraud and robberies going on, I’m just not willing to take the risk of randomly handing out my address to anyone, especially online.

I gave @ComcastBill the city I live in, but that’s as far I was willing to go. Being that my city was all over the news for being under water, I assumed the reason for my being disconnected and didn’t stress about it too much.

However, this got me thinking about how useful certain companies, like Comcast, may find Social Media. When customer service requires personal customer information, how efficient could their help be if people don’t trust the medium being used?

UPDATE: I just showed @ComcastBill this post and he said that customers can always look at @ComcastCares‘ to see a list of legitimate Comcast employees. While the list (at the bottom left of the screen) is cut off, this definitely helps establish just a little more trust in the people behind these accounts.

I would still highly advise people to think twice before giving out any personal information unless you’re 100% sure you’re speaking to the right person.

Publicists who have been in the industry for many years possess techniques and strategies for reaching out to journalists that are not only valid, but have been proven to work. However, Social Media is changing the methods we’ve all known and loved for years. Embracing and adapting to these new methods may prove difficult, but they’re very crucial.

I’ve heard people call Twitter “lazy,” but when used correctly, it opens up a door to infinite possibilities, new contacts and strong relationships.

The good publicist understands the power behind having a strong relationship with a journalist and most often than not, spends time harvesting it; talking about activities that they both like to partake in, the latest news and their opinions on it, etc. No where in that conversation will the publicist pitch anything to the reporter, but he/she will drop hints that they are knowledgeable in a certain area and that they know people that the reporter may call on should they have a need for their expertise. This results in the publicist becoming a source to the journalist.

The majority of us already know this. What not all of us know or are willing to embrace, is Social Media’s role in making, building and strengthening these relationships.

More seasoned publicists will set up lunches or quick coffee meetings with journalists to make, build and strengthen their relationships, but as journalists’ workload increases, their available time to meet face-to-face decreases.

I spoke to Niala Boodhoo (@NialaBoodhoo on Twitter), a Business and Multimedia Reporter at the Miami Herald, who confirmed that she doesn’t have time to meet with anyone. “There’s no time for lunch, much less a budget for it.”

So what do we publicists do when our media counterparts are too busy? We tweet!

I’ve gotten mixed reactions to this solution – the good ones are from younger, fresh out of college or early adapter publicists and the negative ones are from the older school of Public Relations.

Times are changing and whether we like it or not, we need to keep up with what journalists are doing and go where they are. And they’re on Twitter!

I advised my colleague to search and begin following various journalists on Twitter. Listen to what they’re saying and chime in every once in a while. I can’t stress enough how important it is to refrain from pitching them right away. Treat your Twitter relationships like you would all others – nicely and with sensitivity. The pitching comes later.

Joy Oglesby (@SSEntertainment on Twitter), Online Producer for Entertainment and Lifestyle at the Sun Sentinel, explained that Twitter is a good tool to “build relationships and start conversations. It also cuts through the mess of imploding emails.”

Not every journalist we want to reach out to will be on Twitter, just yet, but those who are on are at our fingertips.