3 Short Twitter Stories

Alan's beautiful bowls.

The foodie/cooking/baking Twitter community is one of my favorite online hangouts.  It’s a fun and creative group of people – a neighborhood, if you will – where everyone shares common interests.

For the most part, I follow the foodie/baking community. But, I also enjoy following small business experts, social media experts, people I work with professionally, other local businesses and news media. For me and Sweet & Simple, Twitter is a source of real time local and global information, not only a place to talk about cooking and baking.

Twitter feels like a cocktail party, a really fantastic cocktail party! Everyone is chit chatting and basically talking about the same stuff with the same level of enthusiasm. Information, tips, pictures, recipes, links – all about cooking and baking all the time! You may be gluten free, sugar free, a whole grain baker, a professional baker, a chef, a pastry chef, a home cook (me!), a home baker (me!), a frequent blogger or an infrequent blogger, but there always seems to be common ground and mutual respect and appreciation.

Here are 3 short Twitter friendship stories I would like to share:

This June, Nelly of Cooking with Books stopped by my Facebook page and asked if I was on Twitter. I wasn’t but she gave me a little encouragement and I joined - the same day! I love following Nelly’s blog and I appreciate our online friendship. And, fingers crossed, I hope to meet this gal in New York City next month. I’m buying lunch!

Patti's take on the Sweet & Simple logo - just lovely!

One of Nelly’s dear online friends is Patti Wunder of Easton Place Designs. Nelly introduced me online to Patti (because we both love tennis) and it turns out we are neighbors in real life, separated only by a few miles in Connecticut. Patti and I recently met for lunch. She’s lovely and kind and wise. She gave me these beautiful note cards, her take on the Sweet & Simple logo. And now Patti is helping me put together some gift packaging ideas for the holidays, and so we have a professional and personal friendship. Really, just how cool is that?

And then there is Alan Cooke of Cooke’d with Luv. Alan is a professional baker, pizza entrepreneur,  blogger and another dear friend of Nelly’s. In his spare time, and I’m not sure how he finds it, he hand turns wooden bowls. A few months ago, the online food community rallied around one of their own: Jennifer Perillo, a young woman and mother whose husband died unexpectedly. Many participated in online auctions to raise money and show support for Jennifer and her daughters, with Bloggers Without Borders leading the effort. Some people auctioned cookies, others cakes, still others their professional services, and there were many, many auctions. Alan makes bowls and so he auctioned off 2 bowls thru his blog. I bid on Alan’s bowls and won his auction. But more than “winning” something, I felt part of a neighborhood – a neighborhood where love, kindness and respect are practiced daily. I’ve never met Alan and I’ve never met Jennifer Perillo, but when I look at Alan’s bowls I know we belong to the same neighborhood.  What makes Twitter, and social media in general, important are the authentic and meaningful connections that enrich our lives both online and offline. 

Thank you Nelly, Patti and Alan for being my Twitter pals!

I hope you will share the love by sharing your own social media friendship stories in the comments section. I would love to hear them!

Twitter Handle Links:

@Michelle_Jaffee for me

@Nella22 for Nelly of Cooking with Books

@Easton_Place for Patti of Easton Place Designs

@alanecooke for Alan of Cooke’d with Luv