Today, my VivaViernes is all about one person and you know who he is, my amazing brother Fernando Varela. This week, my brother accomplished one of his all-time dreams: singing at a halftime show for his beloved Orlando Magic. Now, you have to understand this: ever since the Magic were formed in Orlando, Fernando has been their #1 fan. I remember the days when he was just a young boy and he would catch EVERY Magic game, how he always worked it to get playoff tickets and how he still can’t stand Shaq for betraying his beloved team. The Orlando Magic are part of Fernando’s DNA. And now he has “money shots” forever.
This amazing Latino gets my #VivaViernes shoutout for today. And not just because he is my brother. Even if he weren’t, I would still believe in making sure the entire world gets to appreciate and love his blessed talent.
By the way, this is Fernando’s second appearance at Amway. Last year, thanks to former Magic owner, Pat Williams, Fernando sang the National Anthem at a game: Fernando Sings the National Anthem from Fernando Varela on Vimeo.
As you know, Twitter is a large place, and there are many who claim to be “experts” and “social media gurus.” We aren’t knocking the many talents of these kinds of people who have the large number of followers and have great reach and influence. However, we do think that if you are going to say you believe in the power of social media and are a top social media evangelist, you should practice what you preach.
That is, if people are engaging you in the conversation on Twitter, it might make sense to actually and consistently engage back. No excuses. In this spirit, we are recommending 5 of Twitter’s Best, people who actually have a very large number of followers, truly understand Twitter, and truly engage their followers (always), even when they are inundated with 100s of @ replies every day. We commend you all for doing this. We know how hard it is to constantly be in touch with your stream, but when you do, your reputation and class show with flying colors.
FOLLOW THESE TWITTER MASTERS
@earthXplorer: JD is the REAL DEAL on Twitter. I am always happy to see him in my stream, and he does share amazing content. He is the perfect example of someone who can get a large number of followers but still remember that numbers don’t matter: it is just about connecting here. JD is a MUST FOLLOW.
@RizzoTees: Full disclosure about the fabulous RizzoTees. I don’t work for them and I don’t get anything from. I just love their amazing tees (have bought 2!) and how Chris has been able to create a true “social media brand” for his company. It’s funny, when I first started following the Rizz (at 20K) I was afraid to reach out to him, since I was just starting at Twitter. But I said, wait, I love Chris’ vibe and I am so glad I reached out and connected. I have made a true friend. We are brothers forever.
@shellykramer: to one of my fellow “Overtweeters,” I salute you! Shelly is amazing, just amazing. She GETS it and has the uncanny ability to make each Twitter convo authentic, funny, and personal. One of the best!
@tommytrc: another one of the Twitter Greats! Tommy is always engaging and always providing amazing content to my stream. His tweets are interesting, fun, and pure. He also engages the right way with people. Go, Tommy!
@mattsingley: You know how people have required reading, like the Times or the Journal or the Huff Post? Well, Matt is my required reading. His blog on social media is EXCELLENT, but more importantly, Matt makes it a point to continue to connect with his base. Believe me, that is HARD to do as you keep growing, but Matt keeps it real, and we love him.
From the bottom of my corazón, I would like to thank the members of LATISM for honoring us with an award from Best Hispanic FL Agency for Use of Social Media. ¡GRACIAS! ¡GRACIAS! ¡GRACIAS!
Here is a video of Fernando Varela in the “Believe” Halftime Charity Show at the Orlando Magic game on November 18, 2009. It was a wonderful event, and we are proud of what Fernando and Susan have accomplished with VisionUnity, especially with the kids who performed in the show. Enjoy!
Some things fascinate us, like sports (especially World Cup soccer) and how within minutes of a controversial call in a key game, you can find the play in any part of the world. The Internet is buzzing over the French’s World Cup qualifying win over Ireland. And you thought Coach Bill Belichick’s decision is getting criticized? Who knew that soccer is now volleyball? Tough break for the Irish. They don’t make World Cup and France does.
So, what does the CEO of v5, LLC do in his spare team? He does improv comedy and on December 14, Julio and his fellow ImprovBoston alumni members will be performing at the ImprovBoston Holiday Fun-Raiser. It is going to be a great night of comedy and improv, and there is an impressive list of performers. Gulp.
If you are unable to come or already have season tickets, you can still help. You can purchase a ticket and it will be donated to a child from Boys Town who would otherwise not be able to afford to go.
Yes, we are getting regular tweets from our tribe and got this cool photo of @PapiJulio with LATISM titans @AnaRC and @NancyPerez. Thank you @ergeekgoddess for the picture!
For this VivaViernes, instead of recommending people to follow, we are sending out a a v5 shout out to LATISM = Latinos in Social Media and wishing them all the success in the world today as they hold LATISM Florida in Orlando. It took a lot of hard work, and special mention should be made to @NancyPerez for her hard work and dedication. We hear that the conference will be incredibly well-attended and we hope people have a great day!
Later today, our own @papijulio will be at the conference to say hi and connect with a lot of friends and supporters.
Posted by juliorvarela 
Posted by juliorvarela 
Posted by juliorvarela 
