I really do give a tweet

How do you like my new business card? The old Cotton Queen sure does come in handy for photo shoots. I did some social networking over the weekend and brought a stack of these with me.

I attended Homemade, a symposium in Tampa on the "art, business and culture of making music.'' The free two-day event serves as an incubator for industry professionals hoping to stretch their knowledge and understanding on topics like self-promotion, marketing and working with the press. I was particularly interested in "Alternative Media Promotion: Making the Most of Twitter, Facebook and the Blog Network.''

Some of us "seasoned'' media types admitedly have been slow to embrace the latest networking and media promotion concepts, which seem to change every month. But if you want to succeed today you need to assemble a strong electronic media toolkit -- and know how to use it.

At the same time, it's not wise to overlook the value of more personal one-on-one conversations. The exchange of business cards over lunch or a cocktail, and follow-ups with phone calls and emails can still lead to productive and meaningful business relationships. I'm here to tell you it worked effectively for me after the symposium at the Green Iguana.

You may not reach millions of potential customers while sipping drinks in Ybor City, but it sure can relieve the pressures of trying to succeed in these weird, challenging, mind-numbing times. It still helps to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Just don't forget to tweet the twitter.