I was not sure how to start out this weekly blog post or who to talk about for my first post.  I asked my friends on Twitter for help, as I often do when I am stuck and don’t know where to go next.  The first suggestion I received was from @jelenawoehr.  I was sold from the second Jelena mentioned @GiniDietrich.  Usually, I would like to think that I am not such a pushover, but with a glowing suggestion like this one, I couldn’t say no:

Having never actually spent much time talking to Gini and being kind of a numbers guy, I decided to do a little research and find out what the analytics programs think of her:

Even though I am a fan of numbers, these numbers did not really give me anything ABOUT Gini as a person.  So, I decided to just go straight to the source and ask her about herself.  In what has become clear to me is true Gini fashion she replied:

From what I have gathered, Gini is a PR wiz with super powers of awesomeness.  I’m not kidding.  I have not had so many people tell me so many nice things about another person since the last election.  Here are a few examples of pieces of information I received about Gini:

I have found in my life that the people who I appreciate the most are those referred to as the “genuine article”.  After following Gini closely, or as I told her “I am going to stalk you for a while”, I could tell that when she engages people they come away fulfilled and motivated. She has a kind, straightforward and playful attitude about most everything on Twitter.

As a joke, @julito77 put Gini on a Grump List. Gini immediately responded with a “People who think I’m Grumpy” list, which has only one person on it.  It was all in good fun and actually pretty funny to watch it unfold.

While watching both her incoming and outgoing tweets, I was hard pressed to find a tweet that did not go unanswered and a good portion of the time she was initializing the conversation.  One thing I heard quite a bit was that Gini is a Go-getter who doesn’t drop the ball.  If she puts her mind to doing something, then it gets done.  Finding people who are consistent in everything they do and who especially can do this while generating a fan base group of friends like Gini has is a talent and skill.

Twitter User of The Week Q & A

@jelenawoehr nominated you for Twitter User of the Week. What do you think of her?

Jelena is one of the smartest people I know. The way her brain works is amazing to watch. She can assess an entire situation in seconds, watch, listen, and then add something to the conversation no one considered. I’ve been in business meetings with her before and she’s brilliant…even smarter than most people 30 and 40 years her senior.

What is your favorite Laffy Taffy Joke (One-liner joke)?

I don’t have one! They all make me roll my eyes. Dang. Hmmmm…

What is a question to which you would answer: “D. All of the above”? And, what are A, B, & C?

What is your favorite food?
A. Gelato
B. Cheese
C. French fries
D. All of the above

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Um, I brush my teeth, feed the dog, walk him, and check my email/Twitter/Facebook all at once. Then I ride my bike. Then I check email/Twitter/Facebook again. Then I shower. Then I go to work.

What would you do if you had a time machine?

I’d go back and give Peyton Manning food poisoning when the Bears played the Colts in the Super Bowl so that we won.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

Monkeys make me laugh. If you have to tell me bad news and you insert a monkey into the conversation, it will make me laugh. I wish monkeys didn’t throw poop. I would buy one, give him an ice cream cone, and walk down the street holding his hand.

What question would you add to this list?

What is the one thing that gets you out of bed every morning?

Who should I write about next week, and why?

Nancy Lyons (http://twitter.com/nylons). Nancy is the CEO of Clockwork Active Media Systems, a Web design and iPhone apps agency. She is the smartest woman business owner I know. She hires really smart people and trusts them to do their jobs. She once told me the job of the CEO is to hire smarter people than themselves and let them do what they do. She lives by this philosophy and has created a company that is one of the best places to work in Minneapolis (year over year) and is very family/work balance oriented. Plus, not only is she smart, she is (by far) the most funny person I know. If you feature her, you have to ask about her business partners working for Prince (or…the artist formerly known as).

Thank you Gini for being willing to be the first person on Twitter User of The Week.  Be sure to thank The Beast for not eating me too!

The Beast

To find out more about Gini Dietrich you can find her on Twitter or at her website, ArmentDietrich.com.

Thank you to @jelenawoehr, @delwilliams, @julito77, @4thGear, @AJDonovan, and especially @GiniDietrich for all the great information, insights and new friends!