Twitter's Favourite Christmas Films

So I asked the good people of Twitter to help me compile a list of Favourite Christmas Films for my film club, so we could pick one for the Christmas get together. 

Here's the response (in order of appearance). And do please Follow these lovely people if their Tweets take your fancy:

vahva Bryony Taylor

Has to be Home Alone for me! 

Itxi_Itx (^_-)

A recent one that might appeal: The Holiday > romantic comedy set over x-mas, half in UK, half in LA... ;) 

AgentFergie Hannah Ferguson

Home Alone! Or if you fancy more of a romcom I love While You Were Sleeping. Not overtly Christmassy, but takes place over Xmas+NY. 

MissPinks Beth Pinkerton

I love The Holiday too. Perfect rom-com for Christmas. Also adore Serendipity, which starts with Christmas shopping scene 

vahva Bryony Taylor

another favourite is The Snowman as well. Bad Santa is hilarious but better watched outside the xmas season as it's so cynical! 

mikebfd Mike

Not exactly the target demo, but...Gremlins would be my pick. I never liked "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story". 

karenbrand Karen Brand

Muppets Christmas Carol?

QueenofScots67 Jackie D
Home Alone 1 and 2

Itxi_Itx (^_-)

Christmas Carol, the new one with Jim Carrey (saw it in LA, it's pretty intense!) 

AgentFergie Hannah Ferguson

Also, have you seen Raymond Briggs' The Bear. It's beautiful...and Christmassy. 

Itxi_Itx (^_-)

It's a Wonderful Life...x-mas classic... ;) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/ 

vahva Bryony Taylor 

My fave Christmas film is Richard Curtis' 'Bernard and the Genie' but it's v hard to get hold of: http://trunc.it/cvtap 

shanethehat Shane Auckland

I second your mum's idea, Die Hard is the best Christmas film ever! 

vahva Bryony Taylor

oh, and Nativity! with @alancarr and Martin Freeman which came out on dvd today is hilarious: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242447/ 

mikebfd Mike

Also, The Nightmare Before Christmas; such a great film. 

Serenaf66 Serena FitzGerald

White Christmasx

Dalevich Dale

if you can help it, avoid 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' by a very wide margin, it's massive plopsies. 

mikebfd Mike

More unconventional, Die Hard-esque picks: The Ref, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Rambo: First Blood, MST3K has two Xmas films. 

mikebfd Mike

I really want to say The Ice Storm, as well- one of my absolute favorite films...but it's set @ Thanksgiving. Close enough, I say! 

keewa Oliver Kealey

Die Hard is a Christmas classic! 

CyberDiva2 Liz Roebuck

hope I'm not too late to chip in with wonderful life? Pure jimmy Stewart magic which never fails to induce a lump in throat! 

Dalevich Dale

not really christmassy, just uplifting. Nightmare Before Christmas and Scrooged are the two best...and Muppets of course 

edenapplet Daniela

Elf is brilliant, for all ages.

Dalevich Dale

have you seen Amelie (most people have so that's probably a silly question)

@Angpang's Twitter Follow Back Formula

Having been on Twitter for about two years now, I feel I can now unveil the... @Angpang TwitterFollowBack Formula™ ...which will reveal the new Followers you should Follow Back, and the new Followers you should ignore, with the might of science and logic on your side.

 Each new Follower starts with 50 points. If they have 50 points at the end of the process, I Follow them back. Fewer than 50 I don’t. A score of 10 or lower means they’re blocked. Below 0 and they’re being reported to @spam for the scum they are. 

So, starting with…

Your Username Yes, a username can make or break a Follow Back situation. If your username manages to be spammy and insulting - think @banishcellulite - lose 100 points.

Your Avatar Avatars of young ladies with cleavage taking up more space than their face lose 25 points immediately. If they then turn out to be bots with fatuous fake Tweets: “I'm just talking a shower… LOL, then off to the mall… OMG” ...punctuated by aggressive marketing ejaculations: “CLICK HERE TO MAKE $$$$$$$ WWW.YADAYADAYADA.COM” … lose another 100 points. Funnily enough, boobs and bots almost always go together. Feel free to mock them thus: booby bot booby bot booby bot...

Your Attractiveness Like any other human, I am attracted to attractive faces, male or female. Gain 10 points. Like most humans, I try not to be swayed by looks. Lose 10 points.

Your Follower/Follower ratio. If your Follower/Following numbers closely match, I suspect you’ve set up auto-follow account that demonstrates a cavalier attitude to this whole Twitter thing. Lose 10 points. If you are Following loads more people than are Following you, you’re a Twitter Trollop who’s putting it about a bit much. I do not feel special. Lose 30 points. As Bowie once said: Don't fake it baby, lay the real thing on me. If you have loads of Followers, but only Follow a few, I’m impressed. People don’t hang around with those that don’t Follow them back unless they’re dishing up something good. Gain 15 points. There are exceptions. Certain celebrities are as dull as dishwater yet Followed in droves. People with a gazillion Followers who only Follow ten - you look like your head is up your bottom. Lose 100 points.

My position in your Following Grid On the bottom right of your Twitter page, there’s a grid of avatars of people you are Following. This is in order, with the most recent Follows at the top. If my picture is on the first line, gain 25 points. You’ve picked me and a few others to Follow, I feel special. You gain fewer  points the further down the grid I am, as I begin to feel I'm in a herd, then a drag net. If I am not on the grid at all, lose 25 points, you click-crazed buffoon.

Your Bio No bio, lose 20 points, unless you're a Twitter Newbie, in which case I’ll assume you're about to create one. I appreciate this is a Big Moment that should not be rushed. A bio that mentions sport, lose 10 points. A bio with more than one exclamation mark, lose 5 points. Any suggestion that you can transform my life in any way, lose 55 points.

Your Tweets. How many @replies? Not a lot? Lose 10 points, you don’t seem very friendly.

Lots of RTs? Lose 10 points, you don’t seem very original.

How often are you Tweeting? Once a month? You’re taking the piss, aren’t you? Lose 20 points.

Tweeting all the time? Hello? Greedy and Needy. Lose 15 points.

Do your Tweets makey no sense? Lose 20 points.

What about your open Tweets? The ones you foist on all your Followers? Are they entertaining and / or informative? Do I want that kind of thing spewed into my stream? They are? Gain 45 points.

Is there much talk of sport or cars? Lose 23 points. Make that 33 if it's golf. It’s not that I don’t like people talking about sport, I just don’t want to listen. The only exception to this sports rule seems to be Arsenal fans, I find them very funny (you know who you are).

Do your Tweets reveal that you are kind? Gain 100 points.

Lots of @replies to celebrities? Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. Enjoy the Twitter equivalent of a High Five Fail do you? Actually, I do have sympathy. You see a Tweet go bobbing down your stream from a celebrity you admire and/or fancy. A reply that's relevant and entertaining pops into your head and in no time it's floating back to their @name, your heart in tow. You wait, and wait, and wait. You make a cup of tea. Still no reply. But that doesn't stop you trying again. And again. Then one day, many weeks later, the magic happens, they send you a smiley face. Stardust has fallen upon you. You immediately Favourite the reply and shoot back 10 more Tweets to the celeb. :) :) :). A year later you've enough celebrity LOLs and ROFLs to print off on a sheet of A4. Photo quality. Then you pop to W H Smiths for a stamp album... ...or perhaps that's just me. Anyway, back to the formula: too much sleb bothering, lose 35 points.

 Protected Tweets I don’t like the ‘I can see you but you can’t see me’ stance of the protected account. It makes me want to block, to even things up a bit. Lose 10 points. Having said that, several of the best Twitterati I follow are protected, for good reasons, so if the bits I can see impress me, gain 10 points; you're still in the game. Lists Lists are a lot more indicative of twinkly Twitter gold than the number of Followers. Auto Follow back and you’ll soon have loads of Followers, 95% of them bots and peddlers of the curse of modern life: shit you don’t need. A listing shows that a human has taken time to add you, this is much harder to manipulate than Follow counts. A highly listed account gains 30 points.

Introduce Yourself Have you spoken to me? I do really like people who Follow and then talk, to say hello, say why they've Followed. It proves you’re a real person, and that you’ve Followed for a reason. Follow and @reply me? Gain 50 points.

Spam We’re all on Twitter to sell something, even if we are only selling our personality in return for company, so I am not too sniffy about a bit of puff in my Twitter stream, providing it’s done in an entertaining way. If I want cold, hard sales talk I’ll walk into a double glazing sales room, try to throw that at me on Twitter and I’ll laugh with disdain and block you. Companies that Tweet with personality, offer interesting content and cool links gain 15 points. Unless they manufacture cars.

So that's the formula so far. Of course it needs a little tweaks, but it gives a 95% accurate result, or your money back. So how did you score? If you're feeling brave, Follow me now, I'm @angpang. And what’s your Follow Back Formula? Please comment, let me know…

Merry Christmas Twitter

Well, 2009 was the year I joined Twitter and me and it have become the proverbial pig + mud.

I like to read Tweets that are hilarious, inspiring, warm-hearted, informative and gossipy. Let's just say you've not let me down. In fact, you've hit all those sweet spots with amazing linguistic grace. So if you were just down the road, I'd be pushing a Christmas Card through your door. But you're not, you're all over the globe. But thanks to the world wide web, that no longer matters.

Here’s an animated eCard I’ve put together with lots of help from my partner Ash, for all the Twitter lovelies out there. And that means you handsome / beautiful (delete as appropriate). Enjoy.



For more gushing about the wonders of Twitter you’re welcome to read my very first blog post This Twitter Thing, where I do just that.

And to see more of Ash’s 3D work I invite you to visit the Push Creativity website.

What is #worthaF? A #followfriday alternative from @angpang and @gibbzer

This post has moved to my dedicated Twitter Blog.

Click here to read it now

http://angpang-twitter-blog.push.uk.net/2011/05/10/worthaf-quick-guide-followfriday-alternative/

Thank you and big hugs.

Angela.

Are you #WorthaF?

This post has moved to my dedicated Twitter Blog.

Click here to read it now

http://angpang-twitter-blog.push.uk.net/2011/05/09/worthaf-followfriday-alternative/

Thank you and big hugs.

Angela.

British Authors on Twitter... 60 names and counting!

A few weeks ago, US author Carin Berger re-tweeted Mashable's list of the top 100 authors of Twitter. I had read the list already, and enjoyed it, but found it missing a lot of British names I knew were on Twitter because I was following them.

So when Carin also asked ‘but what about the British authors?’ I decided I could at least offer her a list of those I knew. And rather than cram a load of tweets with author userames and chuck them at Carin (causing many authors to think 'is it Follow Friday already?') I thought a list on my blog would be no more effort and a lot more useful. I was wrong about the effort, but hey-ho.

After much cutting and pasting and cursing, it's ready. And, wouldn't you know it, I have a blind spot on spelling 'author'? It keeps coming out 'authour'.

There are Very Important Notes at the end, which should answer some questions you may have, and a few links to other lists of writers on Twitter, including the original Mashable post.

Each name links to that person’s Twitter page. The list is alphabetical (by first name).

So... an incomplete list of British Authors on Twitter


Alain de Botton
writer

Allyson Bird
Horror writer. My collection Bull Running for Girls has been published by Screaming Dreams. Working on a novel called Isis Unbound

Andrea Gillies
Writer. Author of 'Keeper'. Now writing novel.

Andrew Keen
The Anti Christ of Silicon Valley

Belle de Jour
Writer, ne'er-do-well, and inspiration for the TV series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Bernadine Kennedy
Novelist (7 books published), Freelance Writer, Traveller and occasional Blogger

Bill Thompson
I'm a hack and pundit

Caroline Smailes
I write novels and I'm trying to live happily ever after.

Charlie Brooker
Miserable writerist

Chris Cleave
I'm a novelist and I write a weekly column for The Guardian

Clare Dudman
British writer with works published by Viking, Sceptre, Serpents Tail, Tor Bantam. Interested in science & history

Clive Barker
Born and Still Living

Daisy Goodwin
Author, poetry anthologist and tv producer. Head Girl at Silver River Productions.

Dave Gorman
Don't drop litter.

Elizabeth Buchan
Best selling author, wife and mother.

Ellie Levenson
Londoner, journalist, lecturer, writer. Author of The Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism

Euphrosene Labon
mind body spirit artist author writer cartoonist freelance journalist

Fiona Pitt-Kethley
Author of 21 books.I live with my chessGM husband and son in Spain. My hobbies: snorkelling,minerals,karate,music, cycling, fishing, hill-walks,food,film, cats

Fiona J Mackenzie
Author of The BEAUTY QUEENS and The DARWIN MYSTERIES. Failed saint, successful sinner, descended from a pirate.

Gary William Murning
A writer living in the northeast of England, Gary's first novel, If I Never, is due to be published later this year.

Greg Stekelman
Writer, illustrator, worker bee, idiot

Helen Smith
author - I write novels, children's books, plays, screenplays and poetry

Iain Aitch
Author and journalist, nosey git and Tottenham fan, sometimes funny

Ian Hocking
I'm a novelist and psychologist

Iain Broome
Fiction writer and copywriter for leading UK design company, The Workshop. Blogger-in-chief at Write for Your Life and Websites for writers.

India Knight
Sunday Times columnist, novelist, mammal. This is my personal Twitter.

Jag Bhalla
Sharer of amusing and intriguing expressions from around the world. Author of 'I'm Not Hanging noodles on your Ears'.

Jane Costello
Author of novels including Bridesmaids and The Nearly Weds

Jason Bradbury
TV presenter and author of Dot.Robot

Jill Mansell
Novelist. Hates mustard.

J K Rowling
Children's Author

Jojo Moyes
novelist/author/writer of fiction. mother of three.

Judy Astley
Novelist and supreme timewaster

Katie Fforde
Romantic novelist and bad Flamenco dancer

Kate Harrison
writer & procrastinator

Kerry W. Purcell
Writer on design and photography, father, swimmer, and secret lemonade drinker.

Laura Anderson
Writer of screenplays, novels and stories, reader of words, filmmaker, vegetarian, redhead

Louise Bagshawe
Author/conservative PPC for Corby

M Murray
Ex UK and USA, artful idler, freelance journalist, author, Tuscany holiday houses landlady. Politics, food, gardens, books, animals

Margit Appleton
Author, translator, journalist: Food, fun, France

Marika Cobbold
author, family person, book lover, city dweller, animal lover, ballet fan

Mark Chadbourn
Writer of stuff - novels, TV, comics, movies.

Mark Morris
UK-based writer with 17 novels and dozens of short stories, articles and reviews to his name.

Matt Rudd
Writer/editor at Sunday Times forced by his publishers, Harper, to tweet and twitlit in build-up to 1st novel.

MichaelMarshallSmith
... And Michael Marshall, too.
Author of ONLY FORWARD, THE STRAW MEN, THE INTRUDERS, SPARES, BAD THINGS, THE SERVANTS and other stuff.

Milly Johnson
short romcom novelist and rubbish dieter

Neil Gaiman
will eventually grow up and get a real job. Until then, will keep making things up and writing them down.

Nick Harkaway
Author of The Gone-Away World. General enthusiast.

Oliver Morton NEW
editor and writer concentrating on sci/tech change and its impacts

PD Smith
a writer, reader and photographer. I review for the Guardian, the TLS and others, and am the author of 3 books, most recently Doomsday Men (Penguin).

Sarah Dunant NEW
Novelist, broadcaster, critic. How grand it sounds. How far from the truth. I am however, not complaining. Though I am now older than I ever intended to be.

Stephen Fry
British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger [though I am pretty sure you have to tick a box to not follow Mr Fry when you start Twitter]

Stevyn Colgan
Writer, Artist, Musician, Squid Hurler, Beer Monkey

Stuart Clark
Science journalist and author. Author of The Sun Kings and the up and coming CosmoThriller, the history of cosmology – fictionalised!

Tania Kindersley
writer, mostly

Terry Pratchett
Books Written Cheap

Tim Atkinson
stay-at-home dad and author of Writing Therapy

Tim Dedopulos
Hi. I'm Tim, and I'm a Brit who writes books. Like sff/horror, oddness, inspiration, INFJ. Always hunting interesting people!

Tim Lebbon
Bald Horror and Fantasy Writer, and lover of fine ales.

...and that's the lot at the moment.

There is also a valuable list of Screenwriters that Tweet on Miss Read’s blog, which you can look at here.

Very Important Notes

The descriptions are not mine, they are taken direct from each author’s Twitter bio.

The list is not my personal recommendations. My recommendation is: read a baker’s dozen of anyone’s tweets before following them. Having said that writers do, in my experience, tweet the best. If you want to see people (to paraphrase Clive James) turn a phrase until it catches the light (in only 140 characters), following writers is a good place to start.

This list is not every British author on Twitter, so it’s open to additions, but because I want the list to be worthwhile (without getting elitist) here's what I am interested in:

1. Published British authors on Twitter.
2. Writing should be a major part of what they do, not a sideline.
3. They should be Tweeting as their author selves.
4. At the moment the bias is to fiction, but I’m not saying no to non-fiction. Maybe there should be two list. Maybe I need a secretary.
   

Let me know who I missed with a comment here, or by contacting me through Twitter (I’m @Angpang). I'll update the list as and when my workload and children let me.

PS - If you want to know more about the Fragonard painting that opens this blog, it's at The National Gallery of Art, Washingto, DC.

Oh, and that Mashable list can be found here.

The best Tweets according to me...

Having used my Favourite approach to Twitter's Follow Friday meme for a few weeks now (explained in full in Follow Friday can Bugger Off,) it's time to bung all these uber Tweets into their own little blog, which I can update easily to highlight New Talent or Tweets of Exceptional Greatness by the same old gits I always recommend. You know who you are. So here, in alphabetical order with sample Tweets, are my favourites:

(last update update 14 June 2009)


· Amalari Sunlight filtered through leaves and black oak branches, a splash of brilliant red geraniums, the scent of jasmine, Tuscany this morning

· AmnestyUK On way to demo now, megaphone in hand- 'Stop the execution of troy davis!' come join us, outside US Embassy

· AndreaGillies My first waking thoughts, half-conscious in bed, have begun shaping themselves unprompted into 140 character gobbets...

· BelgianWaffling Abstemious London Emma has been replaced by twitchy Magma crack addict. Damn you Magma and your pleasing paper goods.about 17 hours ago from web

· belle_lulu Anyone seen my house keys? The ones with the naff purple fob?No? I've looked EVERYWHERE! Never lost before so don't know if I shd panic yet?

· billt Trying so hard to write some coherent prose this morning but twitter is like a small baby crying in the corner.

· BriggySmalls I had the surreal experience of standing next in line to Joanna Lumley at my local fish & chip shop last night. It was all very strange.about 2 hours ago from twhirl

· CakePirate What I learned: Modelling is hard, nobody is ever allowed to backcomb my hair ever again/I would've hated the 80's, I miss having eyebrows.

· carolinefo I am shall ponder these words, in relation to my current romantic situation, whilst I start making a lemon tart.

· charltonbrooker 'Backup Britain' Movie Pitch: Replica UK is made: BNP supporters slowly realise they're immigrants; beat selves to death in funny ways.

· clareharryruby Today: School Fete then Lad Next Door 1st communion party. Whole fucking day feigning interest House Prices, Ofsted Reports, Boden Catalogue

· debthedyer gym over, duckie eggs for breakfast, then back to the dyehouse before sun disappears!

· DebraSnider Hawk flying lazily overhead when I start swimming. Still circling 30 min later when I stop. Hungry & hoping I'll drown? Learning to swim?

· demonchild6 So did Patrick Swayze die or not? Do we need to contact Whoopie Goldberg for confirmation?

· Dogwallah Dooo wa doowa Love this Elvis number ! One of the first singles I bought, B side of Its Now or Never (O sole Mio) ♫ http://blip.fm/~6m1dd5:47 PM May 19th from Blip.fm

· Drolgerg Don't see the point of going to the gym. Why? To make you live longer? Seems to me any longer you might live is time you spend in the gym!

· ememess Barmaids who say how little they drink are like slim chefs. I want a barmaid who's hungover. And a fat chef. Commited people.

· EmmaJaneR My oil pastels have arrived! Wasn't expecting them for another 10 days! SQUEEEEE!! (sorry - won't do the squee thing again, it's a one-off)

· EMMAREES Time for lunch break. Only 16 Renaissance essays before I can stop for day. Concentration pretty good and shortly to be helped by chocolate.

· ewarthale Sorry. These are just the ramblings of someone waiting for the builders to arrive. Oh, how I want my home back...about 4 hours ago from web

· fighthunger News: Fortified rice could help win the fight against malnutrition http://bit.ly/8nP862:58 PM

· GeekParenting "Always remove your used tampon before inserting a new one." #unecessaryinstructions #noshitsherlock #wellokaythen9:14 PM

· GeneHunt Just pulled a scumbag in for questioning. He was looking more suspicious than a nun doing pressups in a cucumber field.9:11 AM

· gibbzer Fellow Glaswegians, do not be afeard. The big hot molten mass in the sky above your heads is the sun. Go forth and freckle up.

· goonerjamie I also asked for snacks for later on tonight, know what she bought. A mini packet of aero bubbles! WTF. Pack weighs as much as a mouse gonad

· Gpforhire ah the olfactory joys of a patient who has never heard or used deodorant. Excuse me whilst I vomit in the bin.

· HelenWayteMy factor 40 sun cream makes me appear albino. I probably look like some sort of goddess to white supremacists. Eurgh.

· HelpSaveBees As the Bluebells die down, this flower with nettle like leaves, is a member of the Mint family & Soliatry Bees love it: http://bit.ly/wS673

· huwspanner The US fossil-fuel industry blew $44m in January-March lobbying against Obama's Bill to combat climate change. Bastards. http://bit.ly/73b1J

· indiaknight Who said that thing about martinis being like bosoms, one not enough, three too many? It's really true.

· IndywoodFILMS I am attempting to keep my high profile Zombie Horror movie independent, by selling 5000 DVD pre-orders - a fresh & new fundraising method

· Itxi_Itx Accidentally rode my bike through a patch of semi-fresh asphalt. That's my mark on the world, right there...

· Jetlagjen Freezing my nick nacks off over here! Bucketed on and off all day, still foreign enough to enjoy sound of rain bouncing off my umbrella.

· juliansimpson So, turns out this whole Iran thing is complicated. I was really hoping to be able to crash down on one side and start hurling abuse. Ho hum

· justamoochin Morning ................................ is it wrong to *dream* of John Barrowman?? xx

· jockso Alan Sugar's come out in support of Brown, all he needs now is the Backing of Ant & Dec and he'll be OK.

· karacornflake He played with my soul like the wind plays with a leaf,.. Swirling emotion Devine devotion,... Yet ending in grief

· kdaustin Basking sharks are so weird and so cool. New findings, stunning photo : RT @wired http://bit.ly/oF8Tw

· koshkanott Bloody mindedly wearing summery top & airy linen cardi. Boss bedecked in pretty aqua dress. We're chilly, but it beats the gloom outside!

· labeet Tweeting is sinful, but you're free to abuse little boys for decades. Catholics have odd morals! http://bit.ly/16MpTm (via @guardiantech)

· laughingsquid Awkward Family Photos, embarrassing the ones you love http://bit.ly/pTTmw #screwoffatworkfriday

· Lizziemouse Beautiful day today - very lucky to have a personal orchestra of birds in the garden to serenade me through the day

· lesanto This uniform is indicative of the problem at the root of education. The 'system' trying to make people conform rather than blossom as people

· lydmiz Love can build a bridge, and probably finish it faster than the builders outside my workplace can. 7 months and still no walkway.

· maggiephilbin Have had very bizarre day.. which began with Bikram yoga for radio..anyone do this?

· MariBiscuitsNo, I do not want to rate your pussy. Unless it's a cute lolcat style kitten and not some badly shaved webgina.

· matripleyGoing to the Cathedral to write. Its a bit like a library but with better windows and a smaller selection of books.

· maybeitwasutah Good morning, kidlingtons. My head feels like it's full of spoons.

· mimimyne Off to the Markets Office to get my East London market trader's license. Pound a pound! Get your organic goods here! lovely jubbly! etc

· Mirroranne One Flew over the Meringue Nest #filmfoodeating

· MrsLard The spider that's been squatting in my bath for 3 days has gone. Except for one leg. Think Bill must have eaten his body and other 7 legs.

· mrstrefusis Some utter idiot is trying to skip along berwick st. Using a skipping rope. is wearing large earphones and dark glasses so impervious

· nicky_t @GHmltn Winning team taking it all so seriously. Won on tiebreaker.Winning team captain has spreadsheet of winning scores. OMG.

· nik_kee_dee So much fucking effort being a girl. Shave this, pluck that, moisturise this, condition the other, boost this, curl that. Yawn.

· noxhanti RT @ joshuahammond: Possibly the coolest Twitter site yet: http://tweetingtoohard.com Pretty much puts it all into perspective, hunh?

· nytimeskristof The disadvantage of Twittering at night in an African village with a satellite phone? Bugs the size of birds dive-bomb you.

· OMGLOLOMG No 1 beginning to panic about Physics As tomorrow . Asking me about electrons ????Help....

· Raycast I made the mistake of allowing windows to update and now it's bugging me to restart! I'm busy, I don't want to RESTART!! grrr...

· RedMummy Oh, THAT went well. Just going to make myself coffee laced with cyanide.

· rhodri Local barbers is staffed by 2 swarthy Iranian men and a gorgeous blonde girl. You can see the hope on the faces of the waiting customers.

· Richard_001 is wondering what fine pickings there will be to recycle after the Chelsea flower show is dismantled.

· robinbrittain BBC East Midlands News lady presenting weather, aptly named 'Sara Blizzard' warms of a chance of the odd tornado tonight. Keep your hat on.

· rockmotherworried that my spider bitten left boob will explode on plane tomorrow - still hurts - sorry too much info I know but just a thought

· SamGemmill I have been chanting "This will be a productive week" over and over, since seven am.

· sarahjpin Mr Fing is giving me big cat love. This normally means there is a pile of sick or a dead animal somewhere

· Scott_Kesterson Sitting in what I think is the best dining hall in east Afghanistan eating a bowl of Shrimp Creole soup. The lead cook is a Vietnam vet.

· sinkingducks bi-curious george #pornkidstv

· stevyncolgan Today I WILL finish that book proposal I started yesterday. I will. N more procrastination. Oh, I think I need to go buy dog food ....

· suellewellyn There's no getting away from it, can barely get around it, time to get on to it. I hate paperwork.

· taniakindersley Sun (literal and metaphorical); great, fat, vulgar, unapologetic shafts of sun. And the men on the wireless talked of nothing but rain.

· thehermitage After putting too much wood on the fire then flinging open doors, we played clarinet and flute together and are now eating chocolate buttons.

· themanwhofell I am feeling lazy, wearing my girlfriend's £10 mock-Ugg boots. I look like a cuddly, fat tramp.

· theNSPCC Reading about 82 networks of organised child abuse that @theNSPCC helped CEOP shut down in their 08/09 review @ www.ceop.gov.uk/publications

· Valya 1am in Palma. Kids zonked about 15 min. ago after 2 flight journey. Brief layover in Madrid & 11pm arrival. Time for bed. Good night!

· victoriark Excitement of the ironing now. Followed by meeting of doom re the gardens where everyone will have view and no one will make a decision.

· Veronika_Lives Have a class of kids shouting shoot the Nazi's. I'm epic.

· W1mum Forgot Erbie using wallet for teething this morning until checkout, good start to economy drive paying in cash from coin purse.

· waitingword Sitting at a bar by myself, drinking a Dark n Stormy. If this doesn't mean I'm on the market, I don't know what does.

· whoopsie So, my employee review is in. My boss has classed my work as "f*cking awersome" and recommended I bitch slap a client. Go me!

· wired I feel like a radio DJ: Hi everyone! It's me, @joemfbrown back for another week of spinning Tweets on behalf of the mother ship.

· adebradleyYay, My Machiavelli, Nietszche and Darwin books have arrived. A geeky bank holiday weekend for me.

· allpointsnorth At Northampton services, I can smell the pavements lined with gold. That there London here I come.

· twentythree A skinhead type guy had a BNP banner draped over a M25 bridge yesterday, giving drivers Sieg Heil salutes, great way to enamour voters

· wisecur #health&safety Fat people are a breeding ground for germs so avoid any physical contact.Simply pat their bums with wooden spoon as greeting.

Follow Friday can Bugger Off…

This post has moved to my dedicated Twitter Blog.

Click here to read it now

http://angpang-twitter-blog.push.uk.net/2011/03/16/the_problem_with_followfriday/

Thank you and big hugs.

Angela.

What's the Point of Twitter?

Here's an extract from a guest blog I wrote on Twitter Love. To read the full article (it's so worth it) please vist copywriting blogspot

I signed up to this Twitter thing a few months ago with an ‘oh all right then’ attitude, expecting to come away with a ‘who cares?’ conclusion. A few months later I’m dipping in the Twitter stream daily.

So here it is, my love letter to Twitter. The things I wish I’d know when I started and my take on what it’s all about.

With its 140 character limit, Twitter’s a hostile environment to the boring, dominating or waffling. As it’s on the internet, it attracts the tech savvy. As a public space (anyone can read your updates) it also asks you to be a bit brave. So to be on Twitter you’re already my kind of person. But what do people on Twitter do... 

Talk. Imagine a dinner party where a few mouse clicks changes the seating plan to put you in the middle of things; your definition of ‘things’. Antarctic researcher, fashion designer, photographer (currently in Afghanistan) and ordinary soul who shares your humour, there’s your table for tonight. And you can change it at any time, click, click. Eavesdropping, chatting across continents, making an exit to *put the spuds on*, and absolutely no need to brush your hair. 

And yes, with Twitter’s list of trending topics, you actually do know there’s an earthquake, plane crash or a new baby for Jamie Oliver, long before it’s reported on the networks. What’s more, you can locate and read the tweets coming from the centre of breaking stories. It’s supreme rubber-necking. 

So are you interested?

...continued at the copywriting blogspot