Lately, I’ve been intrigued by Twitter.com. I’m so interested in the power of this web site/social networking tool that I keep it on all day long.

Today, Peter Shankman in Help A Reporter Out (HARO) mentioned a list of people to follow in twitter. The people ranged from reporters and bloggers to PR folks and social media gurus. So, I decided to follow the folks. Why not? Maybe I’ll get some media leads for our clients, maybe I’ll meet some new business possibilities or maybe I’ll just make a few more friends…

The world is really changing and twitter is the next best thing…. Twitter away!

In preparation for the upcoming Long Island Business News Golf Classic on Monday, August 4 at the Brookville Country Club in Glen Cove, NY, I wrote this article that will appear in Long Island Business News on August 8.

—————————————

If you are a golfer, you know that every time you go out on the course, it’s a new game. Some days you play like you are an expert getting one or two under par and other days you play like a beginner, missing shots and sometimes even missing the ball!

Since it’s a new game every time, it makes the game even more addicting. You want to play as much as possible so that you don’t fumble the ball and get the shots you want when you want them.

Most people who are in business play golf. It’s a necessity, especially here on Long Island. There are charity golf outings every week from the spring through the fall. Each charity has its merit but it’s important to be selective so that you get the most out of your charity dollars, network with the right people and get back from doing good.

Here are some tips:

• How to choose a Charity?
If you believe in the cause and want to support the charity, then go to the outing. You may also have a connection with the honorees or it may be a group that you would like to get involved with. Make sure to meet the executive director and key Board Members who will introduce you to others to get the most out of this networking opportunity.

• Are there networking opportunities?
Golf is one of the oldest and most rewarding networking opportunities out there. You have four to six hours of quality time that you are spending with three other people. Make the most of it. Get to know your partners. Find out about them personally and talk about things you have in common.

• When should you talk business?
Should you talk about business on the second hole, fifth hole or the 14th hole? Don’t talk about business until the time is right. Make sure not to start off by talking about business because this can turn your partners off. Get to know the person first and then find out what they do. Develop a relationship that could be long lasting and not superficial. The relationship will lead to potential work not the one shot deal!

• Should women play with men?
Both men and women love the game so why not play together? Men like to bet on holes. Women like to do that too. Just enjoy the outing and don’t be so competitive, enjoy yourself and enjoy the day.

• Should you go to the reception?
Most people leave after the golf but if you really want to get the most out of your golf dollars, stay and enjoy the cocktail reception. You will meet others who played in the tournament and get to know more people who love to play the game like you do. This will help you build more lasting relationships.

• Follow up?
Don’t forget to follow up. The cliché, “out of sight out of mind,” is true. The more you are in front of people without being “salesy” the better. Try to go out for coffee once a quarter and learn what your golf mates have done. Talk about ways in which you can partner and work together.

Golf is a great business development tool if used appropriately and by following these steps. After some time at these outings, you will find yourself with a multitude of awards and great contacts that will last a lifetime!

The field of medicine has changed radically. Physicians have become more like businessmen getting patients in and out as quickly as possible. It’s all about numbers.

I’m sure you’ve experienced waiting in the waiting room for more than an hour to see your doctor and when you are finally called in, you’re there for two minutes?

It becomes very frustrating to a patient because our time is not valued.

Sometime after I had a skiing accident in February where I hurt my knee, I started to feel numbness in my hands, feet and face. I made an appointment with Dr. George Lowey in Long Beach. Dr. Lowey is one of those “old fashioned” doctors who really seem to care. He immediately sent me for tests to find out if it were diabetes or a vitamin deficiency. When the tests came back normal, he sent me to a neurologist.

I called his referral and made an appointment. I had to wait a month to see this guy. In the meantime, I spoke with Dr. Brian Cooperman of Northern Obstetrics.

“You have to see Dr. Haimovic,” he said, “he’s the best.”

So I canceled my appointment with the other neurologist and made an appointment with Dr. Haimovic in Great Neck.

After waiting nearly an hour in his north shore office, I met with Dr. Hamolvic. He spent literally two minutes talking with me and then gave me a series of tests. He suggested I go for further testing, which I did. Again, the tests were negative.

I called his office at least 10 times to get an answer on the results and no one called me back. He just told me to come back in three months.

Why three months?

I called him again, this time very persistent. “I need to talk with the doctor and need to talk with him now,” I said.

“What is wrong with me? I don’t understand why I feel this way and it’s not going away. Can you explain it?” I asked.

“No, I have no idea what is wrong. I know what it is not but I have no clue. Maybe you should get a second opinion,” he said. “I’ll send you over your chart and you can go wherever you want.”

He’s the best? Was Dr. Cooperman kidding me???

The next day, I get a call from his office. “Where should we fax the chart? What’s Dr. Lowey’s fax number?”

“I thought you were sending direct to me?” I said. Now, I’m starting to feel like Elaine in the Seinfeld episode, “The Package,” where she looks at the chart and sees that the doctor calls her a difficult patient because she didn’t want to wear a paper gown.

“It’s .75 cents a page,” he told me. “If I sent to your primary, it’s free.”

Oye! Send to my primary…. I just can’t believe that this guy is the best when he only looks at the surface and doesn’t go beyond that!

It seems to me that if it’s not a clear diagnosis, the physicians don’t want to go above and beyond to find out what’s really wrong.

The more people I talk with about this the more I’m finding that it’s the norm and to me this is very disturbing that you need to take your health into your own hands to determine your own destiny!

In the 1980′s when Blondie wrote, “one way or another, I’m gonna find you, I’m gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha…,” she must have been peeking into the future!

Between cell phones, emails, instant messages, twitter and Facebook, there’s nowhere to hide. If someone wants to find you, and talk with you, they will find you.

Do you remember the first cell phone? No one ever thought these huge phones that resembled a loaf of bread would ever catch on. I remember my mother used to say, “how can something be that important that you can’t wait to call the person at home or in the office.” If it were an emergency or something urgent, you used the pay phone that appeared on every corner of every street.

Today, not too many people use the pay phone anymore. It’s common to see every other person on the street, especially in Manhattan, talking to himself because he’s on either a cell phone, Blackberry, or Ipod.

This morning, I was talking with my husband about ways in which we communicate. “I really don’t like it when you call my cell phone, especially during the day,” he told me. “You usually call me and I’m in the middle of something.”

“How should I communicate with you?” I said.

“Send me an email. That’s the best way,” he answered. “I’ll open it when I have the time to open it and it’s not intrusive like everything else.”

“I wish you would use instant message,” I said. “It would be so much easier. Or, at the very least, use text messages.”

“Forget it,” he said.

But today, talk to anyone younger than 40 and you’ll find that text messaging, instant messaging and Facebook are the preferred use of communications.

My Aunt Ann says she always tries to get me. She calls me on my house phone, my work phone and my cell phone and still can’t get me. But has she ever tried IM or email?

The best way to get me is probably either email, IM or Facebook. I’m also on Twitter and some other social networking sites. What I like most about instant message is that it’s quicker, faster and in real time. There are no hour-long conversations like in the past, you say what needs to be said and you move on….

How do you prefer to communicate?

The other day, Peter Shankman of HARO sent out a query from a reporter at a woman’s magazine asking for places one goes to think to be creative.

Since we are a creative group, I decided to survey a few of the HJMT folks:

“I take a long, hot shower,” said Kristie Galvani, Senior VP.

“I snuggle in my bed and get great ideas,” said Lisa Gordon, Supervisor who is now running the new HJMT Rochester office.

“I take a walk on the beach,” said Allie Herzog, New Media Director.

I also asked Jon of of J.E.G. Design, “I go on the Internet and surf the web,” he said.

What do I do? I go to sleep, wake up at 3 am and I have the most amazing ideas. I open up my laptop computer, which stays at the side of my bed and I jot stuff down.

Sometimes, I think people think I’m nuts because I’m sending emails out at 3 am. But then, as I talk with more people, I realize that I’m not the only one sending out stuff at 3 am. Oftentimes, when I send out an email at 3 am, I get one back!

Where do you think?