Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Optimizing Retweets…

Word has it that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. So it would seem that naturally the more time you spend on something the more knowledgeable and proficient you become at it. Wouldn't you think? There must be exceptions to this rule. An exception I am aware of in my own life is my knowledge of Twitter. Seemingly the more time I spend on Twitter the less I feel I know about it. For instance, why do some things get ReTweeted so often when they seem to be about nothing? Or how come I get so many @ replies on tweets that seem so stupid or pointless? Recently I came across a blog which broke down the question of the ReTweets... Pretty interesting stuff. The blog it came from is called the "Social Media Scientist". Check out the article..."20 Words and Phrases that Will Get You the Most ReTweets".

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: McDonalds and Health?

Do you want to eat like an Olympian? Well according to a McDonald's commercial which aired constantly during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics now you can...by eating their food. You may remember the commercial stating, "Now you don't have to be an Olympic athlete to eat like one." Wait, really? Is McDonald's 'sweet chili sauce' really the fuel Olympians eat for performance? Although I wish there weren't two sides to this story, sadly I must confess there are. In my experience eating in the dining hall at the Beijing Olympics, I've seen first hand that many athletes do in fact eat McDonalds. Some even eat it right before their events...I even know a couple personally (including ones who won medals). So it's evident McDonalds does have truth in their statement. I shall bear all truth, too, 'after' my Olympic events were over I too delved into some McDonalds. It was a rare treat however. On the other hand most Olympic athletes do not eat at McDonalds during their competition schedule. In fact many athletes turn their nose up at the thought of it. While training to compete at high levels of sport can and sometimes does include infrequent fast food and junk, generally it does not. Social responsibility. The 'appropriate' phrase which came to mind when I saw McDonald's Olympic commercial. Is it socially responsible to link healthy Olympic athletes to unhealthy, yet tasty food...and imply that by eating it you too can be like an Olympian? Obesity in America continues to break historic records. Companies like McDonalds continue to try and align themselves with health through special meal programs, and commercials like the one discussed here. In this case, McDonalds should be ashamed. Do they not realize the negative effect they're having on society? Just like some of you, there were some other thoughts that went through my mind when I saw their commercial...explicit ones! The following tweet reignited my thoughts about the McDonald's Olympic commercial, which brings us to the Tuesday Tweet of the Week. The tweeter is a guy named Rich Roll who is an UltraMan. Rich is as fit as they come. Check out his website to learn more about the crazy races he undertakes. @RichRoll "Weight Watchers deal with McDonalds!?! This enrages me. Just another way McD is co-opting American health. MUST READ http://bit.ly/agjd35" What are your thoughts? Please let us know!

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Addie Broyles Gives SXSW Eats

At every turn my food knowledge, writing and experience are seemingly becoming greater and greater. There is no doubt I'm completely in love with food and cooking. Heck, I want to make a career out of it. Rather, I am going to make a career out of it. One of several great occurances so far this year has been my intro to the world of foodies and other bloggers in the Austin area. The scene here is really well represented with enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and humble people. So far I've done several things with different 'food' groups and every one has been great. This weekend is the start of a big festival called South by Southwest. Characterizing this event is difficult. It spans many days, includes music, food, movies, tech seminars and more. Sadly, I won't be around to experience any of the food festivities as I'm leaving Friday morning to go train in Florida for a couple weeks. I'll depend on others to keep me up to speed. One of the true leaders of the Austin foodie world is named Addie Broyles. She is a well respected food writer for the Austin American Statesman, a food blogger, and no doubt a twitterer. One of her recent tweets really caught my eye. My initial emotion was excitement, followed by a bit of sadness in that I'll be unable to attend. This tweet however is a great one for all of you who will be in town for SXSW and/or are interested in the general food scene here in Austin. Make sure to also check out Addie's blog and twitter feeds. @relishaustin: "SXSW Eats: Parties where food is the headliner http://bit.ly/bVOxQw" Dang I wish I could go to some of those!

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Slow Cooking Seafood

A few weeks ago I read a really interesting article @JasonFalls tweeted which talks about how Twitter is more of who 'you' follow than who follows you. After reading this I sat and thought about the concept for a bit. What a great point. What I did was started to go through people I already follow and find other interesting people they follow. I know this is probably already what most of you do but I'm just a bit slow to catch onto the practical application of Twitter. I now use twitter as a means to learn from others. Ain't no thang;) Soon thereafter I began following @amandahesser who is a Food columnist at the New York Times, an author, and was a founder of Plodt.com and food52.com. One of her tweets really caught my eye... "My method for perfectly cooked seafood that even the most distracted cook couldn't bungle http://bit.ly/9Xodrc" If you like seafood you'd better click the link!

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Social Media and Honey

A few interesting tweets... @JasonFalls...Ways to move your Facebook fans to action. Nice stuff from @marismith on @smexaminer today - http://cot.ag/avgs0B

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Apolo Ohno

The Olympic movement is so unbelievably inspiring to me. Watching the athletes of the XXI Olympiad compete in Vancouver is such a treat. I'm literally addicted to it! My pride to be an American and watch our fellow Americans battle for the Stars and Stripes is out of this world. The Olympic movement's beauty is the purity in it's efforts and in the competitions it holds. @_Katie_ brought the following tweet to my attention and I think it summarizes the Olympic movement's ideology and existence more perfectly than anything else I've seen.

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Tasty Tweets

Twitter is undoubtedly a pretty sweet way for all of us to stay connected and also follow some of our favorite personalities. Today's Tuesday Tweet is not actually a specific tweet. Rather it is an article referencing a few of my favorites to follow in the food world. The only difficult part in following some of these chefs, foodies, and down-right food junkies is that they post some pretty delectable photos...and they make me wish I was there. One thing I've found really great in following some of these people is that I often find inspiration in what they're doing. Generally I've come to the point in my cooking that I don't use recipes. I like to look at what's around me and create something from whatever is in my environment. Sometimes it's difficult to do this however. Viewing pictures of @Emeril, @BFlay, and @RuthReichl's food and/or reading what they think really helps me think outside the box. Follow some of these fellow food friends and see what comes to your mind. Tasty Tweets

Tuesday Tweet of the Week: Good advice on eating well from other foodies

RT @erinelberson RT @jennsutherland: Oooh, good one! RT@fourchickens: Michael Pollan: "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't."