For the Love of Outback

Debbie and I after we met for the first time

Well, last night it finally happened.  Yes, that's right...Debbie Gibson and I finally met in real life.  For those of you who are new to the blog, you might be wondering what the big deal is.  However, there is quite the back story that you need to catch up on.  :)

See, I've been a fan of Debbie's since her teen pop sensation days of the late 1980's.  Her hit "Lost in Your Eyes" was my junior prom theme in 1989.  I've got several of her cassettes.  Yes, I may have even had a slight celebrity crush on her like a lot of my 17-year-old friends.

Fast forward to a year and a half ago.  My friends at Outback Steakhouse, who I had gotten to know through the power of Twitter, sent me 40 presents to give away in conjunction with my 40th birthday.  After giving a bunch away to friends and family and then branching out to people in the community, members of the news media, our town's mayor, and even Jungle Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo, I saved the best for last.  I was determined to try to get the final present to Debbie Gibson.  Yes, it took lots of tweets and nearly five months after my birthday to do it, but Debbie got the final present and was even nice enough to send a fun video that she filmed from the dressing room of the Tonight Show to mark the occasion.

A little over a year has passed since then.  Debbie and her publicist, Elizabeth Neff, have both been nice enough to correspond with me from time to time via Twitter.  When I noticed on Debbie's website that she would be in Ohio for a concert at the end of June, I started to think that maybe I would finally get the opportunity to meet her.  As the day of the event drew closer, I sent her a couple of messages.  Before I knew it, her production manager, Rob, was calling me on the phone and telling me what I needed to do to meet her at the concert.

I was stoked!  Despite being a big fan, I had never even seen her in concert.  And now, I was going to get to go backstage and meet her!  Was this really happening?!?

Saturday came and I made the drive to Cincinnati through lots of rain.  I was worried that maybe the concert, which was outdoors, would get canceled.  However, the rain stopped about the time that I arrived and before I knew it the time had come to meet Rob and go see her.

I don't know about you, but too often we put celebrities on pedestals as better than everyone else.  However, whatever expectations I had for meeting Debbie quickly vanished the moment I walked in her dressing room with Rob.

As soon as she saw me, she gave me a big hug and immediately acted like I was a long lost friend she had known forever.  We talked and laughed.  Next thing I knew, I realized that it was just Debbie and I hanging out and chatting as Rob had disappeared to take care of some things.  Seriously, could it have been a cooler experience.  What could have been intimidating was not because of how kind she was by going out of her way to make me feel special.  She is a very genuine person and it was really easy to talk to her.

I left the dressing room and waited outside while she made last-minute preparations for her show.  I was able to stand on stage and watch the whole performance.  It was great!  She sang lots of her old songs ("Shake Your Love", "Lost in Your Eyes", "Only in My Dreams", "Electric Youth", and "Foolish Beat",  and even a tribute medley of songs by other artists that she enjoyed back in the day.  Debbie is definitely a performer and did a great job vocally as well as interacting and connecting with the crowd.  And she has endless energy, too.  She even rolled with the punches when a stray dog got loose on stage and she led the crowd in "Who Let the Dogs Out".  She also didn't miss a beat during her rendition of "Lost in Your Eyes" when she had to whack a mosquito who had landed on her arm mid-song.

Debbie heading out to the stage to get the concert started

I had so much fun throughout the concert as she would came on and off stage walking right past me.  Before the first song, I gave her a fist bump.  I had no idea what the protocol was or what I should do.  Guess that came from working with student-athletes every day.  LOL  I also had fun chatting with Rob and her two dancers, Eddie and Buddy.  Everyone was just incredibly cordial and fun.

When the concert ended, I had the chance to talk to Debbie for a couple more minutes before she headed off to meet her fans and sign autographs at the merchandise tent.  She even paused long enough to record a quick message with me for our mutual friends at Outback.  Probably the most impressive thing for me all night was being about 45 minutes into my three-hour drive home and getting a message from her saying that she enjoyed meeting me finally.  Seriously, Debbie, you are the best!


Well, it's been a little over 24 hours now since the fun night and I'm still buzzing over how much fun it was.  We may never cross paths again (although I'm really going to push Outback to let us both be in a commercial 'cause Debbie may be a bigger fan of theirs than I am and that's saying something), but for one night she was kind enough to take the time to get to know me a little better while allowing me a glimpse into what life is like for her.  What a cool thing to do!

Thanks, Debbie, for a fun-filled evening.  Thanks, Outback, for helping to connect me with someone I know can call a friend.  And thanks, Twitter, for once again showing me that anything is possible if you work at being yourself to establish a relationship with someone else.  I can't wait to see what will happen next.

Debbie and I after the concert

Outback Surprise Comes Full Circle

Those of you who know me very well know that eating good food is one of my passions and that Outback Steakhouse ranks at the top of my list of places to eat. Most of you who are familiar with this blog probably also remember how Outback shocked me with a package full of "Outback Surprises" for me and 40 of my friends on my 40th birthday back in November. As you can see in that recap, I had fun distributing the prizes to various people and even making some new friends like Mount Vernon mayor Richard Mavis and Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo along the way.

Well, it took a little bit of detective work and then some patience, but I was able to get the Outback Surprise concept to go full circle much to the surprise and delight of the social media folks at Outback. When they sent me the box, the only directions they provided were to watch the video on the flash drive that was enclosed. It was highlights from Lucas Jatoba's 30th birthday in Australia when he wrapped up 30 presents and gave them to random people. It's basically what inspired Outback's birthday idea for me. Outback didn't ask me to do anything else...they left it up to me as to what I would do with all the wrapped presents.

That's where I feel like Outback made a great choice in choosing me. I saw this as an opportunity to once again prove the power of social media and especially Twitter to others. I tracked down Lucas and got him to follow me on Twitter. He was kind enough to give me his mailing address after reading my initial blog, and I shipped him one of the surprises with the only requirement that he film himself opening it so I could include him among my videos. The biggest catch was that once the package got to Australia he was out of the country until the beginning of February. However, once he returned home, he was quick to hold up his end of the bargain and you can see the video below:


Once again, I have to say a huge thanks to the folks at Outback who have made me feel like part of their immediate family. If you aren't following them on Twitter (@Outback), you need to because they interact with everyone in a very personable way. Just tell them that @MVNUSID sent you and they'll take good care of you.

Oh, and one final note...If you have been counting the Outback Surprise giveaways (and I know that some of you were), you'll probably point out to me that I only gave out 39 of them. That is correct. While the hope was that Lucas was going to get the 40th one, I still have one that has yet to be delivered. And, with my wife rolling her eyes as I type this, it's got Debbie Gibson's name on it. :) Yes, being a fan of 80's music, I'm a big Debbie Gibson fan and I thought she would be a fun person to try to get involved with this 40th birthday fun.

So, Debbie, help me finish off this project and take a quick break from your Celebrity Apprentice duties to be a part of what has been a pretty entertaining adventure for me. Everyone around me tells me that I won't get you to do it AND I've also had to explain to a lot of people 25 and younger who you are. However, I have a feeling that you'll come through for one of your fans 'cause that's just the kind of person you are. I know this request is "Out of the Blue", but help me show people that "Anything is Possible". Thanks in advance, Debbie! :)

On Your Mark...

First, let me start this post with a disclaimer....I am NOT a running expert. I am still a newbie when it comes to the amount of time I've spent, the miles I've run, and the races I've entered.

OK, with that in mind, for whatever reason I've been getting approached by a lot of people recently with questions on how to get started running. Maybe it's because my last post recapped my first year of running. Maybe it's because people know that I'm a guy with a pretty busy daily schedule who has somehow made it work for at least a year. Maybe it's because people think to themselves that "if Dave Parsons can run then so can I".

Actually, I'm fine with all three. :) And, with National Running Day being celebrated today (June 1), there is no better time than right now to begin that journey and take up running.

One of the first things that you need to do as you think about running is to have realistic expectations. If you haven't been doing much in the way of physical activitiy, running just one mile is probably going to be pretty tough for you. However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it. It just means that you don't need to beat yourself up if you have to walk part or most of the way when you get started.

Along those regards, it would be helpful to follow a training program. There are many free ones available online. I've used different variations of Hal Higdon's programs and they seem to work quite well for me. My wife, Carla, has also followed his half marathon program and done three races of that distance successfully. For people just starting out, I would suggest either the 5K Walker's Program or the 5K Novice Program.

With realistic goals set and a training program in place, it is also important to get the right kind of shoes. This will be different for everyone. If there is a running store in your area, they can help you find exactly the right shoes for your feet. Wearing the right footwear for your stride will go a long way in lessoning the risk of injuries as you start this journey. Also, get good socks to help prevent blistering.

Now, you are ready to head either to the treadmill, a local trail, or just around the neighborhood. I would strongly encourage you to track your miles either on a spreadsheet, a journal, or one of many online sites or phone apps. While you don't want to be caught up worrying about time and distance at the start, it will provide a source of encouragement to you as you see the miles add up and the times get faster. You can also get great encouragement and a sense of accountability by posting your runs on sites such as Daily Mile, Facebook, or Twitter to name a few.

The best way to make running stick is to work it into your daily routine until it just becomes second nature and a part of your lifestyle. For me, that means getting up an hour earlier each day and running at 6 a.m. That has worked best in our schedule. Yes, it means that I have to get to bed a little earlier than I used to, but that isn't such a bad thing either.

One other thing that could really help you in this journey if you can pull it off is to find someone to run with. Even if it's not every day or even if you have to do this virtually through social media, it makes a big difference. When I started running, I did it alone. Sure, there were other people at the trail where I ran, but I ran alone. However, I had a friend, Jay, who was just starting to run, too, and we encouraged each other via social media. It didn't matter that he lives in Kentucky and that I'm in Ohio. We stayed after each other and helped each other get to the point that running had become a habit. We've since been able to run together on several occasions including in the first half marathon for both of us last October in Columbus.

And, that brings me to my final suggestion for new runners...pick out a local 5K race and pay to enter it. That's right, don't wait until you are experienced...do it now. Paying the fee will keep you accountable to your training. Just make sure to give yourself enough time to complete the basic training program. Remember, you can always walk it if you have to and a lot of the local 5K races are for charitable causes so you'll be doing something for others regardless. Trust me, though, you'll enjoy the race day experience and you'll be hooked once you do one. :)


To my friends who are more experienced at running than me, please add your suggestions to this post. To my friends who are left still looking for answers after this post, ask away and I'll do my best or find an expert who will answer your question. And, to anyone who reads this post and then starts on the running journey, please let me know because I want to support and encourage you just like so many have done for me. The running community is truly great at that!

With all that said, I leave you with the lyrics to, of all things, a song from the 1970 Christmas special "Santa Claus is Coming to Town":

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

You never will get where you’re going
If you never get up on your feet
Come on, there’s a good tail wind blowing
A fast walking man is hard to beat

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If you want to change your direction
If your time of life is at hand
Well don’t be the rule be the exception
A good way to start is to stand

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

If I want to change the reflection
I see in the mirror each morn
You mean that it's just my election
To vote for a chance to be reborn

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door

...get set...GO!!!

Lowe's and Behold...Christmas and Social Media

Like most people out there, I love a good giveaway or contest. Thanks to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, there are lots of opportunities these days for fans and followers of companies or organizations to grab some great swag.

The latest social media marketing frenzy began on Friday at 10 a.m. ET when Lowe's began their three-day Gift-A-Thon through their Facebook fan page with roughly 380,000 followers at the time. I 'liked' their page and RSVP'd for the event in order to be eligible if I happened to be one of the lucky ones to be fast enough each time they gave away coupons for 90 percent off some great items.

There was an initial glitch when the first item posted as the response was so great with so many people logging into the site that it shut down the contest server. After a little while, Lowe's got things back up and running and despite a hiccup here and there things have been pretty much smooth sailing ever since. I've managed to get through on a couple of the items, but haven't been fast enough to get one of the coveted 90 percent off coupons. However, the only thing I really need is 90 percent off a new stove since our oven went kaput on Friday night. Oh well, it's probably keeping me from gaining weight since it's kept my wife from making Christmas cookies.

As someone who is intrigued by the dynamics of social media, I've been interested to watch several different aspects. First, there are two types of followers on Lowe's page. There are the complainers who don't win, the ones who think the contest is bogus and that the winners don't really exist, and the ones who get mad at Lowe's when there are technical difficulties. I feel sorry for them. It's not like we are entitled to anything from Lowe's. They are being generous by giving us the opportunity to get some amazing deals. Sure, it's a marketing strategy, but that doesn't mean we deserve anything other than a chance to try. We are the ones who have chosen to spend our time trying to win.

The second group of followers is the one that I've enjoyed. The people who are grateful to participate and the people who have used this as their own personal stand-up comedy audition. I have to admit that I've been one of the latter. When the first item went up and the problems happened, I took that opportunity to try my hand at humor. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 'likes' from total strangers start pouring in. I then went back and started reading other comments and was cracking up. I ended up sending a tweet to Conan O'Brien - well, we do have a history - and telling him to check out the site for some good laughs.

I didn't really think any more about it because I know that Conan probably gets thousands of tweets mentioning him each day. What was funny was that all of a sudden I ended up in a conversation with the Lowe's Twitter account. They retweeted my Conan tweet and then followed up with several other tweets. It sparked one of my friends, Nate Okuley, to tweet about this and Lowe's quickly responded. The was the start of about five or six messages back and forth with Lowe's despite the fact that the manager of that account was probably in the midst of one of the busiest days of his or her job. Since then, we've exchanged a couple of other tweets and I'm hoping that the mystery person shoots me a message from their personal account once the promotion is all over. I'm amazed at the way they have handled what could have been a stressful situation with just as much humor as Conan and his team of writers. (Yep, I just threw down the gauntlet, Conan.)

On a serious note, one of the reasons that I like social media and especially Twitter is the ability to connect with a brand on a more personal level. As people who follow me on Twitter or Facebook can attest, I am always quick to incorporate brands into my tweets and I believe in acknowledging the ones that I like. What is important to me, though, is feeling some kind of interaction with those brands and it is amazing how much a simple tweet back from one of them can have on customer loyalty. Along those regards, I have to give Subway and Staples a shoutout, too, as I've heard back from both of them this week as well.

As for measuring Lowe's success for this weekend's promotion, it doesn't take a genius to realize that their marketing department was on to something by initiating this. Their Facebook fan page has been bombarded with visitors and over 100,000 people have 'liked' it since I did on Friday morning. A quick glance at the comments, likes, and links posted on the page shows that there have been well over 1,000,000 interactions on the site this weekend. Even though all of it hasn't been positive thanks to the first group I mentioned above, it HAS been a success. And, I take my hat off to the person (or persons) managing the social media accounts and all of those messages. Wow, talk about getting some overtime! However, as you can see from this recent tweet to me from Lowe's about the promotion, they love what's happening.

Be Careful What You Tweet

Hi, my name is Dave and I'm a social media addict. Yes, I am going to admit what my wife has been telling me for awhile now.

First, it was Facebook and reconnecting with old friends from high school and college or getting to know work associates better as well as adding all my every-day friends. It made picture-sharing of my kids so much easier and provided a way to keep up with what's happening in the lives of my friends.

Then, along came Twitter. I signed up, but was very skeptical at first. I liked Facebook so much that I felt that Twitter was basically just Facebook status updates. And, I really couldn't find very many of my Facebook friends on Twitter. It seemed like it was just total strangers and celebrities.

Fast forward a year later and I am now a huge Twitter fan. Those total strangers have become some great tweeps. Being in a PR-related field as a college sports information director, I have started following a lot of great PR people in all industries. This has become a great way to share ideas through discussions like #sportsPRchat and #SIDchat and also a great support network through initiatives like #HAPPO.

And, when it comes to celebrities, I have enjoyed following some of them and even interacting with a few of them. However, one set of interactions over the past week or so has been quite the case study in social media for me.

Just like over 600,000 other people, I started following @ConanOBrien when he joined Twitter after having the Tonight Show taken back from him by Jay Leno. I was amazed at the rate by which his followers grew, but not surprised because of the outcry after he was released. Obviously, his popularity is probably at an all-time high.

After a couple of days of Conan's once-per-day tweets, I realized that he was still not following anyone. For me, it intrigues me to see who celebrities follow. I'm not sure why, but it does. The fact that Conan wasn't following anyone yet seemed like an opportunity for maybe something special.

So, on March 2 at 11:46 p.m., I sent him a tweet that said "@ConanOBrien, I think you should follow someone random and anonymous like me for your first follow just to make people go 'Hmmmm....' :)" Yes, it was a shameless plug for myself, but I thought that it was a good idea.

Fast forward a couple of days and poof....Conan apparently took my suggestion and followed @LovelyButton. She instantly went from three followers to now over 20,000. She and Conan have now been all over the news and just today Conan announced that he'll be doing a multi-city tour. There have been several articles about all of this including my favorite one in the LA Times.

I say all of this not to toot my horn or draw attention to myself. As someone who by the very nature of my job is used to promoting other people, I chalk this one up to just that...promoting someone else. I just find it kind of cool to think that I actually started the ball rolling on it.

People who know me know that two of my favorite things are meeting new people and connecting people with like interests. I enjoy trying to help people find jobs that fit their skill set and desires, I enjoy introducing people with mutual interests, and I've even tried my hand a few times at match-making (although my wife strongly suggests that I just mind my own business and let things take their course there and she's probably right).

This is my first take at writing a blog and I'm not sure where it's even headed in days to come. One thought that I had was to introduce to the world some of the great people that I've gotten to know thanks to Twitter and also share some of the fun experiences that I have as they happen. It never ceases to amaze me just how small this world is...we are all connected. My goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of those I come in contact with.