No such thing as a banal tweet

I was recently asked to write about 'How Twitter can boost your networking and bring you new clients' for a newsletter I write for regularly. I've been on Twitter for more than a year now and am loving it - it's by far my favourite social networking tool and I have been giving talks to my local Athena groups about it and how to use it to your benefit.

Of course the comments that people make are interesting especially those who to date have not tried it but have picked up, usually through the media, info regarding the fact that it's all about what you had for lunch! I love the turn around that often comes when I explain what you can write in 140 characters and how it can promote and leverage your business as well as increase your networking.

One of the things I mentioned in the article was that 'I might even comment, as I did yesterday, on the blackberries on one of my favourite walks. That tweet got about 10 responses, with people sending recipes, saying I’d inspired them to go out and commenting on the importance of getting out in the fresh air.'

That tweet is still getting comments and the discussion has gone on over the weekend. Now that's exactly the kind of tweet some might label as 'banal' but it's my experience that tweets like this are the ones that really heighten your profile because they are the tweets that people relate to, the ones that show people you may be like-minded, the ones through which people get a feel for you and as they build the relationship, they want to do business with you at all.

Yes, people go to my blog and website when I tweet, yes, they ask for help and assistance but this tweet is the one that's got the most responses ever.

As Joel Comm, the man who wrote Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time would say tweets like this are ‘a little bit of human interaction’

Liquorice for ever!!

Love it when I come across info that backs up what I believe or lets me know that something I do is good for my health. Discovered this today and wanted to share it with you.

If you have a sweet tooth and you're trying to cut down on your intake, how do you cope when you get that sweet urge? Well I know we can try and work through it and if we succeed we feel very virtuous but what if the urge just gets stronger and stronger?

One thing I do is to chew/eat liquorice but of course as it is sweet, I often wonder if it's really a healthier way of getting that fix. Well, apparently it is.

In China liquorice is known as 'the Great Detoxifier' and actually it seems as if this is a bit of a superfood with all that it can do. Among the benefits it bestows is the ability to:

• ease asthmatic coughs
• relieve exhaustion and stress
• balance hormones
• offer pain relief
• reduce inflammation
• cure hangovers
• help lose weight

Well all this has helped me feel better about it so I'm out to build up my stock. The only thing lacking in information about the amount you can eat so when I find that out, I'll pass it on. Happy chewing.

Dancing's great for your health.

As someone who has just got into Salsa dancing, I was delighted to read that research conducted by Queens University in Belfast found that regular dancing helps you age well. Now isn't that good news.

According to Anthropology lecturer Johnathan Skinner "Dancing alleviates social isolation, gives us something to live for and literally takes away the aches and pains of ageing"

I've only been doing Salsa for two lessons with my wonderful husband and we love it. Our teacher Lou, tells us we are doing really well and we can regularly be found salsaing round the kitchen as we prepare dinner.

All work and no play, well you know what they say.

Why is it that when we know that taking a break, as in days off, is good for us and when we have oodles of research that backs it up, do nearly 25% of British employees not take their full holiday entitlement?

According to info in the most recent Management Today, it's because they fear redundancy if they aren't there. Very sad but probably true.

Come on everyone, let's get wise on this one. No-one should give up their life to their employer, we all have lives outside work and need balance in those lives. Even if you take a long weekend, you'll benefit so start scheduling in some breaks and reap the benefits of being more productive and efficient; less stressed and a much nicer person to be around.

And no taking the work phone, computer etc away with you, go cold turkey and have a real break. Who knows you may even want to do it again, I so hope so.