With my first full-day starting this Wednesday, I will be working as a communications specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I am very excited for this opportunity and am also grateful for all of the experiences I’ve had working with the wonderful people at Grubb & Ellis|Adena Commercial.

Grubb & Ellis|Adena: It was a privelege to have spent the last year and a half as a part of your team. It was a wonderful learning experience that will long be remembered and appreciated.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital: I am so excited to join the hospital and take on this new role. I can’t wait to begin working with everyone, and thanks for the exciting opportunity!

You’re sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a cup of much-needed caffeine and reading a book. Someone comes in and takes a seat at the table next to you. Nothing unusual, so you continue to read until the book is snatched away. You look up to see it in your new neighbor’s hands. He peruses through it, drops it back down with a loud “klunk”, then pulls up a chair and begins talking about himself (completely unrelated to the book, which you thought may have been the reason to spark a conversation).

This happened to me a few weeks ago and needless to say, I mumbled an excuse about being late for a meeting and ended the conversation shortly thereafter.

Now, I’m very open to meeting new people and engaging in conversation; even when the dentist is vigorously cleaning my teeth and I can barely talk (but in my defense, he usually asks the questions first). For all I know, this guy could be a genius who just happened to stumble upon this coffee shop to share his grand wisdom with me. So what was it about this encounter that made me disinterested and a bit cautious?

It was the approach.

Let’s change the scenario a bit.

If the stranger began a conversation by saying something along the lines of “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but notice you were reading book xyz. What are your thoughts on the topic?”, we would have been playing a completely different ball game.

In our industry, we are encouraged to continually network. It’s not rocket science, but there’s certainly a bit of tact that should be incorporated into our approach when expanding our networks.

Be Relevant. Find out what interests them and use it to spark conversation.

Respect Goes a Long Way, so respect their time, their space and their communication habits. The same approach may not work for everyone. Instead, be aware of how they communicate and make sure you don’t breach their comfort zones, especially during the initial conversation.

Listen. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say. Everyone has an interesting story and comes with different experiences. Learn about who they are. Ask questions and create value in the conversation. Remember, communication is a two-way street.

Express Gratitude. Thank them for their time. Ask if you can connect with them in other ways (email, twitter, facebook, etc.). If you do, remember to follow-up with them. A great way to create value in the relationship is to connect them with others in your network who share their interests.

Last week, I was presented with such a challenge. At one moment, all logic and reason went in one direction while my intuition pulled the other way. Then, within a few moments, my instinct went with the opposite choice while reason tugged in disagreement. Needless to say, it was a difficult week as I tried to sort through a plethora of different thoughts.

After a lot of evaluating, talking and speculating through gritted teeth, a decision was made. Thankfully, the majority of my being and my confidants support the decision as the smart and “right” choice. Through the outcome of this decision, things may not be too easy for the time being. However, I’m finding solace in knowing that with every ordeal, there comes with an enormous opportunity for learning and development.

When the time is right, a very candid, open post about this experience will be shared with you. Until then, I will be living the results of it, knowing that there is no turning back, but there’s always a looking forward. The challenge, the decision and the final outcome will collectively serve as a valuable lesson. After all, it’s a part of growing up.

The following are a few “tweeps” who are taking big strides and are truly influential through this social media service.

Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy): As his Twitter ID suggests, Brian provides timely insight on the latest news developing in the NFL, at times with a bit of humor. As an avid football fan, His informative updates are particularly enjoyable and have most recently included authenticating NFL players’ Twitter accounts – although it was a sad day when he revealed that @OsiUmenyiora was not, in fact, the real Osi Umenyiora.

Valerie Simon (@ValerieSimon): A true leader in the PR world, Valerie provides refreshing insight and willingly shares her knowledge on the PR industry (check out her latest guest post here). She also hosts weekly “Twitterviews”, with PR agency CEOs and other well-known PR personalities, that have opened the door for informative, timely conversations.

JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue): From informative posts, such as weather alerts and travel tips, to responding to customer inquiries and hosting fun contests, JetBlue understands its customers and has immersed itself into their conversations. It’s definitely worth a follow to check out how they interact and engage with their customers.

So there you have it, my Follow Friday recommendations for today, with plenty more to come. Who are some of your favorites?

Two weeks ago, I attended a Central Ohio PRSA luncheon called “Branding Yourself in a Noisy World” where social media gurus, *Ben and Sandy Blanquera, shared a great presentation on personal branding. This topic is relevant and important to everyone, so I spoke with Sandy about using the presentation as a foundation for this blog post.

Six steps that will strengthen your personal brand:

1. Build Your Community Strength: Actively network. It sounds like common sense, but in order to build your brand, you need to be visible. Look for organizations where people share your interests and values. Be active in these organizations. Consistently connect with your network off-line and through social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).

2. Be Cohesive With Your Network: Listen and pay attention to the conversations around you. Add value to the discussions by being current and relevant. Remember that networking is a two-way street, so give more than you expect to receive. Another great way to add value is to connect your resources to each other.

3. Engage: Add energy to your network. Be interested. Ask questions and immerse yourself in the conversation. In the midst of all this, do not forget to listen and express interest in what you are hearing.

4. Manage Your Reputation: Have a target focus for your personal brand. Don’t be afraid to seek out a mentor for some honest feedback.

5. Distinguish Yourself: Make your messages something people will listen to. Be distinctive. Connect with your audience in different ways, not just through the internet. Sure, the internet is great. It gives you the power and convenience to sit behind your computer and connect with hundreds of people without actually saying a word. Regardless, get out there. Meet your contacts in person and have a face-to-face conversation. It never hurts to give someone an all-around solid impression of yourself that can only be produced through a personal meeting.

6. Be Consistent: Every time we interact with someone, a brushstroke is being added to the painting that depicts a grand picture of our personal brand. It’s impossible to maintain a strong personal brand if there are discrepancies in your messaging. In that regard, also be honest about who you are.

*Ben and Sandy Blanquera are the founders of TechLife Columbus. Sandy is also the founder of Awesome Women in Business and is the principal and social media strategist at Social Boomerang. Follow Ben and Sandy on Twitter: @bblanquera and @sblanquera.

Click here to view additional information from the March 19 PRSA luncheon on Slideshare.

Marketing is everywhere. It’s a friend recommending a local restaurant, a radio ad you hear on your way to work or a simple tweet containing your cousin’s friend’s co-worker’s random (or not-so-random) thoughts. There is a constant exchange of ideas and opinions that inevitably fall under the marketing umbrella in any given second of every single day.

The continual evolution of technology and social media gives us the ability to reach thousands of people at any given moment in time. As marketers, we are challenged to embrace these tools in order to enhance communication with our audiences. Marketing is no longer a one-way street. It has become more important than ever for us to engage and participate in conversation, build relationships and clearly communicate our messages.

I’m looking forward to sharing relevant, current and informative messages with you. I’m even more excited for the potential of boundless insight that is awaiting to be shared by anyone who would like to participate in discussions, share their input and provide feedback following the posts.

Until next time!