Jeff Cutler™ – columns, essays and opinions

It’s not a surprise to anyone that social media professionals are supportive, intelligent and fun people. What might cause you pause is the secret bromances that flourish in this space on a regular basis.

What’s a bromance? It’s the unabashed admiration one man has for another. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve harbored one or two or five bromantic dalliances over the course of my social media career. Here’s a quick look at the who and why of my particular bromances. I’m sure you have your own – please share in the comments.

Oh. If you find yourself on my list don’t be alarmed. My bromances are purely platonic and intellectual. But I wouldn’t mind if you listed me on your broamance list if you felt so inclined.

Chris Brogan – On my list because he’s genuine in his dealings with every human. He’s intuitive and quick-thinking. He also has talent and charm. He also inspires me to write more. Thanks Chris.

Gradon Tripp – While he might be considered by some to be a design geek who should have won the recent makeover contest on Newbury Street, he’s actually a bleeding-heart liberal who does so much for social causes regionally it makes me a little sick. But he’s also a smart, fun and dependable friend. (BTW – Tweetsgiving is coming up – SIGN UP NOW!)

Aaron Strout – He wins on so many counts as a top bromance of mine. He’s a Boston transplant to Austin, TX who still remembers his friends back home. Beyond that, he remembers and even honors those of us who were just peripheral friends a year or so ago. Aaron has always been welcoming and entertaining. He’s a fabulous host who treats everyone as a friend. What a great way to be. I admire and commend that attitude.

CC Chapman – Smart, driven, compassionate and insightful. I was listening to one of his podcasts before I met him and was thrilled at the way in which he connected with listeners and shared his life with us. He’s honest in his opinions and dealings and empathetic to an extreme. He’s also a Miami Dolphins fan which probably would have put him on the bromance list even if he were a complete dink.

General Etiquette:
How To Give A Great Man To Man Hug

Mike Schneider – Who is this guy? He’s someone I met within the last year. He’s a freakish human who would give the shirt off his back to ANYONE who needed it. He’s compassionate to a fault, a hard-working beer genius who also knows a bit about human nature and marketing. He’s currently spearheading our Movember efforts and rallying people to come together to fight cancer. He’s just a great guy who was unlucky enough to make my bromance list.

Mike Langford – Founder of Tweetworks, the lesser-known co-host of NomX3 and a sarcastic, fun and brilliant friend. I tease him about how his two boys will grow up to have more hair and probably get more points on Foursquare. But this coffee fiend is dependable, well-spoken, generally cheerful and a pretty good drunken roommate. I’m glad I met him and that we have become friends.

What’s funny to me is that none of these relationships were based on IRL experiences. They were founded and then fostered using tools like Twitter and Plurk and Seesmic and podcasting and unconferences and even an occasional tweetup and lunch. I’ve grinned the whole time while writing this because I really like the people I’m writing about and I love that there will be people who read this that are uncomfortable that a man can genuinely like another man.

Grow up people. I’m not stalking these guys. I just think they epitomize what’s right with our tiny little fishbowl. Real people who offer real opinions and real support to others. If you have people like this in any part of your life, hang onto them. They’re more valuable than a simple blog post can illustrate.

In this season of giving thanks, I give thanks for bromances. What about you?

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March 10, 2009 – Cleveland to Cincinnati

In the car at dawn (you’ll notice that this is a recurring theme), we arrived at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We did an interview at the Hall and then did a tour.

This place is amazing. If you’ve never been to the Rock and Roll Hall, I suggest it highly. Even those without a lot of music appreciation or sense – that’s me – you’ll be enthralled by the history and the artifacts there.

They don’t allow photos or video in the hall, but the memories I have are so vivid they should last for a while.

What’s the best thing I saw there? Billy Joel’s lyric notebook. Machines that show you the influences behind certain artists. And the clothing section because it gave me a real perspective on how tall artists of every era were.

Next up was a great lunch in downtown Cleveland and then in the car for a dash down to Columbus.

Once there, we met up with Shawn Morton of Nationwide Insurance and did an interview on the patio of a Columbus bar. The energy of the town was infectious and it prepared us for our next stop – Cincinnati.

We rolled into Cincy and went to Bootsy’s restaurant for a Social Media Club event/Tweetup. People we met there included the CFO of Federated Media, one of the head honcho’s at Gannett Media and a slew of powerful people from P&G.

We dined on tapas and then retired to a comfy Residence Inn room – smoke and scare free.

I should explain that during our journeys between stops, I set up a Wifi hotspot in the car so that everyone could connect to the Internet and we could blog and Tweet and email and generally maintain contact with the world. When we do our 2010 Road Trip (tentatively called iRailTrip) we’re going to see if Verizon or other cell providers will supply EVDO cards for all participants.

Next up, day three…

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