The Fro Fro Blog

Twitter: To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

When I first started writing this blog a couple of years ago, I was like a kid in a candy store.  I couldn't get enough of the rush that came from expressing myself creatively, getting accolades from you lovely people, and having my words be read by strangers all over the globe.  Only a single-digit percentage of people on the planet were writing a blog, and I was one of them.  I was the new new thing.  

I LOVED it and couldn't imagine EVER not wanting to blog about something at least two or three times a week.

Then, along came Facebook.  I was a like a kid in a candy store filled with all my favorite candy.  I loved reconnecting with friends, seeing what they were up to and keeping them up to date on what's going on with me.  I have Facebook to thank for reuniting me with my sorority sister Anne -- we ended up doing the Danskin Tri in Austin together last year ISidebar: Jo Jo and I are about to do the "5th Annual Jo Jo and Fro Fro at the Danskin Tri" this year.  Come join us!)  I can also thank Facebook for being the catalyst for last week's Bacon Bacon Bacon Burger -- the idea was hatched when Howie (a college friend) recommended Nueske's bacon as the very best, and my cousin Stacey put in a plug for Zingerman's bacon bread.  

It's so much easier to "microblog" than to blog, and my Facebook status update began to overtake my blog in the 24-hour apple pie of my time.  

I LOVED it and couldn't imagine EVER not wanting to post pithy updates ay least two or three times a day.

Then along came Twitter.  I am now a kid in a candy store filled with all my favorite candy -- and the other kids in the store are my favorite celebrities!

At first I admit I didn't "get" Twitter.  Like you, I was asking myself, "What's the point?  Do I really need Twitter if I'm already on Facebook?"  Especially since you can set up your Facebook status to update based on your Twitter tweets (Twitter lexicon for messages) automatically.  That's all changed for the following reasons, so to speak:

1. You can follow people on Twitter who are not your friends in real life (as much as you'd like to believe that they are).  

For example, I'm following Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) -- so I was getting into the flow of his daily training routine and what he does when he's not about the bike -- directly from Lance himself.  Then, the other day when he unfortunately crashed on his bike in Spain and broke his collarbone. So now I can get up-to-the minute updates on his condition, complete with pictures of his freshly sewn scar.

Then, of course, there's the royal first couple of Twitter, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) and Demi Moore (@mrskutcher).  Following these two on Twitter is such a romantic vicarious thrill.  Earlier this week, Ashton was on location for his new movie in France, and missing Demi back in La La Land.  So he asked the Twitterverse to send a "love bomb" -- he implored his his hundreds of thousands of followers to send a message of love to Demi at 7:45 am Pacific Time, right after she sends the kids off to school -- and we did!  She loved it, and it made me smile the rest of the day.  

I'm also following some of my favorite celebs of the food world, such as my idol Ruth Reichl (@ruthreichl), Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea (@Gachatz), Nate Appleman of A16 (@nappleman), Chris Cosentino of Incanto (@offalchris), Dave Martin of Crave (@chefdavemartin), Daniel Patterson of Coi (@dcpatterson), Gail Simmons (@gailsimmons) and Martha Stewart of Omnimedia (@MarthaStewart). 

It really gets good when you observe people interacting with each other:

@dcpatterson: riddle me this: what does one say to a customer who orders bone marrow and then proclaims it "too fatty"?

@offalchris: get the fuck out of my restaurant

@dcpatterson: charming.  was thinking of a more positive approach - this is the hospitality biz, right?

@offalchris: yes I know but it does get frustrating

Personally, I think Patterson should have asked the customer if this finger made him look fat.  Here's another fun exchange, between NFL and Dancing with the Stars legend Warren Sapp, and Gary Vaynerchuk, wine expert, blogger and Twitterer with quite a large following: 

@WarrenSapp: @garyvee I bet I can drink you under the table.. and yes, even wine ;-)

@garyvee: @WarrenSapp joins Twitter and his 2nd tweet ever he talks trash and wants to challenge me to a wine drinking contest!  good start ;) lol

One caveat:  Some of celebs purportedly hire ghost writers and (gasp!) don't post their own tweets.  Shame on them.  I loved following @TinaFey ("Am I eating a Caramello bar for lunch?  Yes.  Yes I am.") but then found out she was a fraud.  As you become more Twitter-savvy, it's easier to separate the shams from the silk purses.  For one thing, you see how many things they post that only they could.  Just spend one day following Ashton, Demi and Robert Luketic (@robluketic), the director of Ashton's next flick, Five Killers, and you'll see what I mean. 

2.  Speaking of fake, some of your favorite fake people are on Twitter.  

Mad Men is one of my favorite TV shows - and there are people who have appropriated the Twitter profiles of some of my favorite characters on the show -- sometimes more than one version.  There's Don Draper (@_DonDraper and @don_draper), Betty Draper (@bettydraper), Peggy Olson (@peggyolson and @BadPeggyOlson), Pete Campbell (@pete_campbell), Ken Cosgrove (@ken_cosgrove) and others.  Just like they might on the show, Betty throws out the meatloaf that Don doesn't want when he comes home late from another night of working late. A likely story.  

3. Speaking of advertising, Twitter is a great word-of-mouth marketing vehicle.

After following the making of Five Killers through the eyes of its star, his spouse, and the director for the next year, you know I'm going to see that movie!

4. You can be followed.

Don't freak; it's a compliment.  It's a great feeling when you start to have adoring masses -- you people taught me that!  But do be careful.  Standard Web vigilance applies.  

5.  You can be entertained by others' humor and and creativity.  In 140 characters or less.

Each tweet has a 140 character limit.  It's fun to see what people do with that space. 

@chef140 posts recipes -- yes, recipes -- that are all no more than 140 characters.  Here's one: "Toss 1lb cookd #pasta w/1.5c #chickpeas, 2.5c frsh #spinach, 8oz crumbld feta, minced grlc clove, 3T lemon jc, 1/4c EVOO, s&p."   Take that, Rachael Ray!

@paulfeig, actor, producer, director and writer whose credits include Freaks and Geeks and The Office, writes some terrific tweets on his own and then incites his followers to follow suit.  For example, he started #tplays, 140-character mini-dramas.  (Find them by searching on #tplays.  Or see what others are saying about your favorite subjects by simply searching on those keywords.)

@BstTwt broadcasts the best tweets others have written.  To wit:  "@nick I invented a device for making people call you for important conversations: a freshly poured bowl of cereal."  

As you can see, I LOVE it, and can't imagine EVER not wanting to satisfy my Twitter addiction two or three times an hour.  

 

So until the next new new thing comes along, follow me on Twitter...and try to keep up.

 

http://twitter.com/laurafrofro

Tell Me You Love Me

Writing this blog for the past year has been a labor of love.  I heart all of you, dear readers, and it gives me great joy to bring you my musings, rants and raves week in, week out.

...and if you love reading The Fro Fro Blog as much as I love writing it, here are two ways to tell me (and the world):

Nominate The Fro Fro Blog for a Bloggie Award at http://2008.bloggies.com

The Weblog Awards (the "Bloggies") will soon be bestowed on the "best of the best" blogs in a variety of categories.  Get your nominations in before the deadline: 10:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 11.

You may nominate a blog in multiple categories, so don't be shy about typing http://laurafrofro.typepad.com into Best American Weblog, Best Food Weblog, Most Humorous Weblog, Best Writing of a Weblog and Best-Kept Secret Weblog. (Unfortunately I just missed the cut-off for Best New Weblog, since this baby was born in December '06.)   

Wow. This shameless self-promotion stuff is easier than you think! (giggle)

Rate Me!

Hot or not?  Underneath the picture of little ol' me on the left hand side of this page is a section called "Rate This Blog." Give it a star rating, and if you're so inclined, add a few words.  Like, "The Fro Fro Blog is the funniest, most fabulous blog ever!"  Or whatever.  You may also say what you like, dislike, want to see more of, see less of, etc.  Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can take it. (Note: Your reviews will appear on RateItAll.com.)  I predict some of you will want to see more football, less foie gras -- others will take the opposite stance.  You know who you are.

All my love,

Fro Fro
 

Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea

For all the tech-savvy wine-loving Francophiles on your list -- courtesy of our Parisian correspondent, Deeaaahne.  Merci, Deeahnne!

iPhone Crybabies

I was first on my block to buy the iPhone when it debuted on June 29.  I did so fully expecting that in the not too distant future, that very phone would cost hundreds of dollars less as Apple made way for the holiday season and what the holier-than-thous are waiting for, the 2nd generation.  HTT's gaze longingly at my phone, then snap out of it and say, "I'm waiting for the 2nd generation.  It's always better and cheaper." 

What I didn't expect were the reactions from some of my fellow technophiles.  They're emailing Steve Jobs in droves, demanding compensation for the recently announced $200 price cut.   Really?  Are you serious?  C'mon, people, this is how being an early adopter works!  Didn't you read the manual? 

Nor did I expect that Steve would buckle under the pressure.  In his open letter to iPhone customers, he writes, "There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon."  Exactly!  Atta boy, Steve. 

But then he takes a detour on that bumpy road he describes, saying, "We need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these."  Yes, Steve, I trusted you.  I trusted you to let me carry my beloved iPhone as a badge of honor -- showing the world I was willing to buy it early no matter what you charged people two months, or even two days later for that matter.  The refund tarnishes that badge, and, frankly, I'm quite content with the smudges I already have on my screen, thank you very much. 

On a happier note, pun intended, Apple announced that iPhone custom ringtones are coming soon.  For the first two months I'll be playing "Big Girls Don't Cry."

First on the Block: iPhone

That's right, people, I'm among the first to get a hold of the iPhone!  Intrepid reporter or marketing victim?  You decide.

I've been an Apple devotee ever since my first MacIntosh in college.  Corporate America gave me a PC, but I still have a Mac at home, plus multiple iPods -- a 2nd gen which I got after my 1st gen was stolen from my car, a mini, a (Red) nano and an itty bitty Shuffle for workouts. 

When I heard that at long last, the rumors were true and that Apple was coming out with a phone, I was beside myself with excitement.  That excitement turned to borderline insanity when I heard about the phone's magical features and saw the TV ads.  I knew I'd have to do whatever it took to get my hands on one, even if they did leave smudgemarks everywhere.  I asked for the day off from work and the countdown began.

Nothing anyone said could deter me.  "Apple's 2nd generation is always better and cheaper."  "The battery life will suck."  "AT&T's EDGE is way slow."  Who cares?  In my mind, the iPhone was a thing of beauty....and magic.  Have you seen the screen?  Or, the scrolling?  My God, I couldn't wait.  One of the features I was most excited about was the visual voicemail.  Rather than going through voicemails sequentially, not knowing who called, on the iPhone you see a list and you can pick which messages to listen to (or not).  Oh, Steve Jobs called?  I'd better listen to that one first. 

Anyway, I started figuring out my plan of attack.  Read up on reports of how the purchase process would work and tried to get some inside scoop.  Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone at Apple, but unfortunately no one was getting hooked up anywhere (as far as I know).  So I headed over to Walgreens and bought a folding beach chair for ten bucks, then started packing my "stakeout" bag with the following items:
- Sleeping bag (wasn't sure I'd need it, but it was in there just in case)
- CLIF Bars
- Smart Water
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Reading Material (Eat, Pray, Love, Gourmet, People, Blueprint and Self)
- Camera

I decided that the AT&T store on Union Street would be a better bet than the Apple store downtown.  But when would I need to get in line?  By Tuesday I was reading reports that people had already started lining up at the Apple store in New York.   Luckily, when I did a drive-by on Union on Thursday after work, no one had camped out yet.  Same when I went by again later that night after the "5 Core Skills for Mentally Fit Athletes" program at Sports Basement.  Figured if no one was there by then, they probably weren't coming 'til the morning.  Did another drive-by at 6am; still no one.  Am I the only one in San Francisco who believes the hype?  Finally, when I returned at 9:15, there were two guys sitting in front of the store.  Woo hoo - I'm #3!

The next several hours weren't too bad.  It was a nice day, I had my reading material and the crowd was congenial.  Some were buying the phone for themselves; others were paid "sitters."  I couldn't imagine waiting nine hours and not even having the phone to show for it at the end, but who I am I to judge?  To each his own.   Every so often, someone would walk by and say, "What are you waiting for?"  At first it was fun and exciting to respond, "We're waiting for the iPhone!"  After about the thirtieth person, not so much.  Until we decided to have some fun with it.  One guy asked, "What are you waiting for," and we responded, "the Apocalypse."  Later, a woman asked, "Are you demonstrating against something here?"  I responded, "Yes.  Microsoft." (Just kidding, Bill.)

Periodically, we'd hear rumors and attempt to determine their validity.  I'd read somewhere that each AT&T store would have 40 phones each (still not sure if true and I didn't stick around to find out).  Someone else heard that when you went online to activate, you'd have to pay Apple $2,000 up front.  Of course, not true.  There were the stories of people on Craigslist offering to buy / sell iPhones for exorbitant amounts of money, and the nicer stories about those selling them on eBay and donating the proceeds to charity.  At one point we heard that there were over 150 people at the Apple store downtown.  Union Street was definitely the right move because by 3pm I don't think there were even 50 people there.

The AT&T guys (who were super-nice throughout the day, checking up on us, bringing bottles of water, but not giving up any info on how many phones they had) opened the doors at 6pm sharp.  They were letting a few people in at a time, and I was in the first group.  While others dilly-dallied over God knows what, I plunked down my plastic.  (No, I don't want to try it out first, I've just waited nine hours!  I want the phone!)   So I literally was first on my block to buy the iPhone today.

One reason it was so easy is that, as you may have heard, the activation process happens at home, via iTunes, rather than in the store.  What a godsend.  Once I got home, it took me no more than six minutes to get up and running, then a little longer to download my music.  The interface is as magical as I'd dreamed it would be, and I can't wait to play with my new toy this weekend!

Click on the thumbnail to see my iPhone Day 1 Album on Webshots:

by laurajf1

 

The Onion Makes Me Cry...Laughing

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch.

(Click headline to read the entire hilarious article.)

Tech Porn

Sooooo sexy...

Vegas, Baby

Just returned from a brief stint in Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.  While it's true that what happens there stays there, here's what I can tell you:

Sunday...

10:06 Flight lands in LAS from SFO.  I proceed to check my phone for the kickoff announcement and score updates that Yahoo! promised me.  They never come.  I'm forced to check the Web version which isn't optimal but suffices as a backup.  And I'm not complaining too much since by the time I get to the Palms, we're tied 10-10.

11:00 Can't check into my  room until 4pm so I camp out at the Sports Book to watch the rest of the game.  By now you've heard that the Jets lost to the Patriots, 37-16.

1:00 - 7:00 Lament the fact that the Jets' season is over, and try to get some work done.

7:30 Dinner at L'Atelier Joel Robuchon with Candace and Tom.  Had such a phenomenal meal there last time, I had to go back -- and they did not disappoint the second time around.  Tried a few different dishes this time, including the Frog Leg Ravioli and Spaghetti L'Atelier (with pancetta & cream).  The best part of the night, however, was when Drunk Guy (DG for short) approached us and struck up a conversation...
DG: Whrrre yuh fruumm? (slurring)
Tom: Detroit
Candace: Chicago
Laura: San Francisco
DG: So yur a Democrat then?
Laura: Yes
DG: Whut about you?
Candace: I don't belong to a particular party.
DG: Yuh mean other than loookin' gooood?

I love it.  Candace for President -- Looking Good in '08!

11:00 Ghostbar with Greg.  Spectacular view.  Glass terrace a few hundred feet above ground that I stood on for a few seconds - that's all I could manage in spite of having jumped off a bridge and a plane before.  By the time we left around midnight the place was just getting started.  Had to save up for the next night though!

Monday...

7:00 Haul myself to the hotel gym.  Feel hung over even though I only had 1/2 a drink at Ghostbar.  Somehow manage to run 6 miles, and it feels like it's all uphill even though the treadmill has zero incline.

9:30 - 5:30 Get my real exercise of the day at CES.  All those years of frat parties really come in handy when you're booking through the Convention Center, navigating around 140,000 people.  Unfortunately nothing truly spectacular at the show to write home about.  Went to Robert Iger's keynote and it turned out to be just one big commercial for Disney, complete with in-person celebrity endorsements.  I'm sorry, but Evangeline Lilly and Matthew Fox telling me how the Internet has changed their lives as stars of Lost is interesting, but not newsworthy.  Supposedly Iger's big announcement was the unveiling of the new Disney.com.  Maybe I'm just jaded and this is big news to the CE industry, but....

Contrast this to the announcement being made back in San Francisco by my BFF Steve Jobs at MacWorld.  The widely-rumored and much-anticipated (at least by me) Apple iPhone is going to be a reality in June.  Now that's what I call great news!

For the most comprehensive coverage of the show, click here.

7:00 Dinner at Japonais.  New Vegas outpost of the popular Chicago & NY Asian/French fusion eatery. Pros: Fish was delicious and very fresh.   At the end of the day, that's all I should really care about in a sushi restaurant.  "The Rock" (700-degree stone on which you cook your own Niman Ranch beef) was also quite tasty.
Cons: The Spicy Mono (Octopus) Roll was not very spicy.  The restaurant's look and feel reminded me way too much of Nobu in Vegas.  I had to keep reminding myself where I was, rather than thinking I was having a distinctly new experience.

9:00 CNET's Off the Record Party in the Hefner Villa at the Palms.  True to form, the CNET party was the hot ticket.  Great turnout, and once the dancing got going, there was no stopping us.

Here's the photo album from the party...

by Webshots_CNET

And here's the album from the after-party...

by laurajf1

(Click on links to view full albums.)

Tuesday...

There will be no working out this morning.  Not happening.

1:09  Fly back to SFO.  It was a Las Vegas miracle - perhaps the first time ever - that my flight back from CES was not delayed.  The other Las Vegas miracle was that I didn't shop the entire time I was there!

All the cool kids are doing it...

While I'm not a kid anymore, my blog is long overdue.  Be patient and kind while I get up and running, and figure out what I truly want this space to be.

Some ideas of what it might be:
- A place for friends and family to stay up on what I'm up to
- List-o-mania...I'm always making lists in my head of things I love, want to remember, want to recommend.  Now I have a place to keep them all.
- A recipe file
- A travelogue
- A photo album
- Etc. Yes, etc. will be a very big part of this blog.

I'm also open to suggestions about what you'd like to see in this space. 

Stay tuned!