Survival of the Twittest

So they say Twitter can lead to business.  Anyone who leaps into Twitter hoping to market by blasting folks with the awesomeness of their junk is in for a surprise — whatever those smarmy marketing articles told you, it’s not true.

What Twitter is about building relationships. It’s like being in a club or class you opt into — you hit it off famously with some people, develop warm regard for others, get to know yet others from more of a respectful distance. The popular social media application has ‘netted me (ha!) some rewarding friendships and connections, most of them online but a few that have expanded to off-line.

I’d even call Twitter a real-time networking “event,” where, like in a real-life networking event, you need to talk with people (not TO people), and where it is very possible to create relationships and mutual appreciation of your Twitter friends’ lives and businesses. And that, ladies and germs, is what leads to good business, twitterly speaking.

The Yenta Report's Hollywood sign -inspired tee by Rotem Gear

In the last few weeks I was blessed with a few commissions that came from fabulous Twitter friends. The first was from my favorite yenta, Loren Elkins, whose Yenta Report tracks all the “behind the velvet rope” happenings in Los Angeles.  I worked with Loren and came up with the Hollywood sign idea and “Yentawood” was born.

Loren’s been a celebrity assistant to Faye Dunaway, Nathan Lane, Brendan Fraser, Rebecca DeMornay, Ellen Barkin, Val Kilmer, Matthew Perry, and Bradley Whitford, so I’m hoping she wears the Hollywood sign -inspired logo tee I designed for her around some H-wood bigwigs. Also hoping I get a photo of Her Hot Yentaness herself in a shirt! (hint, hint, Loren!)  If you’d like a Yentawood shirt of your own, visit the Yenta Report shop.

Around that same time I was also contacted by luxe custom couture baby bedding designer to the stars, Nava Writz of Nava Writz Designs. Nava goes a lot of tweet-ups and does a lot of networking all over the world and wanted t-shirts with her twitter ID on it.

I offered 3 styles, all with Twitter-y typeface: (I personally like this birdy one in the pict best.) The cell camera pict isn’t that clear but even so, the tee is more fun, stylish and noticeable than a “Hello my name is @blah” tag, and that’s what you want when networking — to be noticed, yes? (I wear my Kitty Crossbones shirts sometimes and half the time that’s what breaks the ice.)

By the way, more name-dropping, as the list of Nava’s celebrity clients blows me away. They include Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, the Obama girls, Melanie Griffith, Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams, Paul McCartney, Richard Dreyfus, Shaquille O’Neal, Leeza Gibbons, Christy Brinkley, Joan Lunden, Eddie Murphy, Slash and Bette Midler. You must check out her designs!

After Nava bragged on Twitter about her new shirts and tote, another mutual friend asked me to adapt the same designs for her twitter ID. I’ll post when I get photos!

If you would like a “Follow me” or “Tweet me” shirt of your own, take a look here at the different versions I created for Nava, but don’t order them! There’s no way to customize them with your own name online. Email me and I’ll set you up chick chak! (that’s Hebrew slang for right way.) Men’s styles available too, of course.

PS you can always follow my Rotem Gear updates on Twitter here, or if you really want all my own blather you can follow me as moi here.