Image via VisionMobile.com

Having just moved from one city to another—and then another—and landing in Fort Wayne, Ind., I have spent a great deal of time thinking and explaining what is important about where you hang your hat. There are several things that can draw people from place to place. George Straight makes a very strategic decision for New Orleans in this song. But after much consideration I wanted to share with you my top 5 when choosing where to settle—at least for now.

1. People. You know how LA-folks are sort of known for being rude? Well, I have found that around the Midwest, people are for the most part very down-to-earth, honest and genuine to the core. Oh, and also this is number one on my list because wherever you are, if you’re with people you love and can have/make fun with then…you’re home.
2. Community Involvement/Investment. Is your community investing in itself? Working towards improvement? Are there ample opportunities to get involved, lend a hand & give back? The answer should be a resounding yes. In Fort Wayne, it certainly is.
3. Accessibility. Wherever you are, you want to be able to travel and see other places. Nothing fun about being in one place all the time. What’s around you? Can you get there for a weekend get-a-way?
4. Weather. For some this may mean the unchanging 60-degree weather, and for a while that’s what it meant to me. But I eventually got homesick for the winter white experience, and bug-infested scorcher of a summer. (Yes, you heard me right. Bug bites and all.) Go where you can appreciate and love the climate—or else you’ll spend the majority of the year complaining about temperature. For me, for the time being, that’s right where I am.
5. Affordability. This goes along with number 3. In Fort Wayne, cost of living is low enough that travel is a bit more affordable for me than if I lived in San Diego still. Wherever you live, whatever home or area it may be, don’t strap yourself. Give yourself the room (and cash flow) to get out and about.
6. Water. This is the one I had to give on a little—or a lot. It was extremely tough for me to move away from a coast. Growing up on the cliffs, and having a 5 second walk to the beach most of my life, this is what I get homesick for. However, Fort Wayne has over 100 lakes just north of us and during the warmer months it can be an every weekend destination.

   So… where do you hang your hat? And, why?

With all the buzz about the NFL skipping the 2012 season, and the lockout yet to be completely resolved, I began thinking… What would we do without an NFL season and without a SuperBowl? Indianapolis, of course, will be at a loss for a few more years until they are re-slated to host the big game, but that’s actually not what I’m concerned about.

I’m worried about missing my commercials.

Yes, I’m afraid America will miss the highest rated television event of the year, and I’m sure the network shares my fear. No football, no commercials. Any marketing & advertising professional will understand that these 30 second spots are the highlight of the game. For some of these aforementioned folks, small talk happens during the kick off, time outs and field goals and the crowd is hushed when Budweiser, Doritos or VW takes the center stage on the big screen. And—we’re not alone. Nielsen reported that over 44 percent of viewers watch the Superbowl for the commercials alone.

Over the past 10 years, SuperBowl spending has reached over 1.6 billion. So, if the NFL is going to go black for a year, let’s keep the camera rolling anyway. Air the commercials instead of the big game. I’ll still watch, in fact I’ll grab a bud light if you bring the chips & dip.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory follows the journey of a dedicated, passionate “go-getter” (McAdams) who proves herself in the broadcast world and makes some great relationships along the way. It’s a lively illustration of how great it is to have an family-like environment in the work place. It shows McAdams character, Becky Fuller, have full dedication to not only her job, but in the end, her network and co-workers as well. McAdams plays the part very well. She’s fast-paced, energetic, cheeky and surprisingly comedic. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d give it a whirl.

If you have, what did you think?

First off, the love of my life proposed last month during Thanksgiving, and both of our families were there to help us celebrate. Now, we not only get to plan an amazing, November, San Diego wedding - we also get to plan the rest of our lives together. Lucky, lucky me. (Check out our wedding website!) And along with the recent engagement, I no longer have one single family to celebrate with. This Christmas I find myself with an extra set of parents, sister, brother, niece and nephew to celebrate the season. I consider myself beyond blessed to have been welcomed with open arms into the Monaco family.

Next, the 2010  Holiday Bowl President is none other than my Dad, Eric Graves. Not only does this mean a slew of luncheons, parades (I’ve been practicing my wave), parties, tail gates, a lot of family in town, and a whole lot of fun.. it also means that my Dad is having the time of his life coordinating a bowl game he’s been involved and in love with for as long as I can remember (1993). We are all so proud.

Lastly, this season I find myself being stretched and challenged as a person. As you all know, a year ago exactly I picked up my life, drove (with my now-fiance) across the country, and  moved to Indianapolis. Do it while your young right? I continue to love my new home. I can’t get enough of the snow, Midwest people and way-of-life. But — here it comes — it’s hard. I miss San Diego, my home and my family every day. I am faced with the realization that I might never make it back to the west coast.  It’s for that reason that I’m grateful because I know it’s the hard things in life that grow and stretch you as a person. Some recent advice I received from a very best friend was right on — “Never be afraid to miss something”.  This Christmas, rather than struggling with the 3,000 miles between my family and I, I’m heart-overflowing grateful that this is a city I will always call home.

So for the friends, the family (new and old), the fiance, the season, the cities and of course, the football — I am grateful. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, everyone!

When I moved to Indy from San Diego, one of the fears I had was that I would miss the sunsets from my parents cliff-side home in Point Loma. By then, after having spent 4 years in Ohio, I knew what I had at home in San Diego. The gorgeous pacific ocean, unexplainable beautiful sunsets, and evening spent drinking with a glass of red wine and family watching these sunsets from the porch.

Now 8 months down the road, feeling settled and… (are you sitting down?) almost at home in Indiana, I’ve truly experienced what it’s like to live in the Midwest. I moved in the midst of winter (yes, I was here for the snow days, and yes I was sliding around on 465 in my Jetta with terrible, no-traction, west coast tires), I’ve seen the seasons change from winter, to spring, to summer. Now as the air is getting crisp, pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks, and we’re trying to fit pool days and camping trips in before the weather gets frigid — I’m realizing I’ve been here a while, and I’m happy.

I have countless friends and family on the west coast who simply don’t understand my move (and some that do… thanks Dad!), and I’m convinced no amount of explaining will do the trick. But as fall comes barreling around the corner, seemingly out of no-where, I was forced to evaluate my last three seasons here. It made me realize once again that my home will also be San Diego, but I love the Midwest and sometimes the sunset can be just as beautiful here.

I think it’s important to follow people on twitter that are:

1. Adding value – If you’re tweeting your friends and/or boyfriend on twitter non-stop (and nothing else) then you’re probably not that interesting in my twitter feed – and I might unfollow you!

*With that said, my entire family, sister-in-law’s family, boyfriend, co-workers and friends are on twitter and do I talk to them through tweets from time to time? Absolutely. But do I also attempt to also contribute to twitter in the ways listed below? Of course!

2. Teaching you – Tips, great blogs, new ideas and perspectives. I learn from those I chose to follow on twitter.  If you want to know who is teaching me, take a look at those I follow on twitter.com.

3. Sharing relevant information – I’m aware of current events, interesting articles and funny advertisement bloopers because of some of my twitter friends! I follow @Mashable so I’m sure I won’t miss their many interesting and educational blog posts throughout the day.

4. Making you laugh – I follow many people simply because…they are funny, they make me laugh and that’s valuable! @WeirdNews is always interesting, and @DesignerG tweets about his love of coffee nearly every morning, but never says the same thing… always entertaining.

Slimming your twitter following is a good reminder to make sure you add value on Twitter, be creative and interesting! What would your Twitter followers say about you?

Foursquare??

What’s the deal with Foursquare? Why you no longer need a bouncy ball and a court to play…..

When our slew of Miller Brooks employees head out to lunch on any given day of the week, I’m usually on my phone within the first few minutes after we sit down at the table. My co-workers, who know me well, don’t need to ask what I’m doing. They roll their eyes because they know I’m “checking in” to our to our favorite lunch spots on Foursquare.

The growing location-based social media application trend is led by Foursquare, a service that provides real-time user location updates specific to a venue. Location-based services (LBS) like Foursquare are expected to really take flight in 2010 — providing they aren’t beat out by location-based features being added to Twitter and Facebook.

Much like the case with Twitter before it mainstreamed, many have heard of Foursquare, but very few actually use it or understand how it works. So if you’re among those who still think Foursquare is a playground ballgame played on a court divided into quadrants, I’ll help you out.

Let’s start with a quick breakdown of the application, and then I’ll give you my two cents.

What is Foursquare?

Foursquare is a location-based social networking application for mobile devices.

How does it work?
Users go to a venue (whether it be a restaurant, bar, park, retail store, office, etc.) and check in using their mobile application. When you’ve checked in, you are awarded points. Foursquare adds up the number of times you’ve been to that location. You receive more points at certain places, and when you are the person who has checked in to that venue the most, you become the mayor.

What is a badge?
When you become a regular user, and start checking in at multiple venues, you will receive badges for your check-in. From the start, there are a slew of beginner badges you receive for becoming an active Foursquare user. First, you’ll receive the newbie badge, then the adventurer badge, then the local badge, and so on. Badges and points aren’t really connected; badges are more of a reward system for interesting check-ins.

My two cents

Now that you know how it works, let me tell you what I think about Foursquare: it’s awesome!

I see two main arguments for the use of Foursquare, whether it’s for fun, for work… or simply because you’re starting to feel left out!

• Competitive gaming quality: I’m convinced that the competitive nature of the application makes it quickly addicting.  (It was for me!) I’ve only been on Foursquare for 5 months, but as a person who’s new to Indianapolis, I’m always sure to check into my new favorite hangouts.  I don’t want to miss out on the points or badges I might receive that will document the discovery of my new city. To help keep the application competitive, most mobile Foursquare applications feature a “LeaderBoard,” which shows you the amount of points you’ve earned on Foursquare each week – resetting every Sunday evening.
• Networking: The “check-in” aspect of Foursquare creates a stream of content that contains all your daily travels. Other users can then follow your stream and engage you in conversation about your favorite places. It’s another way for you to connect with someone and get to know him or her better. You can also follow other people’s check-ins to see where they have been. If your friends are using Foursquare, you can locate them in the city without ever making a single phone call. Also, as you watch your friends check in, you may discover some great restaurants and shops that you never knew existed!

Foursquare’s Challenge

The application clearly has the “cool factor.” As of early 2010, it claimed about 725,000 members — and it has only been around since early 2009. But the question is, can it be proved useful? Besides being fun, Foursquare was launched for business — and participating businesses say yes. Here’s why:

• Foursquare allows venues to provide deals and discounts to the Foursquare users who check in. Some even offer special deals to mayors. It’s another way for businesses to engage their patrons.
• As a business owner, you can learn a lot of valuable insights about your customers by monitoring their activities on Foursquare. You can find out where else your customers go, as well, to learn who your competitors are.
• Businesses can monitor their brand presence across social media mediums. You can identify both your biggest supporters and people who might be unhappy with your company. You can then engage these people and make sure they continue to be supporters of your brand, or right the wrong and gain back a customer.

As Foursquare becomes more mainstream, the application is rapidly gaining users (adding almost 100,000 in a 10-day period during SXSW in Austin, TX). But as the fan base builds, questions arise as well. One in particular: with people checking into (and out of) their homes via Foursquare updates (which can push out to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn), is personal privacy at risk? This, no doubt, will be a hot social media topic throughout 2010.

Can you really weigh what you think about Foursquare if you don’t give it a try? Sign up at Foursquare.com and tell me what you think!

Social Media Today made some fabulous points as well about why Twitter is PERFECT for listening, not just talking…

1. Twitter has real-time results. We’ve all heard examples of how breaking news spreads immediately on Twitter. Because of Twitter’s real-time search engine, you can get a quick pulse of public opinion. Even when you tweet, if someones not looking at their feed, it’s there for a second and gone – and the trends and conversation are constantly changing.

2. Wide reach. Twitter is useful to many different types and sizes of businesses. The amount of different types of companies and professionals on twitter are endless…

3. Direct feedback. You hear what people are saying as they say it.

There are many powerful social media tracking and analytic tools available which help you monitor your Twitter feed. Why do you think there are so many applications to help you follow and track Twitter? Because it’s important to listen! If you are having trouble with following on twitter. Keep in mind it might be because you’re only talking. If you just ramping up your company’s twitter account. I can’t stress it enough… Keep talking, but make sure you listen.

Set a goal:

1. Tweet 3 times a day
2. Reply 3 times a day

The key is to make sure you are replying just as much as you are pushing out useful information, this well help you to first, join the conversation and second, prove you are listening, not just gabbing!

And while we’re talking tweets, here’s some twitter humor for you….

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. – John Ruski

Those of you who think you are happy by the ocean, and never need to see another portion of the US or winter climate in your life… I urge you, think again. If seeing my “snowfall in Indy post” a couple months ago wasn’t enough – let me walk you down the time-line of my life over the past month and attempt to share with you the ecstatic-ness that I feel over my recent move to the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

As I sit in my gorgeous (but small) studio in downtown Indy looking over the Murat building while my home-made dinner is cooking and Pandora magically guesses at and plays my favorite music — I’m sipping a glass of Monogamy – Cabernet Sauvignon (my wine counter-purchase to @danmonaco’s favorite, Ménage a tois), and thinking about how lucky I am that this move has gone swimmingly well for me. I can’t think of a time in my life in the past – that I have felt more adventurous or independent. As my friend Ben always says, your better days are ahead of you. I never knew how true that was until now – because I bet it only goes up from here!

I miss my family and the salty smell of Sunset Cliffs, but I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere other than where I am right now. I think a large part of my ability to appreciate this city is that I have lived sea-side for so much of my life. I had my time to appreciate the countless grains of sand and the white wash.  But I’m finding this city also has so much to offer, and the best part is – I haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg yet. There is still so much left to discover and experience.

I learned this week from my doorman (who I am slightly obsessed with – have you seen ABC’s Samantha Who?) that Indianapolis has the highest number of Monuments than any other city in the US (outside of Washington DC of course). This city is the second biggest city in the Midwest (next to Chicago) and I think it’s a hidden treasure because it’s #2 on both those lists. I’m so lucky to have found myself in this mini city – and the fact that it goes unnoticed to many California’s and New Yorkers makes me like it that much more.

Another find of mine – Downtown Zionsville, where I work, might as well be a movie set for how quaint and adorable it is. Unique places to lunch, a Bentley dealership, art galleries, friendly faces everywhere, little boutiques and cobblestones streets…

By the time this post is winding down, I’m still nursing my wine, eating my pasta – and sitting on my kitchen counter w/ my laptop (because I don’t exactly have all my furniture purchased yet). I can’t wait until the summer when I can roam downtown without getting in my car, and Saturdays can be spent poolside or at the Rathskeller with friends.

Indy has welcomed me with open arms, and I would gladly get on my knees and beg you to make a change like this in your life. Those of you who have remained in the same city for most of your adult lives, move! Do it. It’s hard, it’s an adjustment, expensive, and scary – and also could be the most rewarding experience you may ever have.