ROTFL...or is that ROTFT?

Hi there!

Welcome back to another fantastically exciting day here are Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…where the posts are always fresh and the reading is piping hot (well, not like THAT, but you know what I mean…).

Today’s post is all about the funny.  You know, the HA HA HA moments that make us lose a few calories throughout the course of our day (no, it’s true!  Laughing helps you burn calories…HA! < - - See, there goes a few more!).  We start out with something that is funny or rather will be funny to many of you…at my expense but hey, I’ll survive.  It’s my first venture into an “old-to-you-but-new-to-me” frontier and man is it throwing me for a loop!  What is it?  Facebook.  *-*  ~pauses to allow you time to compose yourself again~

Yep, that’s right; now even I’m on Facebook…or at least my blog is.  ^_^  Twitter I can handle, blogging…no sweat.  Facebook?  Strange country that FB is.  So many wait to share and be shared, like and not like, friend and un-friend…a whole other ball of yarn with the terminology too.  ~shakes head~  Crazy stuff but I’m starting to get the hang of it…well, the sharing part anyways.  So feel free to ‘like’ or ‘friend’ (or whatever the right term is) my site over on the old FB too.  Having also added a new ‘share’ section to the right hand sidebar is proving to be pretty nifty as well…connects right to FB, Twitter, Google+...the works.  Now, speaking of sharing…

One of the things I’ve consistently heard about FB is how “dangerous” it is.  *blink*  Okay, well ANY social media site can be if you don’t employ a little common sense, I mean really…do you ALWAYS click on that link that user J&SKAUH sends you?  Yeah, that’s what I thought.  Really though, there is an aspect of the site I was quite surprised to see and to put it simply it boils down to…the over share.  It surprised me greatly to see that I can not only find out “John Smith’s” name and email, but his phone number, place of business, schooling, address, significant other, and on and on and on.  *-*  Just seems a bit TOO much at some point there…but maybe that’s just me…or maybe not. 

The “or maybe not” up there leads me right into today’s post ironically enough as it stems from the Teaser Tuesday quote I shared in yesterday’s post which by the way I know was posted on a Wednesday but hey…I had guests on Tuesday!  (Still following me?  Good…it’ll be worth the ramble, promise. ^_^)  Two quotes were shared, one from each title I was reading at the time, but only one fits the bill for today’s discussion and frankly it makes (in a more humorous way) the same observation I just made about info shared on another social media outlet. So you see, it’s not JUST me that sees this aspect of the online world, but I digress.  I promised you a FUNNY post and gosh darn it all, you’re gonna get one! 

Today’s post hits the social media (virtual) nail on the head and gives you a great many laughs along the way…plus a new person to follow if you’re not already.  It was an impromptu read that spoke to me from the shelf.  No, really…I heard it whisper…or tweet.  Ready for the main attraction?  Today’s book of choice is…

The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People.  Make That Ten.

the tweets of Steve Martin

WARNING:  Reading of this review has been found to cause spontaneous Twitter following of one stevemartintogo.  Even said blog owner as succumbed to this epidemic as well as a bloggy buddy or two JUST from the teaser post.  Readers...you've been advised....

Okay, so the title alone is enough to make one pause when browsing the shelf…add to that the content for those of us that use the blue birdie site and you’ve got yourself a winner.  Simply put, it's a collection of his many tweets starting with the mundane ones we all send when just getting started to those calorie burning funnies that continue long after the first 140 characters appeared on the screen thanks to the connections we’ve made…also known as our fellow Tweeples and their gloriously original reactions, statements, and general conversation carry-on-ers.  (Yep…tweeples ROCK…nuff said.)

I won’t bore you with the details…well, okay, there are no boring details with this one but to get too wordy (as if that would EVER happen here…~whistles_glances away~) would be to spoil the fun and believe me, Mr. Martin does it way better than me.  One of my favorites, besides the one shared yesterday, is the sing along section.  Apparently around the holidays, we would tweet out a line to a carol and you had to fill in the next line of the song.  The results…not exactly Christmas magic but too funny nonetheless.

In summary, he may have intended to sell millions of his books with this release (and his other works) and that could possibly happen, but at the very least he'll be gaining a whole new tweeple audience. *clicks follow*  This book is now available on a bookstore shelf near you from Grand Central Publishing.  For more on this title as well as their full catalog, visit them online, 'like' them on Facebook or check in on their Twitter feed.  To discover more about the author, Mr. Steve Martin (whom I’ve dubbed the “man of many hats” what with his multiple careers…author, actor, comedian, musician, etc), feel free to visit his official website, 'like' his official fan page…or of course, follow along on Twitter.

Until next time…happy tweeting…I mean, liking….I mean READING!

P.S.  For those curious few that may not have deciphered today's post title, THIS is the translation..."Rolling on the floor laughing...or...rolling on the floor tweeting?".  ^_^

Food for Thought: Twitter Etiquette?

Hi there everyone!  I hope you enjoyed the Bear-ly There Book Tour yesterday...remember that the contest drawing is not until the end of the month, so feel free to enter through the 30th!  On to other things...today's post is 'Food for Thought' for many reasons.  First of all, I haven't done one for a bit and I am a creature of habit to a certain extend.  If I like something, I tend to do once, wait a bit and then repeat! (Now I have a desire to wash my hair for some reason...) My second reason has to do with the sudden urgency to spew (gross word, I know, but it gets the point across) a bit regarding a recent tweet I received.  (Don't worry, the Tweeter will remain nameless to all of you....I'm not THAT peeved....)

While going about my daily Twitter activities of tweeting, and retweeting, I swapped over to my "@ME" messages to discover one from a "newbie" follower.  To repeat (*COUGH*retweet*COUGH) it without an actual quote, it's message was simply that I had too many contest tweets and retweets so they were "un-following" me.  (PAUSE.....just giving you time to let that sink in..)  After my I was certain my eyes weren't deceiving me (I mean I have glasses, but this made me think I had someone else's), I stopped to consider their "complaint". 

Twitter was created for (okay, if not created for, then used for at the very least) social networking and more recently "business" networking.  If one doesn't tweet, one can not participate.  If one sees an AWESOME tweet about whatever it may be without sharing a re-tweet, than that flow of information has been cut short.  I don't care if it's about a new book (do I really DO care...that's not what I meant...keep reading), your recent trip to the movies, or your new puppy (love puppies...want to pet and hug and oh, wait, I've off track again...), it's up to me whether I read it, pass it along, or ignore it all together. 

Bottom line...you choose who you follow.  I don't mean to sound mean, or haughty or whatever other word you would like to insert here, but Twitter leaves the following up to the user for a reason.  I'm sorry (not really...well maybe a little) if you just click on people randomly to follow and then aren't interested in the conversations they have.  Personally (as I've posted before), when I receive a "SO&SO is following you" email, I LOOK at their page.  If I honestly have no interest in reading their tweets, I'm sorry...I just don't follow.  They are welcome to follow me (unless you are a spammer or nudie link sender, then I block you with my ninja power....okay, okay..I click the button).  My tweets are pretty much in two areas...books and friendly chats.  If those happen to include a few contests (who doesn't like contests?) and/or retweets to help spread the word on things I feel passionate about, so be it.  That's my choice.... (Whew!  Done ranting now...well, almost...)

COMMENT CREATOR
I would like to open this topic up to YOU, the readers of this blog.  What are your thoughts on the whole Twitter phenomenon?  Love it?  Hate it?  Follow all, none, or somewhere in-between?  Is there a limit to what you will "allow" when you follow someone?  Thoughts, comments, feedback...bring on the friendly discussion of this rather interesting (in my opinion) "debate".....


Until next time....happy reading! (Retweet!) (sorry, I couldn't resist)

Tweeting 101: The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein

Busy, busy, busy...TWEET....run, run, run....TWEET....blog, blog....oops!  That's what I'm doing now!  The day has flown right on by and I think I may have seen part of it in a fuzzy blur.  (I think it was wearing a purple dress with yellow shoes....) If you are like me, then you have to find a balance between the things you love to do and the things you have to do.  Blogging and reading....LOVE!  Work, work, work...not so much.  Cie la vie, we all end up sharing at least the dingy on this boat but one day we will all be able to combine those two pieces of the puzzle.  On to today's book choice....

The Twitter Book

by

Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein

In today's fast paced world, social media sites have not only staked their claim but removed many of the borders that formerly existed in the communication landscape.  (YAWN!  Sorry, that's my more formal version...but you guys get the fun and exciting stuff!)  Whether you're a Twitter newbie or a seasoned pro (I'll take salt and pepper, please!  Just kidding...), "The Twitter Book" has something for you.

Let's start off with a few of the basics.  Did you know....

• that the hashtags are used to group common tweets or that #FollowFriday is for recommending your fellow Twitter users?  (Guilty!  When I first ran across these two things on the site, I was like, "Okay...what am I missing?")
• to send a tweet via SMS, after your phone number is registered, send to 40404 (US only, although I believe there is one for international users too)?
• to send a Direct Message from the main screen, simply type "d" then the user name without the @?
• to see if someone is "following" you, DoesFollow offers a simple fill-in-the-blank page to check by user name?
• to link directly to a tweet click on the time/date stamp?  (I so didn't know that...tucking it away in back memory files for future contests....)

Those are just a small sampling of a few of the sites and shortcut recommendations I found when reviewing this book.  There a lot more and most of them are not only functional, but really fun to work with!  I love the fact that although the book is about 240 pages long, it doesn't read like a boring instruction manual.  The chapters are arranged logically, explanations listed in KISS style (that's Keep It Short and Simple, in case you were wondering), and makes the perfect addition to any Twitter users library of how-to books.  (It's in my virtual one.)

Both authors have a Twitter page!  (Go figure, right?)  Check out @timoreilly and @sarahm, or the additional account listed as @TweetReport for additional tips and  insights. 

So....if you are looking for a brief fiction break, or need a new handbook for your maximizing your Twitter tweets, definitely check this book out!  (I know I will be ultilizing some of the secrets I uncovered...now let's see what TwitterSheep has to say about my followers listed interests...any guesses?)

COMMENT CREATOR
What Twitter applications or related sites do you use and would recommend to others?  Why?

 

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!

Until next time...happy reading!

Tweet! Tweet! ReTweet!: The Human Side of Twitter by Neil Sandow PharmD

Hello, everyone and happy Monday to you all! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. We managed to dodge the first Tropical Storm of the season (Well hello, Claudette...sorry, couldn't help the Anthony Hopkins movie reference. You know which one...chianti and beans ring a bell?). She came through with a little rain, a little wind, but nothing detrmental. Okay, so we had a power outage but it happened right before the storm....crazy, huh? Anywho, let's get down to business. While I have several books on my plate, the one I am serving up today is....

The Human Side of Twitter

by

Neil Sandow, Pharm. D.

You know you do it. I've seen you. Your friends have seen you. You've seen them do it too. At dinner. In the car. During class. There's no use in denying it. You're even doing it right now, aren't you? Admit it! You just tweeted!

This book is a collection of several hundred (or more! I wasn't counting....) tweets straight from the site! Minus the user names (kind of them, especially in many cases!), it provides an irreverant look into the world of tweets and just what people are willing to broadcast to everyone and anyone! Be amazed at just how funny, serious, and downright strange people can be when limited to 140 characters per post. So many leave way too much room for interpretation!

Ahhh, the misunderstood, yet highly addictive social and business network that is Twitter. I must admit, I didn't see the draw initially. Why did you possibly want to know something as mundane as "I walked down the hallway" from a complete stranger somewhere out in cyberspace? That, my friends, is just one person's post though. Once you start to dig into the network itself...build your profile...find your friends...follow favorite celebrities....follow news sites....connect with business prospects....share your thoughts on things throughout the day....shall I continue?


Twitter is one of those things you either love or hate. There really is no in-between. You've heard about it on the news, listened to passing conversations about a "retweet", seen it advertised on your favorite websites (including mine!) asking you to "follow"....and then you've also read about those that condemn the site (I chalk them up to the "unwilling-to-research-new-things" group).

Let's face it, if you tweet than you know what I mean. I love getting an email from Twitter saying that "So&So is now following you". Grant it, in the beginning it sounds CREEPY! (can we say stalker syndrome?) But just because someone is following you doesn't mean you have to follow them! I admit it, I am slightly picky on who I actually follow. I mean, I have enough electronic interferences in my day without having to read through several thousand more lines of tweets that I am not interested in. (Sorry, but it's the truth!) That said, I am also selective about those I block. I have no problem with people following my tweets that I don't follow (I'm flattered I am seen as that interesting!), but if their page comes up as something truly offensive, I definitely block them...it's only a matter of time before Twitter does it anyway!

In conclusion of my rambling post (sorry!), I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick laugh, a little glimpse behind the scenes of this social network, or even those seeking a little inspiration for their next post. Never has 140 characters been such an inviting challenge to the masses...what will you say?

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!
Until next time....happy reading!