Welcome to DanielHonigman.com!

NOTE: I originally posted this on the Personal Branding Blog.

If you’re a personal brand, or are looking to build your personal brand, you can use Twitter lists as well. Here are some easy things you can do to get noticed:

- Thank every person who lists you. While it may take only a second to add someone to a Twitter list, it also takes a second to notice that you’re on someone else’s list. If someone thinks you add enough value to warrant addition to their contacts, thank the person who adds you. If you’re not following the person who added you, give them a follow and then, once they follow you back, DM them a quick thank-you note. A thank-you note will get you noticed, and it’s yet another opportunity to talk to people in your network.

- Follow lists compiled by people you’re looking to network with. If you’re an ultra-networker, a job seeker or simply someone looking to be seen, one way you can get noticed is by following someone else’s list. Many lists have no followers, and if you can distinguish yourself by being the first follower of someone else’s list, not only does it distinguish you, but it gives you and that person something to talk about. Also, it shows you who they think adds value to their day.

- Create lists of people you meet offline. Some folks have thousands upon thousands of Twitter followers, most of whom they’ve never met before. As you meet people at conferences, networking events and through work, you may want to add them to a list devoted to people you’ve met.An easier way to do this could be to create a new list for each conference and event you attend. This way, your Twitter contacts will be organized for quick recall.

- Create lists to show how well-rounded you are. Some folks live, breathe and evangelize social media all day, every day, and quite often, their Twitter streams are filled with all sorts of social media-related blog posts, re-tweets and general observations. While this is great, it will cause their stream to be one-dimensional and, therefore, useless to most people who actually use Twitter.

Create a list of useful people to follow in your city or town. Create a separate list about your interests. Create lists around your musical and/or artistic tastes. Show me that you’re a well-rounded person, and I’m more likely to follow you on Twitter.

- Showcase your happy clients. For successful consultants, whether their business grows depends in part on positive word of mouth. If you connect potential leads with your happy customers, you’ll find that there’s a good chance your business will grow. Twitter is just another channel through which you can connect your clients with potential customers. At the end of your projects, don’t just ask clients for LinkedIn recommendations, but ask if they would want to be added to a special Twitter list just for clients who recommend you. This way, a person who goes to your Twitter profile can instantly find people who like your work.

Keep in mind that it may be easy for business competitors to scour your lists and pick out your customers, and that a “client recommendation” Twitter list could be an incubator for negative word of mouth, or that there are some clients who just won’t want their names out there. Be very careful in who you pick.

These are just some ways to grow your personal brand through your Twitter lists. If I left anything out, please feel free to leave your suggestions as comments after this post!

I originally posted my review of the Wine Soiree over on my lifestream, since I was having some issues with this blog’s template at the time.

Anyway, here’s my audio Wine Soiree review.

Enjoy!

Here’s the final tally, round by round:

I was recently looking back over some of my old Chicago 2016-related content the other day when I realized, “Wow — the IOC is actually going to pick the host city for the 2016 Olympics. It’s time.”

Well, the decision is tomorrow, and I suppose we’ll see what happens. If Chicago is picked, I may be inspired to start documenting my thoughts on the bid and the process.

Also, I must say I’m impressed with Billy Dec’s work in compiling celebrity interviews about the Chicago 2016 bid. Give that man a medal. Or a burger.

It’s good to feel like a big macher every once in a while.

When you spend a little extra money on the finer things in life — a fine scotch, a Swiss watch, a luxury car — and you get a great deal, it’s a wonderful feeling. An investment in quality is generally a smart one because you’ll experience that quality, presumably, for a long time to come.

The Louixs ultra-premium cigar — made in Nicaragua for Goldwin, the house cigar of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club — is just built for decadence. There are two reasons why:

1. It’s a 6-inch, 60-ring-gauge smoke. (That measures to about an inch in diameter.) The stick is pretty damn big. George Carlin would have a field day with it.
2. It costs 50 bucks.

The Stats

It’s a magnificent-looking cigar, that’s for sure, with a flawless reddish Rosado wrapper leaf from Nicaragua. The cigar band, which features a portrait of Louis XIV, the famous 17th-century “Sun King” of France, makes it look even more stately.

The Goldwin Web site claims the Louixs is the most expensive cigar ever created. At $50, it’s a hell of an expensive stick. Goldwin’s claim, however, is incorrect. The original Gurkha Black Dragon limited-edition cigar debuted at a whopping $1,150 per stick.

But it’s clear Goldwin isn’t selling these sticks to veteran cigar smokers. They say, “Louixs are special because every part of the manufacturing process is managed by master tobacconists who understand this cigar is the very best: native Cuban torcedores (rollers) handleaf each one; native Cuban catadores (taste testers) check every batch; veteran revisadores (inspectors) monitor every aspect of the production.”

Last time I checked, this is basically the case with every other cigar factory. The good ones, at least.

The Taste

Anyway, back to the cigar. Since it has such a big ring gauge, using a cutter may give you too much smoke on the draw, if you’re not a cigar vet. I used a double punch, and got a great, even draw the whole way through.

The pre-light flavor had hints of cocoa and a touch of spice on the finish, but the stick wasn’t anywhere near overpowering. As I smoked through the cigar — it took about an hour-and-a-half to smoke — I noticed it didn’t really get any more complex, as the cocoa and spice persisted until about halfway in, when the cigar got a touch earthy. But that was it; the Louixs hit a flavor plateau early on, and it never extended past that. While it tasted good, I was disappointed by its lack of complexity.

Was the Louixs tasty? Sure. Could you get a better-tasting cigar for $10? Absolutely. You’ll also have some money left over to buy that scotch.

I originally wrote this review for Asylum.