Twitter Turns 10 On March 21st! What Was YOUR #FirstTweet !?

While watching the Today Show yesterday morning I learned that Twitter is turning 10!!!!!!  (on March 21st).

Back in  2009, I was encouraged by many to join Twitter which I fought tooth and nail! (I normally embrace change, but I am often slow to jump on the bandwagon pertaining to certain issues, it often takes much prodding for me to try a new social media platform.  I fought Instagram tooth and nail too until I finally gave in. I still have issues with it lol.)

I finally relented.  I remember for MONTHS feeling as if  I would never have any followers. I thought Twitter was ridiculous, now 6577 followers later on Cody's Twitter handle, and almost 3000 on Dakota's, (Dakota didn't join Twitter until 2011),  I am singing tweeting a different tune.

While many sing the praises of Facebook, I have made many of my most lucrative, important, (and more importantly, ENDURING), connections/relationships, on Twitter. (I find Facebook to be more of a "look at me, like me" forum which I often view with disdain.)

Wonder What Your First Tweet Was?

I did!! Contrary to what Cher says, you CAN "turn back time", you can see YOUR first tweet!!  I am sooo embarrassed that my first Tweet was to Ellen DeGeneres (whom I never tagged because I had no clue as to how!) And here it is!!

Is that hilarious or what?

What struck me as strange though, was I could have sworn I didn't join Twitter until AFTER I began blogging. I began blogging in October of 2009, and the date of my first tweet is March 2009. If I didn't have a blog, I am thinking my first user name had to have been different (I can't remember), because "Cat Chat" didn't exist. Regardless, I cracked up laughing when I found out my first tweet was to Ellen. I must have been watching her show that day, and she probably encouraged people to join Twitter and follow her. I am betting that is what it was.

Back in the "old" days, I was "live" on Twitter much more than I am now. I share my posts and the posts of others, I am big on tweeting quotes, photos of food and other things that strike my fancy. I tend to not do what others preach that we do, "just tweeting pet information" since my handle is pet related. I function the same with Pinterest, and have had success NOT doing things the way we are "supposed"  to.

I enjoy tweeting things that are a reflection of my diverse interests, I'm not one-dimensional, and just tweeting about pets or just pinning pets would pigeon-hole me. I love having followers that aren't necessarily actively involved in the pet world. By tweeting/pinning things that reflect all of my interests, I have found that many who end up following me, might have been interested by a tweet or a pin that wasn't pet related, and they end up having a cat or a dog (or whatever). It turns out being a "win-win."  When I follow people on Twitter I am intrigued by those who tweet a variety of topics,  and I think that many feel the same when deciding whom to follow.

It is mind-boggling to me that ten years have passed so quickly, will Twitter enjoy another ten years? It remains to be seen.  I do know that I myself and many others owe Twitter a world of THANKS!! Keep on Tweetin' on!!!!!


ARE YOU ON TWITTER? List your Twitter name in the comments so myself and others can be sure we are following you!

The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey Give-Away Winner!!

You can read my review here

The winner of the give-away,

 (as chosen by www.random.org) is:

SHARON WAGNER

Of the blog:

"Sharon's Paws Create"

ABOUT SHARON:

Sharon is a Minneapolis based artist and freelance illustrator. Her subject matter is everything inbetween whimsical and wild. She can't get enough of hot and humid weather, traveling with her cool husband Dean and wrangling their naughty cats. Sharon is a member of CBIG (Children's book Illustrators Guild) and the SCBWI. To learn more about her check out her website http://childrensillustrators.com/sharonrwagner

Please take a moment to check out Sharon's blog here

CONGRATULATIONS SHARON!!

You will LOVE this book!

Please email me your address to:

cgittleman at mi dot rr dot com

Thank you Deb for a great give-away!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Book Review: "The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey, A Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary" By Deborah Barnes (And A Give-Away!)

How do I even attempt to complete a task as "ordinary" as a book review and make it "extraordinary?"

How do you take an act as simple and "ordinary" as reading a book and turn it into an "extraordinary" experience?

The answers to those questions can be found by reading The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey, an "extraordinary"  story which not only chronicles
Author Deborah Barnes' life, but the lives of two of her seven cats;  Zee, her adorable and lovable male Maine Coon and Zoey her female "wild-child leopard inspired Bengal cat, who fell madly, deeply in love." The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey is  the first (of what I am certain will be many) books by Author Deborah Barnes.

I was one of a few lucky individuals who was offered a "sneak peek" of Deb's manuscript this past summer. I had the additional honor of supplying a comment for the back cover:

"The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey are a treasure, simply enchanting, captivating and engrossing, both as a true story the author shares about her life with her feline clan, and as a visual masterpiece of stunning photographs and delightful artwork. They say animals are drawn to those who emit a "blue light" and Deb must have this aura radiating from her like a floodlight because she doesn't just WRITE about her love for her cats, she LIVES it as well. Because of this innate understanding she has for this beloved species and the trust they have for her; she is able to translate the most ordinary of everyday life events into a story that is nothing less than extraordinary!"

Webster defines the word "ordinary" as being "common, an everyday occurrence, unremarkable."

There are literally scads of books about cats on the market.  That in itself is "ordinary."

How does one take a common topic,  one's life with cats, and make it "extraordinary?"  Webster defines  "extraordinary" as  "going beyond what is usual, regular, customary." He defines it further as "exceptional to a very marked extent."

The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey ARE "exceptional to a very marked extent."

- What is the likelihood that you will lose your job after dedicating most of your adult life to it?

-What is the likelihood of turning that "ordinary" yet devastating experience into a life-changing extraordinary journey?

-What is the likelihood that a cat who is not one of the namesakes of this story being the reason this story exists?  That cat would be Deborah's beloved cat "Kit"  who as Deborah says "without her, this tale would surely never exist."

-What is the likelihood that you will have two cats living in your home who "fall in love" and proceed to have the most amazing kittens stirring in  YOU a feral, protective instinct and love the magnitude of which you would never have believed was possible?

-What is the likelihood that  your own life's story would run parallel to that of your cats? YOU  meet the "man of your dreams" (which translates to "he loves ME AND he loves CATS!"), and he is a photographic genius to boot?

-What is the likelihood of  "ordinary" acts such as watching the  The Ellen Show and learning about Oprah's "vision board"  resonating with you so powerfully that they  inspire you to begin to make monumental life changes?

 -What is the likelihood of embarking on and completing the daunting task of writing a book about your life, replete with lessons learned, as a result of observing and making sense of the behavior  of your beloved feline family?

 -What is the likelihood of writing  in such a descriptive, loving and insightful way that the reader feels your pain, laughs at some of your hilarious experiences,  gets into your head and can find parallels from your experiences and relate them to their own lives? Not only is this not very likely, it is an "extraordinary" feat.

Deborah Barnes in The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey has taken what to some would be an "ordinary" story and made it an "extraordinary" lesson of life and love.

This book isn't just a "book", certainly not, that would be  completely "ordinary."  This book  is a sumptuous banquet. It is a banquet that will stimulate  your senses.

You will love the feel of this book, it is an ample size, the paper is of superb quality. I am not and never will be a Kindle girl. I need to delight in the sensation of holding  a book in my hands. I even find comfort in the the smell of the paper a book is printed on. The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey more than satisfy those senses.

You will love the look of this book. When I received mine I literally and audibly gasped in awe and delight. It is simply breathtaking. You will be hard pressed to find anything like it.  There are literally hundreds of  Disney-worthy, art museum quality photographs lovingly and masterfully created by Deb's fiancee, Dan Power.

  Each page is bordered by artwork that is both erethral and  whimsical, giving this "real life" story a "fairy tale" flavor. The pages are  simply stunning and captivating,  they are  the brainchild of Deb but superbly executed by Bright Pink Studio. This isn't a book that you will  relegate to the bowels of your bookshelf. It is a book that will wrap itself around you like a warm afghan, it will satisfy your soul while luring you into it's depths of captivating images and literary brilliance, it is a book that GIVES as much as you will want to savor and share it again and again.





That in a nutshell is The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey. And THAT, my friends, is "EXTRAORDINARY"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: "Deborah Barnes currently resides in South Florida and after an unexpected life changing event, she decided to follow her dreams of becoming an author and used the relationship of her cats as inspiration for her first book. She also writes the popular blog, Zee & Zoey's Chronicle Connection, that is a collection of beautiful photos, artwork, and heartfelt stories about her feline crew." You can also visit her exquisite website here.

You may browse The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey,  better yet, you can PURCHASE the book HERE

You may buy The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey on Amazon but if you purchase directly through Deb's site (click HERE ) you will receive your book beautifully wrapped in custom leopard tissue wrap, you will also receive  a Zee & Zoey sticker and a bookmark!   Deb will also provide an inscription,  a personal and keepsake touch, especially if you are presenting the book as a gift!

Deb "rockin'" her  trademark leopard

And...Deb generously offered to give ONE lucky reader of Cat Chat  (U.S. and CANADA only please) their own copy of The Chronicles Of Zee & Zoey!

HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a comment telling me how your cat(s) or dog(s) have made your life go from the "ordinary" to the "extraordinary!" The DEADLINE to enter is MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH at 11PM EASTERN. The WINNER will be announced WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30th.

Good luck and make this an "extraordinary" day!

"Stamps To The Rescue" For Shelter Cats & Dogs

I just received an important email about a special cause going on right now, a cause so important I felt it worthwhile to divert from my normal blogging schedule to get the information to you right away.

Ellen DeGeneres (if you don't know who she is you must be living under a rock! lol) has teamed with "Halo Purely For Pets Inc." (which she co-owns along with the many other hats she wears) and The United States Postal Service to help Shelter Pets all over the country. Supporters of this cause are:"Halo Purely For Pets Inc. ", www.adoptapetgifts.com,  www.petfinder.com, American Humane, and The Humane Society Of The United States. Please read about the cause below or you can go to http://www.stampstotherescue.com/ for more information. Below is the verbage from the website:

"Because Shelter Pets Deserve a First-Class Meal

In celebration of the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps, the Postal Service™, together with Ellen DeGeneres and Halo: Purely for Pets, is giving shelter pets around the country a First-Class Meal.
During the launch of the stamps, Halo will be donating a million meals to animal shelters around the country.

The Goal

We want more Americans to know about the millions of shelter pets that need good homes. Nearly half of the animals that enter animal shelters are euthanized. Many of these cats and dogs would have made a wonderful pet...if only given the chance.
You can make a difference. Adopt a pet, volunteer at a shelter, or just get the word out by buying these stamps."


This is an incredibly worthwhile cause, let's do all we can to support it, I know I will!!!!


You are welcome to contact/follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CatChatCaren