I‘ll admit it. I came to Twitter reluctantly, skeptically even. It can certainly feel a little navel-gazing narcissistic the way it’s sometimes practiced. “It’s only 9:30 in the morning and I’m already craving chocolate cake.” And the world needs to know this because?
But Twitter can also be a way to share ideas, links to stories and blog posts and even visuals. Like the amusing billboard above that I photographed and posted on Twitpic, Twitter’s visual sibling, along with the caption “I’m not a big fan of Miracle Whip, but I love their attitudinal advertising!”
Funny thing is, I’ve come to really enjoy Twitter and tweeting [a tweet is what you post on Twitter, and it can be no longer than 140 characters]. From finding articles about food, wine and health I think are worth sharing—well, and having a number of friends find things for me too—to figuring out how to squeeze a compelling teaser that will make others want to read the article into the sometimes frustratingly restrictive 140 characters. Here are ten random tweets, in their original form. See how you think I’m doing.
- LA Times: Want kids to eat healthier? Get them in the kitchen and cooking. http://bit.ly/O7ALy
- Embracing stereotypes: Cops save a failing doughnut shop in Clare, Michigan. A charming story, actually. http://bit.ly/t6x99
- NY Times: Is it hot in here or is it just what we’re eating? Sweden experiments with carbon footprint labeling on food http://bit.ly/3K5IHd
- Chicago Reader: When sausages are outlawed, only outlaws will make sausages. Underground charcuterie in Chicago. http://bit.ly/7xDiZU
- 24 Hours, 24 Million Meals. Watch cool documentary online about what it takes to feed NYC every day. http://bit.ly/xWwTg
- ScienceDaily: Eating fish for health? How it’s cooked affects the heart-health benefits of its omega-3 fatty acids http://bit.ly/5IhC4o
- Slicing up a peach for a mid-morning snack, I suddenly remembered this wonderful poem by William Carlos Williams. http://bit.ly/yDlkV
- NY Times article: Farmers fighting global warming, one sweetened cow burp at a time http://tinyurl.com/p28xw9
- New York magazine: 9 NYC restaurants give McDonald’s Egg McMuffin a delicious McUpgrade—you’ll want them all http://bit.ly/3Py2Hz
- If your pizzeria is named Piece, what do you call your take out place next door? This, of course. http://twitpic.com/q8k1l
So how’d I do? Did you click through on anything—or at least almost click through? Follow me on Twitter. You’ll find stuff like this almost every day. And honestly, if you don’t feel like signing up for a Twitter account, just occasionally click on the “Follow me on Twitter” bird graphic up near the top of the right sidebar. You’ll be able to read my latest tweets without signing up. I promise to keep the navel gazing to a minimum.
I DO follow you, Terry. And I click on all of your links. Just like your posts, you have a wide variety of very interesting, usually food-related tweets that let me in on something that I probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. I must admit that I am more of a convert to Twitter than you are {Twitvert? – No, that sounds like some kind of pervert!} It’s fun to say hi to food bloggers in real time instead of the stilted “conversation” that you have in a blog comment section. There are a handful of food bloggers that I actually exchange emails with – and, yes, you were my first. But it feels more “normal” or more like “real life” to say ‘hi, how’re you doing’ when someone just pops up in the tweet stream. I love the immediacy of it, I guess. Anyhoo, I’m always happy to see you there. BTW – I’m lovin the blue hat, Terry!
Hi, Dani! I do get the social part of Twitter as social media. It’s just that, for me, I tend to like to use it as a form of 140-character mini-posts. There’s so much cool food info out there that I like to share. I do like the occasional emails, by the way. It’s a chance to go slightly off topic at times, and I’m always happy to hear what food things you’ve come across. Also by the way, if you come across things that seem tweetable to you, please share them!
Oh, and the blue hat is actually a black hat that I manipulated in Photoshop. And in keeping with the food theme of Blue Kitchen, it’s a porkpie hat, of course.
LOVED the story on Cops & donuts! And very interesting story on cow burps. I need Twitter help though! I really want to follow, tweet & retweet, but can’t figure out how to get it on my phone. I want stuff for the road, not more stuff to read at my desk. Help!
Well, Terry, if you followed me back you’d already be seeing all of the wonderful foodie things I tweet about! 😀 ddh77
Fair enough, Dani. Done and done.
Love your website keep up the great work.
Terry
Thanks, other Terry!
I, too, went into the twitterverse reluctantly but find myself checking in all the time now! Your blog is in my RSS and I enjoy it — so I’m going to follow you there too. 140 characters is a real challenge especially when you want to add a comment to a retweet.
Thanks, Joan! Sometimes, though, I think that 140-character challenge is half the fun.