Hey Folks!

We’ve got a special treat! A Tweep and blogger, Fiona Cullinan, is traveling to SXSWi and couldn’t pass up on the chance to visit the other “Birmingham” while she was in the states. Since she’s just passing through, she’ll only be here Sunday, March
7th. We’re going to meet up at On Tap Sports Bar starting at about 5pm (Google Map Here)

This is really a great opportunity to have a chance to see how our friend in “Brum” (Birmingham, UK) are using blogging, twitter, and other Social Media tools! Can’t wait to see you there!!!

Yesterday, I took part in something special.

The Women’s Fund is an organization that fund different projects and organizations that support domestic violence programs here in the greater Birmingham area as well as the state. Yesterday, they partnered with NBC 13 HD to sponsor a “blog-a-thon”. They made an open call to bloggers in the area to come in and talk to those on the front lines fighting domestic violence. Judges, survivors, officers, directors and fundraisers all gathered together not only to raise funds for the Women’s Fund but to raise awareness about Domestic Violence.

Having all these resources together in one place was a great because you could trace the progression of domestic violence as it escalates through the system. From disputes to investigations, judges to rehabilitation, survival to prevention, there were many stories told in the NBC 13 conference room. Here are just a few that I was able to capture…

Officers Kareem Easley and Coleecia Cainion – These officers are just a couple of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day. Domestic Violence accounts for over 70% of all police calls, which are the most dangerous calls that are received. Why? Sometimes, remorse turns to reaction and causes the accuser to lash out. Going into a strange environment, officers must be aware of hidden weapons and bring no less that 2 officers to any of theses calls. If the dispute has escalated to bodily harm, the aggressor is arrested and is held for a minimum of 12 hours. This is enough time for the victim to gather enough belongings and leave the scene. Once charges are pressed, they cannot be dropped. These officers prepare a “docket”, consisting of incident reports, photos, and a body chart describing the physical harm that is turned over to…

Investigators Kenneth Walton, Kieron Floyd, and Chris Lampley – past and present members of the Birmingham Domestic Violence Unit – These investigators do the followup interviewing the witnesses and getting warrants for both misdemeanor and felony cases. Each individual see over 90 cases of domestic violence a year. The work that they do is the groundwork for…

Judge Locke Donaldson, Jefferson County Family Court – Judge Locke is just one of the many judges in the Birmingham area that deal with domestic violence cases. While he deals exclusively with cases involving children, he has the ability to issue PFAs and restraining orders, which he never orders without actually meeting with the victim. He reads the body language and the physical look of the victim. He recalled one woman who asked for help and followed through, saying that she looked 2,000% better from when they first met. She simply said to him, “I feel safe”.

Wes Goodenough, Gateway Family and Child Services – Some offenders are ordered by the court to seek help. Gateway provides a program called the Violence Intervention Program. This program is designed to hold offenders accountable for their actions, not just the abuse. Depending on the type and severity of the abuse, there are programs ranging from weekly meetings to on-site rehabilitation.

Tahiera Brown, survivor – I don’t want to speak too much for Tahiera because I promise you her words are much more moving than mine. The fact that she is alive is living proof that there is hope for those who feel like helpless victims of Domestic Violence.

Joan Sulzman, Alabama Coalition against Domestic Violence – Having worked in just about every facet of advocacy for Domestic Violence for the last 25 years, Joan is currently working to inform employers and their employees about domestic violence in the workplace. It’s esitmated that employeers across the country lose about 3-5 billion in revenue each year because of absences, medical costs, and distractions during hours. Building a culture of safety at work is just the right thing to do.

Please head over to NBC 13 and read more from the other local bloggers about domestic violence and consider making a donation to The Women’s Fund.

So, I’ve decided to eat the $25 that I spent to go to the Politics4All.com Social Media Workshop and spend another $35 to head over to Vulcan for the “More Clients = More Money” .

As I attested to in an earlier post, I’m not a huge fan of politics. I guess I was looking for a legitimate excuse to not drive down to Montgomery (though I hate that I’ll be missing Paul Chaney speak, again). And I’m thinking more and more that a gathering of Media Professionals will be a touch more interesting.

I’m also looking forward to hearing Phyllis Neill and Andy Ford, two great entrepreneur here in town. Not to mention Tammy Hart…

Going to be great people, don’t wanna miss it!

(PS – if anyone wants my ticket to the Political Social Media Workshop in Montgomery email me)

David Griner and crew over at Luckie are hosting a great panel over at the Virginia Samford Theatre on (you guessed it) Marketing to the Modern Mom. David and crew have brought in blogging moms and marketers to help you and your business connect with web savy Moms.

And I hear that if you put in the code “FRIENDOFWADE” you get $10 off… and a hug from local blogger/writer/editor Wade Kwon (made that last part up, no hug guaranteed)

20)@MarkusAD – Birmingham Radio Personality

19)@aldotcom – AL web presence staple

18)@AllAboutAlabama – Alabama History via Twitter, thanks to the Encyclopedia of Alabama

17)@bhamfolkfest – Folk Festival in October that’s tweeting NOW. Gotta love it!

16)@GovernorRiley – even the ‘Gubna twitters…

15)@ArturDavis – Not to mention one of the other candidates for ‘Gubna… He is still running, right?

14)@Urban_Standard – Coffee/Cafe downtown, I heard the name before…

13)@BottletreeCafe – Great bar. Great Drinks. Great People. And Free wifi. Bug ups for the free wifi

12)@ParcHDVideo – He Shoots. He Edits. He makes cool things. Follow. Now.

11)@theVT – Great to see more food places on Twitter. They are even advertizing twitter only spcials. Big points from SMB for that one…

10)@UABGangGreen, @UABAthletics – I <3 UAB. No way they don't make this list. Sorry, UA/AU peeps... At least I admited it, and they are 10...

9)@ZoomOutNews – Ole’ college buddy of mine. We took Narritive Filmmaking I together. Trust me people, she knows of what she speaks…

@BarberMotorPark – I found them just before the 45th Mustang anniversary Party. So cool to see twitters about Mustangs Across America and The Swedish renting ‘Stangs

7)@barcampbham – the un-conference that is totally rocking this year…

6)@willblogforshoe – Wife, mom, recovering shoe addict. – Her twitter profile says it all…

5)@WadeOnTweets – Late to twitter, early to blogging. If you like to read blogs at all, time to follow him and read his blog. And haiku.

4)@PepperPlace – Every year, I get a jar of Alabama Honey from this place… speaking of which, I’m outta honey…

3)@sheconomy – Female Marketer and Blogger in Birmingham with great perspectives…

2)@docartemis – Birmingham Podcaster, ER Doc, and avid twitterer…

1)@pubinfo – City of Birmingham’s Twitter feed. Yes, the City of Birmingham has trouble playing the dog catcher, but they have time for a twitter feed…

Honorable Mention – @rossthe8oss – buddy of mine that I accidentally offended by showing him this list and leaving him off…