“Small Town” Folks in a “Big City” Town

Blueprints at Addison Circle - Photo Courtesy of Ray Michael Hostetler, city-data.com

Just a couple of months ago, I moved from Arlington, TX to Addison, TX.  Arlington is a fairly large city almost equidistant between Dallas and Fort Worth that is home to my alma mater, the Texas Rangers, a couple of theme parks, and the brand new Dallas Cowboys stadium (among other things, of course).  I lived there through college, and for a year after graduation, but I was certainly ready to move on to something new and that fits my style a little better.

I had been to Addison a couple of times a few years ago, and I always thought it was a really cool town (and they actually call it the “Town of Addison”).  It’s a suburb of Dallas, about a 15 minute drive north of Downtown.  There is a plethora of retail shops, restaurants,  bars, etc.  One thing I noticed very quickly, though, is that unlike Arlington where it actually feels like there are businesses everywhere, Addison’s layout and design kind of hides it.  By this, I mean that when you drive through the city, you don’t realize at first glance how many business there actually are here.  One of my buddies thinks a lot of it has to do with all of the trees along the road that serve as a kind of “mask” that provides a barrier between the road and the store fronts.  Great idea.

I had an interesting day around the town last Friday when I took a day off of work to run some errands to places that are open only during my work hours.  I went to the Town Hall, and happened to meet the City Manager.  I was expecting the Town Hall to be the typical drab government office style building, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it is an old house with just a handful of people working there.

When I walked into the Hall, I found that the only person working in the Hall at the moment was a very helpful lady who gave me the information that I originally needed.  I then asked her if there was anything that she recommended I pick up from the Hall while I was there, so she took me to another office, where there were maps, brochures, and other handouts free for the taking.  While we were sorting through what I wanted out of the choices, the City Manager walked in, and I talked to him for a couple of minutes.  I thought it was cool, but more than anything, that is just something I did not expect in a Dallas suburb.

After getting done what I needed to get done at the Town Hall, I went to a muffler shop near my apartment.  Upon arrival, I realized it was a one-man-show, and the owner of Joe’s Muffler Shop, Joe, was going to work on my car while having to answer the phones himself.  He stopped working on his current project to go ahead and fix my problem, which took all of 15-20 minutes.  I had a great experience there, and found his service to be speedy, friendly, and quality.

It’s not often that I have these “small town” experiences here in the Dallas area, but when I do, I don’t let it go unnoticed.  That was a great day, and it makes me enjoy living in Addison even more than I already did.

Social Networking in 2009

If memory serves, I think the first “social networking” site I used was Xanga.com.  It is similar to WordPress or MySpace in that you can create a profile, write a blog, etc.  However, I didn’t really care much for Xanga, and deleted my account a few years back.  While I was in college, a new website called Facebook hit the scene.  Having always been interested in networking and branding myself, I created a Facebook profile fairly early on in its inception.  I have avidly used it ever since, and now that I have access to it on my iPhone, I use it now more than ever before.

Facebook (FB) is great for communicating with friends, family, and colleagues.  There are all kinds of tools on the site, such as a “wall” where friends can post comments, a “direct message/email” system, an event application (similar to Evite), and photo album space.  All of these things are great, but the thing I like about it most is that it’s an easy way to have access to someone’s most up-to-date contact information–whether it is their email address, cell phone number, website, or just contacting them directly through FB.

When FB hit the scene, users had to be current college students.  Later on, founder Mark Zuckerberg decided to open the site to high school students.  Soon after that, he opened the site up to anyone with an email address.  At first, I didn’t like this idea, but since I am no longer in college, and meet more and more people who would not have a FB account if Zuckerberg had not opened up the site to everyone, I am glad he made that decision.

Right before I graduated from college, I discovered LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is very similar to FB, but its niche market is business professionals.  So for instance, whereas a FB user might create a photo album of the most recent fraternity or spring break party, have quotes from the movie Knocked Up, or discuss who Joe is dating at the moment, LinkedIn users typically have in their profiles their work history, education, skill set, as so forth.  LinkedIn also has Company pages, job listings, and places to recommend someone.  If you’re looking more to develop your career and make professional contacts than to keep in the loop as to who your friends are dating and what parties they went to recently, then LinkedIn is for you.

Last but certainly not least, there is Twitter.  I just recently created a Twitter account probably 3 weeks ago.  I had heard about it for a couple of months, but was skeptical about having yet another social networking profile.  I finally pulled the trigger when I kept seeing Derek Johnson, CEO of Tatango, mention it on his blog, and I’m glad I did.  Twitter has the simplest layout of the three social networks I use, and its entire premise is based on the question, “What are you doing?”  Twitter users send out status updates, or “tweets,” that tell people who “follow” them what they are doing, or otherwise short messages (short being 140 characters or less).  In addition to what they are doing, users will “tweet” links to their blog posts, interesting articles, questions to other users, and so forth.

From what I’ve seen so far, FB and Twitter seem to be much more interactive than LinkedIn.  I think it’s more due to the users the different sites attract rather than the sites themselves.  As much as I like FB, my favorites site right now is Twitter.  Part of it could be the users that I follow, but I think it is also due to the type of user Twitter attracts.  Most everyone I follow on Twitter seems to be at least somewhat tech-savvy, has their own website or blog, and many of them are entrepreneurs–or aspire to be one (such as myself).  Having this common connection with other users makes Twitter more applicable and interesting to me.

There are many more features on each social network than I mentioned, but I suggest you check them out for yourself.  For you iPhone users, each of these three sites has free iPhone applications, which makes using them on-the-go that much easier.  Regardless of which site(s) you use, try at least one of them.  I doubt you will regret it.  If you have any comments or questions, please leave a comment or contact me via any of these three websites.  The links to my profiles are up in the right sidebar.

Hope to hear from you!!

Online Personal Finance Software

I read an interesting article today on the Wall Street Journal website entitled “Putting Your Money Where Your Mouse Is.” The gist of the article was that there are a number of companies offering free online software tools that help people manage their personal finances, and that usage is growing steadily.  I have considered trying out one or more of these services several times, today included, but have never pulled the trigger.  I seem to be doing just fine using the Excel workbook I set up a couple of years ago, and I’m not sure I really want to change.  I have tabs for my checking & savings accounts, a bill payment schedule, etc., and I reconcile my records to my online bank accounts at least once a week–usually more, though.

After looking more closely at some of the online software providers, such as Mint, Wesabe, Rudder, and Yodlee, I am now seriously considering trying one of these.  If I decide to try one, I will most definitely keep up with my Excel tool until I make a decision to go with the website, try another one, or just stick with my tried-and-true Excel model.

Does anyone have any experience using any of these, or similar, websites?  If so, what do you think about them?  I would love to hear your comments.

From College Dropout to Internet Startup CEO

Over a year ago I received a message on Facebook from a fraternity brother and at-the-time chapter president of the DU chapter at the University of Houston about a new startup company.  The gist of the message was that a DU from U of H was starting up a website that allowed users to create groups, or lists, of people, and then send one text message to the webiste, which would then send out the message to the members of the group(s) created.  I thought it sounded like an innovative idea, and briefly looked into it.  The company was called NetworkText; again, this happened well over a year ago.

About two months ago, someone posted a message on the discussion page in one of the DU groups I am in on LinkedIn.  The post was basically about wanting to “connect” or “friend” other DU’s to expand one another’s networks.  People were replying to the post that they were interested as well, and that they would accept all friend requests from DU’s–myself included.

One of the guys who replied to the post was someone named Derek Johnson, CEO of Tatango.  Out of probably the 10 guys I friended based on that post, his LinkedIn profile attracted my attention the most–mainly because he is my age, and the fact that he is the CEO of an internet startup.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Then probably a month or so ago, I got a call from my dad while I was at work.  He was telling me that he was listening to the Laura Ingraham radio show the night before, and the topic was about dress attire in the workplace.  He said a younger-sounding guy had called into the show and was talking about that he was the CEO of an internet startup, and that everyone who works for the company dresses casual to work every day (i.e. jeans and t-shirt).  The main reason my dad called, though, was because the caller mentioned he was in a fraternity while he was in college–Delta Upsilon, to be exact.

I thought, wow, that’s pretty cool.  Then I remembered back about the guy I friended on LinkedIn…the CEO for Tatango.  I somehow recalled his name, and asked my dad if the caller’s name was Derek.  He said, “Yes, yes it is! How did you know?!”  I told him the story about friending him on LinkedIn, etc.

So after my dad and I ended our phone conversation, I got on LinkedIn and looked up Derek’s profile.  I noticed that Derek went to U of H, and then proceeded to send Derek a message telling him about the call I had just received and asked if that was, indeed, him on Laura’s radio show the night before.  I got a message back within the hour, saying that, yes, that was him–and he found the interview to be very fun.

I started delving into what exactly this company “Tatango” does.  As it turns out, they provide a service for users to create groups…you get the picture.  Yes, this DU from U of H had started NetworkText, but the company changed its name to Tatango, because now they do more than just texting, and having the name NetworkText is somewhat limiting.  I then friended Derek on Facebook, and we have exchanged some messages/emails.  To make this an even more “small world,” Derek was college roommates with the president who sent me that original Facebook message over a year ago, and whom I’ve met on several occasions.

Anyway, I wanted to tell that story and give Derek and Tatango some free publicity.  Derek is nearing (if not there already) “master rank” when it comes to using social networking and online media to promote Tatango, as well as himself.  He stays on top of his Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter profiles, and recently started a sleek, fully-functional blog.  (I also added the link to his blog in my Blog Links section.)  Following the success of Derek and Tatango through these social networking mediums is not only fairly easy and not time consuming, but very interesting.  He is definitely using these free tools to his and Tatango’s advantage.

I’ve thought for a while that it would be a great idea for a CEO to have a blog that he periodically updated, so as to communicate directly with customers, vendors, stockholders, potential investors, etc.  Derek has done an excellent job so far, and I see him continuing to do so.

Now if only the CEOs of the big 3 auto makers would take note…but that’s a totally different story.

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For more information about Derek and Tatango, check out Tatango.com, as well as Derek’s Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

Packing Up and Heading Out

Hopefully this will be the last one for a while…move that is.  I’m moving to Addison in mid-December.  This will be my fifth residence change in less than three years, and I hope to stay put for a while.  I can honestly say that I haven’t been this pumped up about “the new place” as I am with this one.  The area and apartment are really nice, and the change of scenery will certainly be nice.  I’m looking forward to exploring a new town and living in the style of apartments I’m moving to.  To keep aligned with the title of this blog (as it “just so happens”), the complex and area I’m moving to is referred to by some of my friends as “yuppy” central.  Heck yeah!

The main part I’m not looking forward to in this whole process is the actual act of MOVING.  It looks like I’m going to have the privilege of having some help, so it shouldn’t be too bad.  All in all, I’m happy with my choice–so far.  I’ll let you know once I get moved.

Updated Blog

Yet again it has been a while since my last post.  I have been extremely busy with work, traveling, personal projects, etc.  I want to start writing on a more regular basis, time permitting.  I made a few updates/revisions to the blog, so please browse around and check out the latest additions.

Let’s Make This Official

I have debated for years now about whether or not to sit for the CPA exam.  It would be a great trio of letters to have at the end of my name, but since I don’t particularly want to “be a CPA,” or have to study for it, I’m still undecided.  That being said, I am now giving a lot of thought to working toward the CIA certification.  No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the Central Intelligence Agency.  It stands for Certified Internal Auditor.

When I graduated from UTA in December, I landed a job as a staff internal auditor at a financing company.  I had never really given much thought about going into that profession, but the job seemed interesting and it was something, so I took it.  Well, if you’ve read my previous posts, I wasn’t at the financing company long before I got laid off.  Fortunately, I landed another job quickly, and now work as an internal auditor for a natural gas company.

A lot of people hear the word “auditor,” and let out the oh-so-typical “uugghh” noise, thinking the job is dry and boring.  Like any job out there there are some slow/boring parts, but most of the time I am learning something new or doing what I like to think of as “investigative” work.  Being internal, I work for the same company as the departments I audit, so really we’re all working together to better the company.  I have the privilege of learning about all the different areas of the company, and thus, see a larger picture of the industry than do a lot of my coworkers.

Seeing how much I like the job and line of work, I think earning the CIA certification would not only be a good learning experience, but would also enhance my career and hopefully give me more earning potential.  As a start, I became a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors back in March, and went to two or three of the Fort Worth chapter’s meetings.  Now that I work in Dallas, I affiliated with the Dallas IIA chapter, and I’m going to my first meeting tomorrow.  The IIA is the organization that administers and organizes the CIA exam.  My goal is to begin the application process for the CIA certification by the end of October, and then being studying for two of its four sections.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions about the CIA, IIA, or anything else, feel free to leave a comment.

Following the Yellow Brick Road

Similar to my previous post, it has been a while since I have posted anything.  I am currently in Garden City, Kansas, visiting field offices for the audit I’m currently working on.  I was in North Louisiana last week, and will be in west Texas next week.  All this traveling is getting to be draining, mainly because my boss and I usually work 12-14 hour days rather than our typical 8 to 9 hours.  That being said, I’m learning a lot about this portion of the company, and it’s also nice not to pay for gas or food while on the road.

The first office we stopped at was in the Oklahoma panhandle.  I’ve been in the southern portion of OK a few times, but never this far north.  Of all the times to choose to make the trip, we end up coming up when the area has gotten 8 straight days of rain–which is, apparently, unheard of.  I had never stepped on Kansas soil before yesterday, and honestly, I can’t say I’ve missed much.  If you like flat, open plains with crops and cattle everywhere to be seen, this is the place for you.  Maybe it would be different for me if I grew up in plains country, but growing up in the DFW metroplex with all of its stores and attractions within 30 or 40 miles, I would not want to move to the plains.

All in all, it’s been a productive trip this week and we’ve already achieved more than we originally anticipated.  We were scheduled to fly back to Dallas from Amarillo on Friday afternoon, but it’s looking like we’re going to catch a flight back on Thursday evening.  I keep hearing that next week in west Texas is going to be “different,” and from what my family has told me, it’s also a place I personally wouldn’t want to live.  Oh well, as with any job, I have to take the good with the bad.  Luckily, the good far outweighs the bad at this job, and I hope it continues to stay this way.

Update

Well, it’s been a while since I posted last.  I’m currently in a hotel in Austin, TX for a two-day investing seminar so I don’t have much else to do.  I’m still really enjoying my new job.  I’m learning a lot and staying very busy.  I get back to the office on Tuesday, and my boss and I are going to northern Louisiana Wednesday through Friday to visit one of the company’s natural gas plants for an audit.  I’m looking forward to getting out in the field to see in person what a natural gas plant looks like and observing some of the field staff perform their work.

The following week several of us are going down to Victoria, TX for a compressor school hosted by one of the company’s subsidiaries.  I’ll be there Monday through Friday.  It’s a little strange traveling so much in the next couple of weeks, but it’s also exciting and something new and different.

The investing seminar I’m in Austin for right now was really interesting today, and it should be even more so tomorrow.  I’m really hoping I can get rolling on it and study more of the materials I have back home so I can start pulling in some additional income.  Repayment for my student loans begins in August, so any extra income would really come in handy.

My Return to the Energy Industry

I’m not sure how many people I told, but after working in the internal audit department at my post college-graduation job for about four months, I was one of the employees included in a fairly sizable layoff.  Luckily, I knew the VP of a very well-known recruiting/job placement agency in the area, so I gave him a call immediately.  Now, I worked for an oil and gas company all through college as an accounting “intern,” and I really like the energy industry, so I was taken aback when I found out what position the recruiter was currently trying to fill:  a staff internal auditor for a natural gas company.  What are the odds of that?

To make a long story short, I interviewed for the job, received an offer, and I started this past Monday.  So far I’m really enjoying it.  It’s a much smaller company than my previous employer, and the internal audit department is made up of only my boss and me, so I’m receiving a lot of personal, hands-on training.

A lot of strange things have occurred regarding this new position since February, and I feel very lucky to have gotten it.  I’m excited to be back in the energy business, and since I’ve worked only in Fort Worth, working in Dallas is also providing me some new experiences.  All in all, I have no complaints and look forward to the road ahead of me.