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.

It’s not me, it’s you. You’ve changed and I no longer recognize you.

I’ve been faithful to you for the past 10 years and you’ve satisfied me in return. Your communication skills were impeccable and your return on investment was decent. I’ve known of better opportunities, but chose to stay with you due to our long and dedicated relationship. But in the last few months, you have gone through some changes that I no longer wish to be a part of.

Your terrific communication skills have diminished and you went from being readily available to my having to go through various recordings in order to get to one of your non-helpful representatives. And my benefits of dedicating 10 years with you have diminished to what is now barely existent.

Sadly, all of these changes just so happened to coincide with your name changing from Washington Mutual to Chase.

Therefore, I’m sorry to say that our relationship as far as my savings account must now come to an end. You no longer make me happy and I do deserve better.

It’s been great, but I’m moving on to another institution that seems to value me more than you ever did.

I just Direct Messaged @TheDatingDiva on Twitter with information about a journalist looking to interview matchmakers.

She replied: “Thank you so much…if everyone in the world was as nice as people on Twitter the world would be an amazing place!!!”

And this got me thinking… are you as nice in the real world as you are online?

I know I put up a little more of a front in the real world. What is it about the computer that makes us feel safer? Are we that afraid of other people… in person?

Kate was one of the co-stars of Kyle Schickner’s film, which was premiering that evening, Steam. For this film, she worked alongside Hollywood legend, Ruby Dee and 80’s icon, Ally Sheedy.

My co-worker and partner in crime, Liela Chambers, and I were immediately drawn to Kate… she’s gorgeous, but we weren’t “drawn” that way.

Her charisma took over the screen that night and during the events’ after party, we got to know her a little better on a personal level. The best part about Kate is that her new-found fame (and if you see her on screen, she so-rightly deserves that fame) never went to her head. She’s extremely down-to-Earth and loves sharing her thoughts and experiences with whomever is interested.

During her stay in Miami, Liela and I spent plenty of time showing Kate around and learning about her passion for theater and film.

Kate has the perfect combination of intelligence, talent, drive and beauty.

She recently teamed up with Michelle Nunes to respond to Justin Timberlake and Adam Samberg’s Saturday Night Live “Jizz in my Pants” skit – it’s called “Puke in my Mouth” and it’s way too funny! She’s the one in the white dress at the beginning and then the yogi:

As someone who has been stood up when going on blind dates, I actually find this concept alleviating. It’s a great way to meet the person, from the comfort of your own home and with very little risk of humiliation (assuming you feel humiliated when your date says he’s going to the car to get something and never returns). You can meet the person face to face, so to speak, and gauge their conversational skills, eye contact and hear their voice – I saw a show called “The Science of Sex Appeal” on the Discovery Channel and they concluded that women are also attracted to the sound of certain men’s voice (and vice versa, too).

Although I would never replace an actual date with a virtual one, I think it’s a great, and comforting, way to break the ice.