The Tweet Sound of Success

    I'm not very good at using Twitter and LinkedIn.  I know how to use them, but I am not motivated to tweet or post that often.  Maybe that's a good thing.  I don't want my stream of consciousness to be out in cyber space, but if I do have what I think is a clever thought or witty remark, I will thumb-it-out and click send . . . maybe . . . if I think about it.  That's not even a second thought for many young people today, as was demonstrated by a young lady in Kansas.  Check this out: 
    http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/nov/28/no-penalty-for-teen-who-tweeted-about-kansas-gov/

    The stir her tweeted comment made allowed her to go from 61 followers to over 12,000 in less than a week!  Any business that is using social media would love to have that kind of success in growing their following so fast is so short a time.  This clearly demonstrates the power the right or pithy comment can have in the world of social networking. 

    For my parks & recreation department I want to grow our Twitter followers and Facebook fans, but I want it to be because of the great things we do, great parks we have, and wonderful opportunities we offer residents for recreation and positive social interaction.  An individual who wants to be controversial and edgy can probably get away with that, but it's a bit trickier for an agency that serves the public and has both a reputation to consider and Council members and taxpayers to answer to.  That said, I make every effort to sound friendly, encouraging and clever in the postings I do on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/westsacfun), and most of all to engage those who 'Like" and comment on our postings. While I would love for us to post or tweet a comment or video and have it go viral, I am content for now with our modest following of 1,200+ people on our Facebook page.

    That's my take.  Now excuse me while I tweet about our new pole dancing class.

Who needs cocaine when you can simply have sugar?

More medical research is suggesting that processed, sugary foods and beverages may affect the brain much like narcotics (as found in the Bloomberg article: Fatty Foods Addictive as Cocaine in Growing Body of Science). As someone who used to consume lots of fatty, sugary and processed foods, this doesn't surprise me. The process of eliminating sugar from my diet was very difficult and I had to endure headaches and feeling deprived (my family had to endure me). Now when I walk into any store that sells junk food I see it as a poison. It's an attitude I had to take to avoid being sucked back in by sugary snacks, cereals and candy. While I still have a sweet-tooth, I am able to satisfy this craving with items that are sugar-free. Now I love the way I eat and weighing 30 lbs less than I did 2 years ago doesn't hurt either. Some may laugh at the thought of some foods as addictive, but I know how hard it can be to change the way one eats. Check out the article and tell me what you think.