Category Archives: twitter

April 20, 2010 · 9:23 pm

Education and Technology – Indulge me please

140 characters conference update.

I have quite a few observations about today that I want to share but I am spent so I will post them tomorrow. Tonight I want to focus on just a couple of things.

Some of the smartest, most passionate people in the industry were in this auditorium.

I was humbled, awestruck and inspired.

And retweeted often (the highest form of twitter praise). I even made it onto bigapplechannel.com‘s trending topic top tweets. I am (almost) famous(ish) in a not so famous but it was flattering sort of way. And this was one my more sincere tweets so that’s nice.

But what I want to talk about here  was one man who rocked the room. He got a standing O! (not that O, you filthy minds, ovation but now that you mention it…)

Chris Lehmann. Click that link and you can view an extended version of the passionate speech he gave today. He is the Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philly. He simply blew the room right out of the water. The crowd was awestruck by his energy. It was so exciting to hear an educator this committed to embracing the technology that drives our kids. Here are but a few of the pearls that dropped out of his mouth today:

Tell a better story in school. Technology must be like oxygen: ubiquitous, invisible and everywhere.

Kids are using devices & technology in not great ways because the adults that are supposed to teach and monitor it are afraid of it.

Let’s never forget how important teachers are. its about the community. with technology we can blow out the doors.

We need to bottle @chrislehmann and distribute him to every HS in America. Kids need to learn how to think and he gets how to help them. He loves his job. He loves kids. He loves education and he was one of the most inspiring speakers I have heard in a long time.

Yeh, today was amazing!

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October 16, 2009 · 5:53 pm

Social Media Saturday #BeatCancer

Picture 9

About the program from their website:

#BeatCancer is a social media experiment and movement created by Everywhere, a social media communications and content company based in Atlanta, Georgia. The idea was spawned by Managing Partner, Tamara Knechtel. “We were headed to BlogWold in Las Vegas with a few of our clients, including Jermain Dupri. We new we’d be in a hotbed of major bloggers and twitterers and Don Lemon and I were talking about how the power of social media should be used for more than just marketing products. If Ashton Kutcher could get a million followers, couldn’t we take on a social cause through social media? My business partners who’ve watched as I’ve struggled with cancer suggested we try to beat cancer through social media. Thus #BeatCancer was born.” Knechtel immediately reached out to Rick Calvert, organizer of BlogWorld, and Guinness World Records to see if they could compete to set a record for the distribution of the largest mass message through social media. Both agreed and in no time, others joined in the movement providing sponsorship support.

In a 24-hour period of time starting Friday, October 16th at 9 am (PDT) and lasting until Saturday, October 17th at 9am (PDT) people all over the internet stratosphere will be asked to send tweets and Facebook status updates and to blog using#BeatCancer in their posts. Ebay/Paypal and MillerCoors Brewing Company will donate a penny ($0.01)* for every Twitter message, Facebook update or blog post that includes the phrase #BeatCancer. All money will be donated to non-profit cancer organizations including SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer), Alex’s Lemonade, Bright Pink, and Spirit Jump. All of the non-profits are 501 (c)(3) organizations and accredited by The American Cancer Society. A listing of all organizations and a live stream of postings can be found at www.beatcancereverywhere.com.

This is, by far, one of my favorite social media programs to date. It was launched today at Blogworld 09. If you remember, I attended Blogworld 08 back when I was an ignorant little driveling blogger and had no idea how cool this world could really be.

If you are a blogger, twitterer or just one of my crazy friends with a Facebook page, you can join this movement by simply clicking on the link above and following the directions on their site.

Here’s to you Tamara Knechtal, for turning your nightmare around and using your craft to change the world, 1 penny at at time. Good luck in breaking the world record.

Again, the Social in Social Media strikes again.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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September 13, 2009 · 8:49 pm

Hijack this blog

born-to-blog

There is nothing like good friends. Even ones who threaten to hijack your blog. Who better to take over and pseudo guest post than the infamous First Thursdays?

These divas throw a hell of a birthday celebration. Check out the framed picture above that they had done for me. (Fyi, I blog under my maiden name, but I First Thursday under the married one).

I think I look pretty good on Springsteen’s body. Just to give you an idea of how diverse we are, I photoshopped the last person onto Giselle’s body. Hey, whatever blows your hair back, right?

In honor of the last day in my 40s I give you some suggestions that were made for blog reworking, along with some other comical writings that were part of my birthday roast – First Thursday style:

Blog Days:

Time to get out of the basement Monday

Time to cry Tuesday (and oldie but goodie)

Time to leave the zip code Wednesday

Time for a little laugh Thursday

Time to vent Friday (this could be a great one)

Time to workout Saturday

and a favorite for all the husbands out there, mine for sure:

Time for “a little head would be nice” Sunday.

And since all you readers know me pretty well by now, I will share their “top ten things Amy will never do now that she is 50 list”

1. Go to spin class (safe bet)

2. Play tennis with Jo (safer bet, she would kill me)

3. Have lunch at the club (I should be so lucky to get out of that one – the minimum haunts me)

4. Go to Bergdorf’s with Maddee and Michelle (ok, I admit it, I did say I thought Berdgorf’s closed. I had a moment of confusion with Bonwits, so shoot me)

5. Go to South Beach with the First Thursday Girls (sorry girls, montauk maybe, south beach, not so much)

6. Discuss again… to be rich or thin? (don’t ask)

7. (this one I will omit to protect the innocent(ish) Hey, we all still have to live in this town!)

8. Not blog or tweet for the day. (Why would I consider this? Jeez!)

9. Get out of the basement (this one I am starting to do, I swear)

10 BOTOX! (this one is a given)

Thank you, my friends, for a great night from the women who will always keep me on my toes and will NEVER let me fall. I love you all!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under blogging, friendship, humor, humor, relationships, top ten lists, twitter, women, work habits, writing

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April 3, 2009 · 10:00 pm

Twordsmithing

As you may know, I am a huge fan of making up words. There is nothing more fun than coming up with a new way to say something that no one else has thought of.

I have taken to submitting my words to Urban Dictionary from time to time. The first word was Bloganoia, back in December. This came out of a couple of blog word posts.

This week one of my twitter friends, @earthxplorer tweeted his firstborn’s childbirth. Surprisingly he did not fall victim to a blunt force head injury with a smartphone. I highly admire his wife for her restraint. This experience inspired me to submit:

twitobirthThe whole experience made me think about twitter users, both newbies and power users. This line of thinking spawned:

twirginand

twexpertIf you would be so kind, please jump over to twitobirth, twirgin and twexpert and give me a thumbs up. It would give this pointless activity a sense of meaning.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 25, 2009 · 12:32 am

Plinky?

plinky

Ok, everyone who reads me knows about my love affair with Twitter, right? Well tonight, perhaps I cheated on the little bird for a moment or two, I signed up for Plinky? Yeh, I know the name is a little annoying. Kind of like peeing a slinky which conjures up all sorts of painful symptoms and flashbacks of a bad urinary infection I had back in college.

Oops, I digress, for a change!

I heard about Plinky on Twitter so you could say I am cheating but it is twitter’s own damn fault for giving us the mother of all freedoms of speech. My fellow blogger @DarryleP sent out a tweet that cracked me up:

“Help!  I am finally starting to understand Twitter—so can anyone explain Plinky??”

Of course I had to find out what she was talking about so I went and signed up. Lord knows I don’t have nearly enough online addictions!

So here is the deal. This sucker just launched this week. Plinksters, I am giving you some link love and promoting what I think will be a lot of fun. Good luck to you and I hope this is your brass ring:

Plinky is here.

Friends, today we’re proud to announce the launch of Plinky, the little bundle of joy we’ve been gestating for oh so many months.       

What is Plinky, you ask? Well, in case you haven’t already jetted over to plinky.com to check it out, Plinky is a service that makes it easy for you to create inspired content on the web.Every day we provide a prompt (like a question, or a challenge) and you answer. Depending on the prompt, your answer may contain photos, maps, playlists and more. You can easily share your Plinky answers on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and most other major blogging services.

While I am sharing all this link love I surely must not forget to tell you to read Darryle P at i never signed up for this and her really fun new project click for clutter. Oh, and her adorable sun is at UW with Miss Jana, that small internet keeps rearing its crazy head at me! (BTW, you can still contribute to Jana’s Dance Marathon. Just click the link to her name above).

And Twitter, no worries, you are still my first love.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 20, 2009 · 10:09 pm

Obama Rasta Keds and other Post Inauguration Ramblings

oabama-rasta

What a day! No, what a DAY!

No matter what your political persuasion, there was no denying the energy that surrounded this inauguration. It was like election night on steroids.

I will refrain from the political recap as I am far from qualified. But I will give you my brand of recap of the day. I will also hold back on commenting about Cheney in a wheelchair except to say I do not buy him doing his own packing.

Here are my top ten in particular order:

1. This was the first time since those awful post 9/11 days that we felt and witnessed such a sense of patriotism and pride in this country. The difference here is that we feel it as a result of something positive not in reaction to a nightmare. Proud to be an American is a sentiment that has been tested over the past few years. Nice to have it back!

2. Aretha Franklin! I will preface this with saying that she is one of my favorites of all times. But really, who the hell told her that hat was ok? Seriously.

3. One of my favorite twitter comments came during Elizabeth Alexander’s recitation of her poem:  @fraying: Did Maya Angelou turn down the gig or something?

4. Michelle’s gold suit during the day. Love. Dress at the ball, not so much.

5. Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce. Superstatospherestarpower.

6. Sting WITH Stevie Wonder… Brand New Day. Simply amazing.

7. F’in Shakira! Hate her and how dare she butcher a Van Morrison tune?

8. The new whitehouse.gov went up at 12:01 on the dot without a hitch. According to Jason Kottke, the Bush administration set more than 2,400 rules to prevent search engines from indexing certain material on the site. The new Obama site eliminates nearly all of these rules.

9. Great move on the part of the Hempstead, Long Island elementary school that named itself after Obama. For those who do not live in these parts, this district has struggled for many years. Perhaps this will help them get out of the hole.

10. My absolute favorite thing today was finding the Obama Rasta Keds on Zazzle.com in the picture above.

My hopes? To still feel this way after the first 100 days.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 7, 2009 · 10:22 pm

Porn industry seeks federal bailout?

moneyistock_000004548430xsmall

This is why I love Twitter. Anyone sick of hearing that from me? Tough, it is a mild addiction and it is not hurting anyone. Oh, and it gives me all sorts of things to blog about.

Today I found a link to this post about the Porn Industry seeking a federal bailout on CNNPolitics.com. The comments are as amusing as the brief post.

Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis are requesting a $5 billion bailout for the adult entertainment industry. It is not because the industry is hurting, but because, and I quote Flynt:

“…the industry leaders said the issue is a nation in need. People are too depressed to be sexually active. This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex.”

Nope, can’t make this stuff up. But we surely could use some pathetic play on words here, like ‘stimulus package’ or calling these industry leaders ‘humps’. Ok, cheap shots.

This goes to show you that even when the world is spinning out of control, the Spin Doctors are still thinking up new ways to get attention. Have to hand it to them, it got a laugh out of me.

Oh, and of course we must not overlook the other big political news today, Joe the Plumber Heads to the Middle East to cover the Gaza conflict for pjtv. A lovely little sound bit from good old Joe:

“Being a Christian I’m pretty well protected by God I believe. That’s not saying he’s going to stop a mortar for me, but you gotta take the chance.”

Now would be a good time to shamelessly plug my Joe the Plumber merch on Cafepress.com. C’mon you know you are dying for a t-shirt or a mug.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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January 4, 2009 · 10:51 pm

Sorry Pal, this Jew is Not for Jesus

Only on i could cry but i don’t have time would a post about Jesus follow one about Childbirth Orgasms. What can I say, I have range!

As I have mentioned before, I have become a bit of a Twitter addict. For those who are unfamiliar with Twitter it is sort of a cross between a social network, like Facebook, and Instant Messaging, like AIM or ICHAT. And for my parents and in-laws, sorry about speaking in a foreign language in this post.

The other night on Twitter someone wrote that they were being followed by @jesus and they better watch what they say. I thought that was simply hysterical and ‘retweeted’ that comment. Not long after, I received an email that @jesus was now following me! The best line of all in the bio is ‘what would Jesus tweet?’

jesus-tweet

Oh Twitter – opportunities for all! This is a group of Christians trying to spread the word. Hey, G-d bless. But fellas this Jew is not for Jesus, so if you don’t mind, nothing personal but I will not follow y’all back. K?

A little further investigation tuned me in that there are many godlike twitter accounts out there in the twittosphere: @god, @jesus_christ, @baby_jesus, @almighty and there is even @thejesusgeeks and jokesandjesus.

Here is are some funny tweets I uncovered during my search: “Is it me or should @jesus have more than 13 followers?” Or how about this one, “I unfollowed @God the other night, don’t think @Jesus will help either. ; )” On Christmas, this one went out, ” @jesus, happy birthday big guy!” And my favorite one of all “Wow. @greygoosevodka is following me! F’in awesome! But it looks like I lost @jesus (*yikes).

Ok, all kidding aside here. I find this all a little off color. And kind of sticky. This has got to offend the more religious Tweeters out there. Then again, all is fair game in the world of social media I suppose.

Oh, in case you were wondering, to give the other side equal time, @satan is on Twitter too.

Can’t make this stuff up!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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November 29, 2008 · 9:33 pm

The upside of laundry

laundryLaundry. Never been a big fan. No matter how often you do it the pile keeps growing. Quite frankly I was never one of those moms that got off on the smell of the clean clothes. Or the neat piles when you put them away – maybe because those are non-existent in my house. 

But the upside of laundry in my house means it is a full one. My daughter (the jam master laundry maker) is home; filling a hamper in just a few days. Scary, but I love to see her clothes in the laundry. It is evidence that she is present. And there are a bunch of sheets on a half dozen aero beds tonight for the slew of boys who will roll in after midnight from a concert in the city. With any luck an equal amount of towels in the morning if they actually shower, but with 16-year-old boys that is always a crap shoot. 

A full house. I LOVE a full house. The laundry, not so much. But it is a small price to pay to have them here. A few years back it seemed like a nuisance. Now? I love nothing more.

So, all you moms who think that one more rinse cycle will put you over the edge, just remember, no laundry means they are not around. I have told many a mom who complains about their house being messy that a clean house is an empty one. 

Don’t get me wrong, it is not as if I have no life without the kids – there is always Twitter for G-d sakes – but there is something about having parented for almost 20 years that makes me really appreciate a heavy dose of it now and then.

Now if I could only teach the dog to fold…

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under family, humor, moms, parenting, teenagers, twitter

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November 23, 2008 · 11:48 pm

Are Bloggers the new ‘Media’?

callaheadsite

There is much talk about bloggers being viewed, or perhaps narcissistically viewing themselves, as media. Me? I view my self as someone with an off-beat view on everyday life that keeps me entertained and helps me from not going over the edge from the stresses of life. I have long kept my friends entertained this way and started to blog to bring this warped vision to a bigger audience. (friends and family getting bored).

You can only imagine how surprised I was to find a link in my stats that brought me here. For those too lazy or not inclined to click that link, my blog post about CallAhead portable toilets has been featured on their website in the media section!

This is where I tell Gary about how bloggers get free stuff all the time when they mention people’s products. Hey, CallAhead has a better social media strategy than J&J for Motrin? Yikes, way to go potty guys! Do you guys Twitter? You can find me there @amyz5.

Gary’s response: Great, so what will we get, a free porta san on the front lawn? You couldn’t blog about BMW?

Ok, so here’s the thing. If the social media director at BMW is out there scanning blogs I just want to let you know that I am a really loyal customer and I love, love, love, my X3 and the lease is coming up soon. And Gary happens to have a really sweet 325ci convertible that is getting kind of old and we have a kid in college and another one on the way into college so car $ are tight and I would be real happy to blog all the time about your fantastic products because frankly BMW is my life and we could do a thing called extreme vehicle makeover where you drive away my old car and bring me a new one just because I happened to write about a billboard with a funny slogan on it about being #1 at picking up #2…

Alright, so maybe the CallAhead on the front lawn is a little more realistic.

A girl can dream, can’t she?

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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