I was with Shaq at his home the day he retired. It was innovative for him to become the media and announce via social media that he was retiring.

Social media provides an avenue to build relationships with media outlets and have an ongoing relationship with reporters.

Whether I'm on the road or at home, I get a great deal done on elliptical machines. I use my iPad to conquer my email inbox, listen to audio books, use my Voxer Walkie Talkie app, and read through documents.

We all have personal brands and most of us have already left a digital footprint, whether we like it or not. Proper social media use highlights your strengths that may not shine through in an interview or application and gives the world a broader view of who you are. Use it wisely.

Bridging the virtual world with the physical word is really when social media channels come to life and the magic happens. Because whoever coined the term 'social media' didn't do us any favors. It's not really media. It's more like the telephone, less like the TV.

There are many benefits to a sports entity breaking news directly to their recipients: the entity has full control over the message and how it is shared versus previously relying on a media outlets to translate or distribute as they choose. Also, there's no quicker place for valuable information to spread than Twitter.

Just as we teach our children how to ride a bike, we need to teach them how to navigate social media and make the right moves that will help them. The physical world is similar to the virtual world in many cases. It's about being aware. We can prevent many debacles if we're educated.