Aug 27: Tweet Tweet

What day exactly did the word "tweet" enter our language? Outside Saturday morning cartoons and birdwatchers, that is. And the phrase, "status updates?" There's another good one. Now everyone's obsessed - for the moment anyway, until the next-big-thing comes along. But I have to admit that Twitter and Facebook and MySpace and the others are fun and part of a fascinating social phenomenon. To some extent, they have changed our lives, arguably not always for the better. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, though, they're not going away anytime soon. So I was pleased that the folks who run this website where I blog also are embracing the cutting-edge new media with active Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is getting an interesting dialogue going about all things South Florida. You can join in by going to this link http://www.facebook.com/visitlauderdale and adding the page to your Facebook account. You'll even find my blogs posted there.

On Twitter, just head over to this link and click to follow "visitlauderdale":  http://www.twitter.com/visitlauderdale. Their tweets are clever and useful, including this recent one:  "Pho Real: Basilic Vietnamese Grill in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea" with a link to a review of a new Vietnamese restaurant. I've eaten pho in Vietnam and love it, so I hope to head over to Basilic Vietnamese Grill soon. (BTW, pho is pronounced "fah," not "foe" - and in Vietnam, there's a strong rising inflection when you say the word. But don't worry too much about it. The folks at our new local restaurant will know what you're talking about.) Anyway, Twitter can give you little tips about deals and news in the Fort Lauderdale area. Facebook can offer this as well, along with the chance to engage in a real dialogue. Do you like this blog? Then say so there. Think I'm screwy? Post it on Facebook! Or comment about any of the other helpful info that's on this interesting FB page. It's easy and, just as easily, you can see what others think about your comments. These new social media can't offer the more sophisticated insights into South Florida that you'll find in books, magazine articles - or good blogs, for that matter. I sure hope people never start doing all their thinking in 140-character snippets. That's a scary notion. Just as magazines didn't replace books and blogs didn't replace magazines, so tweets and status updates can't replace any of those things either. But they do have a place. An exciting place in the dialogue, right here and right now. And now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go update my status.