Party alert for all my tweeps out there! I'm hosting the WhiteFence Summer Savings Twitter Party, and there will be fabulous prizes, including 3 $25 Target gift certificates, a $50 Best Buy gift certificate, and the Grand Prize: a $250 Amazon.com gift certificate!
What: a WhiteFence.com Summer Savings Twitter Party
Why: To share ideas on summer fun and summer savings -- and win great prizes!
When: Thursday, June 24th 7:00-8:00pm EST (4:00-5:00pm PST)
Where: on Twitter, follow the #wfparty hashtag
Click here for more party details and to RSVP. You'll even be entered to win another $25 Target gift certificate on Bonggamom Finds! Hope to see you at the party!
Showing posts with label Tweet tweet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tweet tweet. Show all posts
Fun in the bedroom: Sex or text?
In retrospect, I suppose Valentine's Day was NOT the right time to do what I did. But it started out innocently enough. Our alarm clock broke a couple of days ago and we were planning to go out on a day trip the next day (President's Day), so we needed to get up early. I took my phone upstairs with me and placed it on my bedside table so I could check the time when I woke up the next day. I was first in bed, and I couldn't resist checking my email one last time before going to bed... well, one thing led to another and before you know it Alfie had joined me in bed, all ready to celebrate Valentine's Day -- and there I was, fully immersed in Twitter and Facebook.
It's the first time I've ever taken my phone to bed and Alfie, who has never been a fan of smart phones and 24/7 email access in the first place, was, to say the least, peeved. Luckily, it takes more than an internet-enabled phone to get between Alfie, me and the only V-Day activity we were able to enjoy without the kids, but the (text) message is clear: tweeting in bed is not a turn-on. Who needs an excuse like "honey, I have a headache" when you've got "just one last tweet!"?
Like I said, dumb thing to do on Valentine's -- but I know several couples who take their laptops to bed the way others take books or magazines to bed. Before this little incident our bed was for two things only (okay, three if you count snuggling with the kids on Sunday mornings), and the only kinds of electronic gadgets welcome in our bed do not have internet access.... ;-) Do you tweet in bed? Does your spouse? Do they care? Or do you have rules about the kinds of gadgets that belong in your bed?
This post was inspired by the Silicon Valley Moms Blog's February book club selection: The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex by Kristen Chase. I received a complimentary copy of the book to read; for more SV Moms Book Club posts, click here.
Gaining balance in 2010
Every January since I started blogging I've posted a list of resolutions for the new year. This year's New Year's Resolutions post comes later than usual, and I'm blaming the delay on the fabulous vacation I had in Manila and the blogging blackout I had to endure there. To be honest, I have to admit that it was probably a good thing, because after my initial withdrawal symptoms I grew accustomed to life without constant internet access. I no longer feel the need to check my email every five minutes, and I feel more confident that the opportunity to host the latest fabulous giveaway will still be open even if I respond to it at 1:00PM instead of 10:00AM. If it isn't, I've come to accept that there will be other pitches down the road.
In short, I think I gained a little more perspective, which helped me look back at 2009 and admit to myself that all things internet was taking over my life. Blogging, blog-hopping, Facebook-hopping, tweeting, product reviewing, hosting and managing giveaways, joining giveaways, checking email all consumed my attention. Not that there's anything wrong with anything I listed; I love doing them with a passion and intend to keep doing them in 2010. It's just that because I was so obsessed with those things, other things -- my health, the laundry, the dust bunnies under the bed, time spent with my kids, evenings on the couch with my husband -- have suffered.
So for 2010 I resolve to get more balance in my life. I resolve to look at people's houses by taking a walk instead clicking on their satellite images on Google maps. I resolve to show up at my kids' classroom door five minutes earlier so I can get to know the other parents instead of sending out self-congratulatory tweets while waiting in the car. I'll still be blogging about the latest playground or a great kids' play that's opening in my area, but I resolve to take my kids to those places as well. Most importantly, I resolve to keep in mind that there is more to life than what I can download and upload over that DSL connection.
Okay, enough already with resolutions. I've spent enough much time on this post, so I resolve to log off Blogger and fold the laundry.
In short, I think I gained a little more perspective, which helped me look back at 2009 and admit to myself that all things internet was taking over my life. Blogging, blog-hopping, Facebook-hopping, tweeting, product reviewing, hosting and managing giveaways, joining giveaways, checking email all consumed my attention. Not that there's anything wrong with anything I listed; I love doing them with a passion and intend to keep doing them in 2010. It's just that because I was so obsessed with those things, other things -- my health, the laundry, the dust bunnies under the bed, time spent with my kids, evenings on the couch with my husband -- have suffered.
So for 2010 I resolve to get more balance in my life. I resolve to look at people's houses by taking a walk instead clicking on their satellite images on Google maps. I resolve to show up at my kids' classroom door five minutes earlier so I can get to know the other parents instead of sending out self-congratulatory tweets while waiting in the car. I'll still be blogging about the latest playground or a great kids' play that's opening in my area, but I resolve to take my kids to those places as well. Most importantly, I resolve to keep in mind that there is more to life than what I can download and upload over that DSL connection.
Okay, enough already with resolutions. I've spent enough much time on this post, so I resolve to log off Blogger and fold the laundry.
Would you tweet about a family tragedy?
It's not every day that a question you post on a BlogHer forum makes BlogHer's front page, and since mine did today, I thought I'd milk it for all it's worth and do some shameless self-promotion over here.
In my defense, the topic is an interesting one. On Tuesday morning I belatedly heard that a fairly prominent Tweeter and Momdot Community member, Shellie Ross (@military_mom), had found her 2-year old son at the bottom of a pool and tweeted about it. Along with messages of sympathy and support came accusations of neglect (how could you keep your eye off your kid?), callousness (how could you tweet at a time like this?) and exploitation (don't donate to her until we verify that the kid really died). I really wanted to know what everyone thought of it, and if you want to weigh in on the discussion (or read about what's being said), I encourage you to head over to BlogHer's Family Connections forum.
How to throw a Twitter Party
Yesterday I co-hosted my first Twitter party, and I have to say, it was a great experience. Stressful, yes (The RSVP list on my Twitter party post was dangerously low on Monday, so I was so worried that the only people who would attend would be the Cardstore.com people and me!). Nerve-wracking, yes (I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to keep track of all the tweets for giveaways and that the conversation would be lame. It's just lil' ol' me, after all, who wants to listen to me or take my advice?). Time-consuming, yes (I spent lots of time promoting the party beforehand on blogging forums, twitter, my own blogs and email lists). Intense, yes (I was gave 110% during the party itself). Fun? Yes! Gratifying? Yes! Succesful? Yes!
I would definitely host one of these again, and if I do, there certain things I would definitely do and not do, based on what I learned from my experience. Not that I'm the gold standard for Twitter party hosts (that would be the fun, amazing and oh-so-resourceful Amy, ResourcefulMom). But I'm sharing with you what worked for me:
1) Let people know about the party well ahead of time. I was asked to do the party less than a week ago, so I felt nervous from the start. I quickly put together a party invite post on my blog and began tweeting out the details. I linked to it on Facebook and various blogger forums, and emailed all the bloggers I know. I included a list of prizes we'd be giving away, with photos, on my party post, so people could see all the great stuff up for grabs and be inspired to attend -- and to tell other people about the party. Word of mouth (or tweet) is key!
2) Plan ahead like you're running a military operation. Decide on points of conversation and questions you'd like to throw out to partygoers. Write out a timeline for the party to keep you on track -- you'll be surprised how time flies! Space out your giveaways throughout the party to keep people interested.
3) Pre-compose some tweets -- welcome tweets, basic info, giveaway announcements, bye-byes, thank you's -- so that you don't have to waste twitter party time typing it all out and making sure they meet the word max. You can put them in a Word or Notebook document, then copy and paste into your twitter app.
4) Speaking of twitter apps, I used Tweetchat, which keeps track of all tweets with your party hashtag, automatically adds the hashtag at the end of your tweets, and refreshes automatically at a speed you set. I actually used 2 machines. My laptop had Tweetchat on it with the highest refresh rate possible -- that's how I monitored all the tweets. I sent all my tweets from Tweetchat on my desktop, with a refresh rate of about 15 seconds.
5) Find something for the kids to do during the actual party. And find someone to take care of them. There will NOT be time for you to step away from your computer during the actual party! If one of your kids spills his milk, have his older sister wipe it up. You can always reward her later.
6) At the party, don't focus solely on asking questions or announcing giveaways. Join the conversation, reply to partygoers, and retweet any tweets that you find particularly profound, funny, helpful or cool! You might just meet a new twitter friend!
7) Relax, and don't worry so much. Twitter partygoers are awesome. They are so supportive, and they will take your conversation prompts and run away with it in ways you can't even imagine.
If I think of anything else, I'll add it here. Good luck, and enjoy your twitter party!
I would definitely host one of these again, and if I do, there certain things I would definitely do and not do, based on what I learned from my experience. Not that I'm the gold standard for Twitter party hosts (that would be the fun, amazing and oh-so-resourceful Amy, ResourcefulMom). But I'm sharing with you what worked for me:
1) Let people know about the party well ahead of time. I was asked to do the party less than a week ago, so I felt nervous from the start. I quickly put together a party invite post on my blog and began tweeting out the details. I linked to it on Facebook and various blogger forums, and emailed all the bloggers I know. I included a list of prizes we'd be giving away, with photos, on my party post, so people could see all the great stuff up for grabs and be inspired to attend -- and to tell other people about the party. Word of mouth (or tweet) is key!
2) Plan ahead like you're running a military operation. Decide on points of conversation and questions you'd like to throw out to partygoers. Write out a timeline for the party to keep you on track -- you'll be surprised how time flies! Space out your giveaways throughout the party to keep people interested.
3) Pre-compose some tweets -- welcome tweets, basic info, giveaway announcements, bye-byes, thank you's -- so that you don't have to waste twitter party time typing it all out and making sure they meet the word max. You can put them in a Word or Notebook document, then copy and paste into your twitter app.
4) Speaking of twitter apps, I used Tweetchat, which keeps track of all tweets with your party hashtag, automatically adds the hashtag at the end of your tweets, and refreshes automatically at a speed you set. I actually used 2 machines. My laptop had Tweetchat on it with the highest refresh rate possible -- that's how I monitored all the tweets. I sent all my tweets from Tweetchat on my desktop, with a refresh rate of about 15 seconds.
5) Find something for the kids to do during the actual party. And find someone to take care of them. There will NOT be time for you to step away from your computer during the actual party! If one of your kids spills his milk, have his older sister wipe it up. You can always reward her later.
6) At the party, don't focus solely on asking questions or announcing giveaways. Join the conversation, reply to partygoers, and retweet any tweets that you find particularly profound, funny, helpful or cool! You might just meet a new twitter friend!
7) Relax, and don't worry so much. Twitter partygoers are awesome. They are so supportive, and they will take your conversation prompts and run away with it in ways you can't even imagine.
If I think of anything else, I'll add it here. Good luck, and enjoy your twitter party!
Tweet that Earthquake, baby!
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit San Jose just ten minutes ago. I was editing some photos when I felt the trembling. It didn't feel like much in Palo Alto; just as I realized what it was, it was over (3Po and Jammy didn't even notice it; they insisted the shaking was because they were jumping around ,playing one of their Webkinz ninja fighting games). Over where Alfie works, it felt a lot stronger; Alfie told me his building was swaying!)
So, all in all not a real huge biggie, especially in California -- but my reaction was striking. The first thing I did to confirm my suspicions was search twitter for the keyword earthquake. And sure enough, everyone was tweeting about it. There were about 5000 tweets in the first 20 seconds of the earthquake alone! And there have been thousands more since I started this post. Now you know where to get all the breaking news....
So, all in all not a real huge biggie, especially in California -- but my reaction was striking. The first thing I did to confirm my suspicions was search twitter for the keyword earthquake. And sure enough, everyone was tweeting about it. There were about 5000 tweets in the first 20 seconds of the earthquake alone! And there have been thousands more since I started this post. Now you know where to get all the breaking news....
Parenting Tips and Tweets
When it comes to technology and the internet, I'm kind of like the tortoise; I'm slow, but I eventually get there. Take social networking trends like Twitter, for instance. I started using Twitter a couple of months ago, and I've only just figured out what hashtags (#) are for and what a Twitter party is.
So what is a Twitter party? Don't quote me, but if you put a gun to my head I'd describe it as people on Twitter all chiming in on a certain topic and using hashtagged words so they can keep track of who's joining the discussion. It can be a lot of fun, as I found out at the #todaysmoms Twitter party, which was set up by the producers of The Today Show to celebrate the release of their new book, "Today's Moms". They invited parents from all over Twittersville to share their favorite parenting tips and raffled off a copy of their book as an incentive, so I tweeted out one little piece of advice -- and went on to join the party for several hours. I never realized how much fun it can be to tell other parents what to do! Here are some that I came up with:
1) Play board games with your child -- but don't let him win every single time.
2) To track time spent on computer / tv / video games, use an egg timer with a very loud ring.
3) It's ok to let your son play with dolls... really!
4) The 2 cleaning items moms cannot live without: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser & baby wipes.
5) I always have several pens and a pad of paper in my purse -- that way, when we have to wait in line, my sons are never bored.
6) When using public toilets, I ask my kids to stand w/ hands behind their backs so they don't touch any germy surfaces
7) Too many young kids, not enough space in the toilet stall? Have oldest kid stand outside your stall & sing out loud while u go.
8) More "kids and public toilets" tips... I always carry disinfectant gel in my purse!
9) It's ok to miss a day or 2 or 3 of school for a family reunion or trip. There's other kinds of learning than book learning.
10) Never offer parenting tips for parents with children older than yours - wait till you walk in their shoes.
Think that was great? Of course you do, but check out some of the other things the #todaysmom Twitter partygoers had to say. Some were so good that I just had to blog about it here, so everyone who's not on Twitter and read and say, "Ooooh.... good one!". Here is a small sample of what I read at the #todaysmom Twitter party:
1) From tadahmom: My 16 yo son's parenting tip: Don't be over controlling - we need to make our own mistakes.
2) From tadahmom: When the children are getting louder - start whispering to them.
3) From StyleAve: Let your children dress you on Saturdays. Wear their macaroni necklaces out w/ pride!
4) From technomomdesign: read poetry to kids, even dr sues! little ones love the reppetition and rhyme.
5) From StyleAve: Women! Take your flab and dance around the house telling your daughters u love ur body!
6) From toohottotbling: Make sure you show your child you really love them even when they do something terrible.
7) From multitaskingme: Be willing to apologize to your kids when you've messed up...no parent is perfect.
8) From StyleAve: Even if you are not religious, teach your kids about the spiritual side of life (love, karma, etc.) so they are not so afraid.
9) TheMomCave: Hug!! Hug a LOT. Hug when they are sad, Hug when they are awesome. Hug when they are bad, Hug just because!!!
10) From typeamom: parenting tip? Say I love you to your kids every single night, no matter what. And other times of day, too
What a great goody bag to be taking home from a party, huh? Such wonderful pearls of parenting wisdom!
So what is a Twitter party? Don't quote me, but if you put a gun to my head I'd describe it as people on Twitter all chiming in on a certain topic and using hashtagged words so they can keep track of who's joining the discussion. It can be a lot of fun, as I found out at the #todaysmoms Twitter party, which was set up by the producers of The Today Show to celebrate the release of their new book, "Today's Moms". They invited parents from all over Twittersville to share their favorite parenting tips and raffled off a copy of their book as an incentive, so I tweeted out one little piece of advice -- and went on to join the party for several hours. I never realized how much fun it can be to tell other parents what to do! Here are some that I came up with:
1) Play board games with your child -- but don't let him win every single time.
2) To track time spent on computer / tv / video games, use an egg timer with a very loud ring.
3) It's ok to let your son play with dolls... really!
4) The 2 cleaning items moms cannot live without: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser & baby wipes.
5) I always have several pens and a pad of paper in my purse -- that way, when we have to wait in line, my sons are never bored.
6) When using public toilets, I ask my kids to stand w/ hands behind their backs so they don't touch any germy surfaces
7) Too many young kids, not enough space in the toilet stall? Have oldest kid stand outside your stall & sing out loud while u go.
8) More "kids and public toilets" tips... I always carry disinfectant gel in my purse!
9) It's ok to miss a day or 2 or 3 of school for a family reunion or trip. There's other kinds of learning than book learning.
10) Never offer parenting tips for parents with children older than yours - wait till you walk in their shoes.
Think that was great? Of course you do, but check out some of the other things the #todaysmom Twitter partygoers had to say. Some were so good that I just had to blog about it here, so everyone who's not on Twitter and read and say, "Ooooh.... good one!". Here is a small sample of what I read at the #todaysmom Twitter party:
1) From tadahmom: My 16 yo son's parenting tip: Don't be over controlling - we need to make our own mistakes.
2) From tadahmom: When the children are getting louder - start whispering to them.
3) From StyleAve: Let your children dress you on Saturdays. Wear their macaroni necklaces out w/ pride!
4) From technomomdesign: read poetry to kids, even dr sues! little ones love the reppetition and rhyme.
5) From StyleAve: Women! Take your flab and dance around the house telling your daughters u love ur body!
6) From toohottotbling: Make sure you show your child you really love them even when they do something terrible.
7) From multitaskingme: Be willing to apologize to your kids when you've messed up...no parent is perfect.
8) From StyleAve: Even if you are not religious, teach your kids about the spiritual side of life (love, karma, etc.) so they are not so afraid.
9) TheMomCave: Hug!! Hug a LOT. Hug when they are sad, Hug when they are awesome. Hug when they are bad, Hug just because!!!
10) From typeamom: parenting tip? Say I love you to your kids every single night, no matter what. And other times of day, too
What a great goody bag to be taking home from a party, huh? Such wonderful pearls of parenting wisdom!
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