By James Kwee

Mykl Roventine is currently getting something to eat at Holy Land Deli. How do I know this? I read it on Twitter where he has just checked in via Foursquare. If none of that makes any sense to you, then you’re probably not current with social media (and Mykl Roventine is pretty current with social media); if it did, then you’re probably fairly tech savvy.

But for those of you that don’t understand, I’ll break it down briefly: Twitter is a website that allows users to post short, frequent messages, called “Tweets,” and Foursquare is a website that allows users to post their current locations on Twitter, among other things. I’ve heard Foursquare described before as a way for people to flaunt their nightlife scene (i.e. “checking into” hot clubs and bars), but I mostly see Mykl checking into coffee shops such as Caribou Coffee. I also see him tweet about coffee, a lot.

The fact that Mykl Roventine is such an avid connoisseur of social media (and coffee?) most likely derives from his work as a web designer. In addition to web design, he also works as a freelance designer and is adept in online communication, such as blogs, podcasts, email, et cetera. Mykl channels his tech skills to help Cheerful Givers; he is responsible for our website design and layout, as well as keeping our Twitter account updated (follow Cheerful Givers on Twitter).

Mykl first heard about Cheerful Givers five years ago when he was doing an earlier design for the Cheerful Givers’ website through a company doing pro bono work. It was through this that he met Karen Kitchel, the president of Cheerful Givers. After learning more about the organization and communicating with Karen, Mykl joined the board of Cheerful Givers. Around this time, Mykl and his wife were beginning to have children (they have two daughters), something he credits to his sympathy for the cause. “The mission’s pretty unique. It never really occurred to me that there were kids out there not able to celebrate birthdays,” said Mykl.

Another one of Mykl’s contributions to Cheerful Givers is social media fundraisers, something that’s taken off in the past six to eight months. These are fundraisers that are done entirely online and rely on word-of-mouth through social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and email. “[It’s] been successful for us, and it’s a fun area to get into… I think it’s a perfect opportunity for us [to reach new donors] and just share our story.”

To check out Mykl’s website and blog, go to www.myklroventine.com.

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