My very excited, "first-time soon to be auntie" sister is throwing me a baby shower in a couple of weeks. She is adamant that I register somewhere.

So after careful online product research and no energy to go into stores and go through the rigmarole I went through with my bridal registry, I decided to only do registry at stores that met my criteria.

1. Must be available in Canada
2. Must be able to register, add and delete items online. (This took out 80% of stores including Pottery Barn and The Bay)
3. People must be able to purchase online.
4. I have to be able to see what was purchased.

I landed up registering at BabiesRus and Baby on the Hip.

Besides providing the above, this is what these two (1 very large and 1 small business) did above and beyond which helped make this process easy for me.

1. Provided a realistic laundry list of items I will need. Baby on the Hip did a great job of even providing a newborn list for newborns vs. 12 months.
2. A lot of items can be sold out in various colours and sizes. Their online system tells you upfront. (Heck, there is nothing more annoying than an e-commerce site not being up-to-date with real inventory)

One last item worth mentioning. Baby on the Hip sent me a Thank You card for registering at their store and offered me a 10% discount off my next in-store purchase. This was not only a great relationship builder but is a great way to drive people into the store.

Over the past few weeks, a larger than normal amount of friends have asked me "what exactly is twitter?"

My first explanation: Live updates. For example, similar to you keeping your facebook status up-to-date but on your own page.



Google it - some great 101 and basics come up to bring you up to speed. @mocost tweeted this morning on The Psychology of Twitter which provides a great 101 of twitter and the pros and cons.

Recently, I have been using twitter a lot to connect with other mothers. Whether it is a pregnancy question or learning more about child development, tweets from other mothers is helping me learn about the latest and greatest, while making strong relationships. Learn more about other mommies @Twittermoms

On a professional level, I stay connected to a lot of marketers on twitter, again to learn and connect. This is great when they are at a conference you are unable to attend. Many will tweet about case studies they are learning about.

If you are a business (small or big) looking to get into twitter, check out this great article on the NYTimes. Here is a site that shows you how to convert tweets to moola. For some examples, @edlee tweeted this morning about hotels using twitter and a few days ago, finding companies on twitter. Impressive.

Like any new application, it can be scary to get into it (heck, it may have taken 10 facebook requests before you joined). Here are some ways to start:

1. Sign up and look for people you A) know are on twitter B) use the 'find people' feature which can search people from your email (like gmail) and follow.
2. Follow a few people and see how they are using it.
3. Tweet what you feel comfortable with (maybe stick with what you update in facebook) to get your feet wet.

PS. My favourite tweets are the Mad Men characters. Too good.
PSS. You can follow me @mtampoya

Blogging, tweeting, commenting, im'ing, facebook'in'...I am a creator, participator and also a viewer of many things online.

With so many avenues of communication and so many ways of connecting the dots, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember or speak to one audience or group of interest at one particular time.

You see, I have friends that I met through my blog and twitter on facebook, I have people who I IM, that read my blog and I have people whose blog I frequently comment on that read my tweets.

...and so the circle goes.

The result is, a mix and mash of content.

As you may be aware, this blog is focused on online marketing in particular with frequent strayings of my personal life, my tweets, just recently are focused on pregnancy and motherhood and my facebook status updates, are, well, fleeting ideas and comments.

So how do I deal with this? How do I not annoy you and have you communicate with me through the vehicle you are most happy with?

1. All the things I post, no matter where, is/are me. I am a soon-to-be-mommy, online marketer with crazy everyday musings. Unlike many others, I choose to not only cover one area of 'expertise' but several. Some just may not be of interest to you. I hope what is of interest is enough to keep you reading.
2. Let me know your thoughts. Should I cross all areas I write about between all vehicles more than less, or less than more?
3. Should I stick with one area? Online marketing or being a mother?

While I shift gears on the direction of this blog, I thought to do the same with my use of Twitter.

Participating on Twitter has been somewhat difficult for me. Aside from answering questions or commenting , I didn't feel like I had much value to add to my followers.

Why?
1. I do keep track of the latest online marketing trends, but can be a day or two late.
2. I am not always on twitter, so hard to know if someone already posted about a popular article or topic.
3. I blog about online marketing already and didn't want to be repetitive on twitter.
4. With a baby on the way, my focus has been on the pregnancy and baby development.
5. Don't think people are interested in my daily joe activities like doing the laundry or washing the dishes.

So what is the change?
1. With a network of new mommies and mommies-to-be, I needed an outlet for communication. I thought an additional blog would be difficult to maintain along with this one so opted for use of my twitter feed.
2. I read a lot about pregnancy and child development via feeds, magazines and books. It is easier to share what I am reading via twitter (especially new reports) or bookmark them.
3. When the child is born, it is easier for me to post to twitter and quickly communicate opposed to email.

If you are interested in learning with me or more about pregnancy and child development, feel free to follow me. If you already follow me and don't find any interest in my twitter posts, feel free to unsubscribe.

Staying in touch with family and friends can be very difficult for some. Work schedules may not match up or family may be spread out across the country.

With the help of some online tools, it is easier to stay up-to-date with what your loved ones are doing and make that distance not seem to far away.

Facebook - This very popular site can help you see what your family and friends are up to at your own convenience. To make this successful, it is key that you too not only join but post photo's, your thoughts and contact information.

Flickr - This photo sharing site allows you to specifically choose family members and friends to see photo's you choose not to share with the public. The great thing about this site, opposed to sharing photo's on Facebook is the opportunity to download photo's in high resolution for printing or sharing on digital frames.

Private Blog - A blog is a great way to post diary submissions about your life to share with family and friends. Blog while on your bike trip across Europe or to track the growth and development of your child. Share with family and friends through either a public or private blog. The good thing about this too is that they can subscribe via RSS or email.