Thank you!

Social email marketing is a way to market a given entity (individual or organization) through an online account where you can distribute and  receive messages. The message can be for anything, from a dating service, to a job fair or an office party; the one thing all social marketing emails have in common is what—that’s right—the ability to reach out to a group of people.

Whether you prefer to promote through your social networking site or professional organization, the important thing is to use the following steps:

1. Know your audience:  Misinterpreting what your audience wants or who they are can be detrimental to your campaign/message and/or ruin your organization’s reputation. A clear understanding of your audience is essential for a strong delivery.
2. Define a message: Now that you know your audience, it’s important to know what they want and why they would care to read your message.
3. Engage your audience: Use attractive features to keep your audience interested and coming back for more.
4. Access to multiple outlets: Giving your audience multiple ways to respond or view your material will allow you to reach out to larger audiences.
5. Use direct methods: To avoid a lost of interest, make sure your subject line and overall message is clear, snappy and gets to the point.

Good luck in your marketing campaign, and don’t be afraid to go beyond what I’ve giving you; take advantage of the internet and it’s limitless resources.

As a victim to first-time trial and errors, it was no news to me when I learned that a lot of people are experiencing unusual burns and discomfort from leaving the cream on for too long.

To anyone new or who plans on using a head cream, the best advice I can give you is to read the directions. Most creams call for no more than 9 minutes on the head–not 40 minutes. If you do decide to leave the cream on for an extended period of time and see patches of hair on your head, you may wish to switch to a new product or use a straight razor. In the meantime, put some cocoa butter on your head to heal those war wounds.

If you are into shavers, this next product I inadvertently stumbled across while picking up some Red Bull may interest you. It’s called the HeadBlade and is featured in tons of fashion and grooming publications. The shaver is out of this world with a very unique design that reminds me of a small Hotwheels car. It has two small wheels on the back and a triple bladed razor on the front.

My first cut at using the razor was not so bad; a few nicks here, a chunk of skin lost there (completely my fault for being overzealous ) it was the closest thing to smooth sailing since first using my Mach 3.

Now I’m someone who has very sensitive skin and wouldn’t recommend a product of this nature for fellow sensitive skin users for fear of getting to close, but if bought with the Head Slick mentholated Shave Cream, you might have just the safety net you’re looking for.

Its been nearly five days since I first used this shaver and my head looks as if I shaved it today and there are no signs of break-outs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a sure deal for everyone, but after using multiple products only to be disappointed (I’m still a fan of Magic Cream) I can say with pure confidence that a majority of you will fall in love with this.

To find out more about the HeadBlade go to www.headblade.com. As always, I’m all ears for your comments and recommendations.

In my opinion, happy hours are the best way to get to know your coworkers. Not because you can get them boozed up and have them say things they will forget the next day, but because it gives you the opportunity to see how they interact with other coworkers and guest outside of a normal business setting. For first timers to happy hour this can be a daunting experience and leave them scared and socially inept for quite some time. That’s why it’s important to know what to and not to do during a typical professional (yes professional) happy hour.

Do Not:

• Talk about how swamped you are with work or any work topics that may not include everyone you’re with. No one wants to hear you bitch.
• Engage in discussions that may offend someone or bring down the moment. Remember it’s happy hour!
• Dominate conversation. People tend to think this is their moment to shine, especially when there is a superior in the room. Not only will your coworkers turn against you, but your superior may view you as a know-it-all.
• Stay attached at the hip with the people (your team, cohort, etc.) you normally work with from 9 am –5 pm. Everyone knows you work together and a lack of ‘working the room’ looks like you’re either stuck up, insecure or have no interest in meeting anyone else. Loosin up a bit.
• Get drunk! This is a time to socialize, not get hammered. If you drink, be conscious of your limits and if you have a high tolerance for alcohol,  keep pace with everyone else, granted they are not indulging in the moment.

Do:

• Go  with an open mind. You may not be a drinker, but that’s okay. The key here is to talk and have a good time.
• Take interest in other people. If you are in a one-on-one conversation with someone and know what their interests are, ask them. Do so in a genuine manner and they’ll return the inquisition with a question for you.
• Approach the wallflower of your group. If there is someone in your group who is obviously not having a great time, maybe they’re standoffish or shy, chances are they don’t want to be there either and know no better way to break the ice. Approach that person and they’ll be happy you did. Who knows, you might even make a new friend. Aww how nice!
• Attend again and again. If your coworkers love happy hour to the point that it’s practically a tradition–join them. Don’t be the odd ball who makes excuses when you have no plans;  showing up and making an appearance is good enough and keeps you in the loop.

Take these steps into consideration and I guarantee you will think differently about going out with your coworkers unless they possess every annoying quality that falls under the do not category. Now that could be painful.

Many of us viewed what looked like a tiger who lost his hair last Friday morning when PGA Golf super star turned playa, Tiger Woods stood before friends, family and the media to apologize for his actions with over a dozen women that has caused a whirlwind of issues for his family and career. But it was not so much his physical appearance that left us stunned so much as it was the content of his words.

Immediately upon approaching the podium Tiger drove right into the issue at hand; he apologized for his actions and letting down his friends—great. He even goes as far as apologizing to his business partners and goes into a long, awkward pause, looks into the camera and says “I am so sorry.” With as much conviction as a Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric (and we all know how that went), Tiger then continues to beat himself up with a lack of authenticity.

Let me refresh everyone’s memory and remind you that it’s been three months since Tiger and his wife wrecked their SUV outside of their home. That means three months of public humiliation, which only escalated with no response from Tiger.

In three months I’ve heard people call Tiger every name in the book and accuse him of the most egregious things, despite any valid evidence. What angers me is that Tiger simply fueled the fire by bringing many things back to light in his apology. Yes, you can say that this brings closure to the incident, but if you recall similar cases where men we respect (or used to) have fallen guilty to infidelity (President Bill Clinton, Congressman Mark Sanford and Senator John Edwards) the one thing they all have in common is that they approached the public immediately and only denied whatever immorality they were accused off.

Come on, Tiger. We know that you’re an athlete and are one of the richest athletes on the planet, who wouldn’t have a “feeling of entitlement.”

Given the obvious reasons for infidelity, Tiger should have taken the remainder of this 14-minute presentation to talk about his future and not Buddha.  Now if he had murdered someone, served 15 years in prison and were pleading for parole, then would have been the perfect time to talk about religion and finding yourself.

This moment that was the most opportunistic time to put away all the he said she said and drop all the promiscuous women he slept with, because we obviously knew what he did and didn’t need to hear him ponder over it.

Moving on from the beating, Tiger threw a few jabs by adding some heart-warming quotes and denying accusations about using performance enhancement drugs and domestic violence in his home. Sadly, he left the stage with questions to be answered.

Why, because he was not clear about his future in golf.

May 3, 2006 was one of the worst days for Tiger Woods when his father/best friend lost his fight with cancer. A sad day to say that least, Tiger would eventually come back to the game of golf and master it—no pun intended.

I have complete confidence in Tiger to do the same going forward, but only would have hoped for him to gloat just a little more about his accomplishments and keeping his private life and golf separate.

There’s no confirmed date on when Tiger Woods will return to the game of golf, but I do wish him the best of luck. What he is faced with is a true testament that life is not about what you achieve, but what you overcome.

If you question your masculinity because you have feelings for someone–this one is for you.

If you are too afraid to ask another man for advice and would rather continuously commit the same mistakes in a relationship and your girlfriend wants you to apply for Tool Academy–this one is for you!

Gentlemen, it’s not too late to run to Blockbuster, pick this one up and start off your week on a good note.

So you’ve been working extremely hard for the past year and nothing–no raise, no promotion or even acknowledgment for your services. You want to explode, but know it will either cost you your job or heaven forbid a lawsuit. No one can afford either  during these times so in case you run into a similar predicament, here are a few things to consider before going insane.

Communicate

Communication is an essential key to development; holding everything in will only cause high blood pressure or a heart attack. If you have a problem tell your boss exactly how you feel, but hold the attitude. Be professional and articulate exactly the problems you are experiencing. Make sure it is relevant to your team and professional growth. Taking the time to communicate will show your boss or cohorts that you are sincere and want the best for your company.

If there is an obvious kink in the chain because everyone decides to go it alone and there is no leadership, take that role by eliciting conversation when needed to maintain productivity. Be careful not to overstep your boundaries if you are in a lesser position; you don’t want to come off as patronizing or arrogant.

Get Organized

A messy person will give your coworkers the impression that you are unprofessional, unorganized and unreliable. It will also make your work more difficult when you need to find documents and refer to something when you have a foot stack of papers in your cubicle.

If you take the time to organize your documents you’ll notice not only that things are easier to find and that the flow of work and productivity has increased enormously.

Get a hobby

From yoga to softball, a lot of companies are now offering  ways to de-stress. If your company offers this, consider yourself lucky because not everyone is willing to invest in their employees. This is a sign that you are worth it and they care about your health and well being. Sports and after hour events are also a great way to get to know your coworkers outside of the office. But don’t get too comfortable, remember that you are not out with the fellas or the girls, what you do can get traced by to the office and if negative put you in an unpleasant position.

I hope these three exercises will help you either cope with your particular situation or move on if need be. Take what I told you in stride and I promise that within time you will be happy you took my advice.

With the snow of the great storm of 2010 melting away, young DCists were eager to shell off their cabin fever with a dose of fashion at the annual DC Fashion Week. Saturday night’s runway show took place at the Double Tree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia where spectators were on hand to get a sample of Washington, DC’s best men and a few women designers.

Leading the way was fashions by Durkl who brought a retro hip hopish style to the table. Using flamboyant colors mixed with an everyday hip hop style gave the  impression of the genre reinvented.

If hip hop is not your taste, there was also beach wear designed by Stella Bonds. The crowd literally gasped and even blushed at her bold collection of men’s speedos and lightly accented necklaces. Stella also incorporated cotton trousers and paper-made hats to give off a relaxing stroll on the beach look.

My personal best and another crowd favorite was Kustom Looks Clothier. Kustom Looks is a popular designer known for tailoring some of DC’s top politicians and celebrities; after yesterday’s show there is no doubt why. Personally, as the son of a former tailor himself I have never seen such clean fitting in my lifetime. His tailoring is simply one of a kind as it practically molds to the fit of each body type–not to confuse you with the one size fits all type suits. Kustom Looks sharp quality and affordable designs gets my vote for best designs of the evening.

Additional collections were from Emore J Couture, Ray Vincente, Andrew Nowell Menswear and a special guest performance by Etcerera.

DC’s Fashion Week concludes this evening with a 6:00 pm show at the Embassy of France. For more information on Fashion Week go to www.dcfashionweek.org.