Bore Your Twitter Followers to Death With These Seven Practices!

Twitter is a great way to connect with people.  I've met some fascinating people via http://twitter.com/ConejoJoe and I've made dozens of friends and acquaintances through Twitter. I'm also doing business with several fellow Tweeters and have helped some Twits finding jobs.

People join Twitter for various reasons (networking, selling, curiousity, meet people, share info, obtain info, etc.). Tweeting on Twitter is hard work. I'd say roughly 50% of my 600 or so "Followers" never post anything (that's not to say they aren't checking out others' tweets).  Another 25% post rarely.  The other 25% post regularly.

Most Twitter postings are boring, mundane and irrelevant. Often I paying attention or stop following fellow Twitter users as a result.  That's not to say that I, the infamous Conejo Joe, have been immune to such practices...in fact, I'm sure many people think I should just shuddup!

But as a prolific Twitter user, I feel it is my duty to share these 7 Twitter Practices That Will Bore Your Followers to Death!

Constantly Promote Your Product

"Eat at Joe's Restaurant" "Joe's has great BLT sandwiches!" "Visit Joe's at www.joesrest.com" "Joe's is open 7 days a week!" "Can't beat Joe's for breakfast!" "Joe's has the best omelettes in town" "Come visit Joe's"

You get the picture. I've seen this many a time. If all you do is promote your product, people will tune you out! Nobody signed up for Twitter looking for advertisements!  Mix is up a bit, interact with people, talk about something interesting, for pete's sake!

Say the Same Thing Over and Over Again

Some people set up robo-tweets that tweet the same thing over and over again, spaced out.  Booorrrring!  Originality goes a long way in Twitter. So don't do this or you'll lose people.

Publicly Thank People for Retweets

I know I'll get pushback on this because so many people do it.  But if someone "retweets" your message, do you really have to publicly thank them for it? It's nice and all but the rest of us don't really need to hear you thank them. How about thanking them via Direct Message?  Or better yet, take the time to review their postings and return the favor!

Send Me a Direct Message After I Start Following You

"Thanks for the follow! I look forward to connecting!" "Welcome to our Twitter account!" "Hi, check out this service at.." Every time I get a DM, the message goes directly to my cell phone as a text message. I hate that. If you really want to lose me as a follower, send me a DM immediately after I start following you.

Constantly Complain and Whine

"I hate my job" "It is too cold outside" "I'm sick" "My job sucks" is an excellent way to get people to tune you out.  Nothing wrong with some occasional venting of course. But to do so regularly really is demotivational to people following you.

Post Mundane Thoughts of No Particular Interest

"I ate a delicious chicken sandwich for lunch" "I'm flying to Peoria today" "Good morning everyone" "My pillow is fluffy" "I'm at Starbucks" "My shoelace broke this morning"

Yes, thank you for sharing.  Now go get a life and find something interesting to say, why doncha!?

Long, Boring Public Interchanges

"You going to the Tiddly Wink Convention in San Dimas?" "Yes, and you?" "I'll be there Friday" "We need to hook up" "Yes, where should we meet?" "Will Joe Schmoe be there?" "Yes, let's try to hook up" "OK"

ZZZZZZZ.....come on Tweeters! You really think other people want to hear this stuff?  Of course not. This is the equivalent of talking loudly on your cell phone in a restaurant. Use the Direct Message feature for one on one conversations....paleeezzee!

Like I said before, I'm not claiming to be a perfect angel with regard to these Twitter practices. But think about what you share in Twitter...is it really something the world needs to hear?

Be interesting. Be unique. Interact with people. Ask questions. Share useful information. Selectively retweet other posts you find to be standouts. Be funny. Now these are some practicies that will develop long-term relationships in Twitter and beyond!

Corn Pudding Makes a Beautiful Side Dish on Your Holiday Table

Here's another November recipe from friend and masterful chef friend Jill Fisher! Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. To contact Jill, contact me!  Jill's new cookbook is coming out soon!

It is finally November – my FAVORITE month of the year!  Seriously – it is!  You know why?  Because it is all about the food, i.e. preparing for the biggest feast of the year and looking forward to the holidays.  The stores are full of seasonal foods and produce that inspire creative cooking and wonderful smells.  I have included my favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe.  This is from a bakery I used to work at.  It is very easy, very moist and is great for gift giving.  I also included Corn Pudding.  This is a new family favorite.  It is a beautiful side dish to include on your holiday table that is a little different, yet familiar enough to try.  Enjoy the season!   -Jill

Corn Pudding

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 ¼ cups fresh, white corn kernels or frozen, thawed

3 eggs

3 egg whites

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup half & half

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Cool.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter or spray a 9x13x2 inch glass baking dish.  Puree 2 ¾ cups corn kernels in a food processor.

Whisk eggs and egg whites to blend in large bowl.  Mix in corn puree and remaining 1 ½ cups corn kernels.  Mix in flour, parsley, sugar, salt and cayenne.  Stir in cream, half & half and sautéed onions and garlic.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.*  Bake until pudding is set, about 1 hour.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

8 servings

* You may bake pudding in a hot water bath, though it works ok without it as well.

Local Nonprofit Fuzzy Dog and Cat Rescue Saves Animals' Lives

Santa Monica based nonprofit Fuzzy Dog and Cat Rescue, Inc. has rescued, rehabilitated and placed nearly 200 animals since 2005.

Scooby-Roo's Story

Credit: Bark Pet PhotographyScooby-Roo was found covered in scrapes and wounds on his chest.  He was cowering in fear and fighting to live.  Poor little Scooby-Roo was found missing limbs and he was thumping around to get by.  He was most likely born without his front two legs and that’s why his people no longer wanted Scooby-Roo.  He is only 7 months of age and a bundle of joy.  Last week he was custom-fitted for his wheels with the donations that came in from Michael Jackson Fans, and celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Shannon Elizabeth. ABC News recently covered the story:

Angel's Story

"Angel" (Credit Fuzzy Rescue)A volunteer was at a local vet’s office getting monthly antigen shots for her personal dog with allergies. There was a woman sobbing in the lobby and we asked her why she was crying.  She regularly feeds her dogs chicken and steak bones, and one of her dog had gotten a steak bone lodged in her esophagus near the larynx (see the x-ray below).  She didn’t want to pay money for the dog’s surgery, and/or refused to take the dog to the emergency for this matter.  She propped the dog on the treatment table, and opted to put her down.  This dog, whose name is Angel, was wagging her tail and licking the owner’s hands waiting to be killed.  Her teeth were covered in tartar and she was unspayed.

Angel's X-Ray (Fuzzy Rescue)They could not see this dog die, so they asked for Angel.  She is sweet and extremely mellow, 7 years young.  The owner signed a relinquishment form and Angel was rushed to Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine in Tustin.  The entire treatment cost Fuzzy Dog and Cat $6,500 because it involved oxygen, nearly a week of hospitalization, peg tube, tracheotomy, IV fluids, 8 medication and endoscopy to have the steak-bone removed.

Would you like to help? The organization is seeking donations to help pay for Angel's treatment.  And they are seeking a new home for Angel!

Fuzzy Rescue is a no-kill 501(c)3 nonprofit animal welfare organization.  All donations are tax deductible.  For more information, visit www.fuzzyrescue.org.

Thousand Oaks 2009 Community Attitude Survey Report Issued October 9th

Since 1969, the City of Thousand Oaks has conducted a communitywide attitude survey every 5 years to sample city residents' views on planning and other community issues.

The 2009 survey was conducted this summer by True North Research of Escondido.  They phone surveyed a "statistically representative" sample of 400 Thousand Oaks residents in area codes 91360, 91361, 91362 and 91320.  There are 94,000 adult residents in Thousand Oaks and 129,000 total residents. True North said with this sample they are 95% confident that survey results are within a +/- 4.9% margin of error.

Enough of that statistical mumbo jumbo.

They also did a supplemental web survey, sending postcards to residents in late August/early September - 2,785 people logged in and completed the survey (including me). But this survey was not considered "valid" because people were self-selected, not randomized.

Thousand Oaks residents by a landslide are happy to live here. 97% of residents are happy with the quality of life.  This is consistent with previous surveys, where this has ranged from 96% to 98% of residents. In fact, True North indicates in its report that T.O. residents are among the most satisfied residents among over 100 similar studies it has done in California.

There is lot of other information in the 68 page survey report accessible at http://www.toaks.org/survey/ but here are some things I found interesting:

Commuting

52% of T.O. residents commute outside of the Conejo Valley for their jobs, and 35% of those commute over 60 minutes round trip. In the larger web survey, 54% commute and 48% of those commute over 60 minutes round trip. These numbers indicate anywhere from 18% to 26% of Thousand Oaks workers commute more than an hour a day.  That's a lotta driving!!

What We Want More Of

People were asked what they want to see more of in Thousand Oaks. 27% (30% in web survey) want more family restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Lobster. 17% (23% on web) want more discount stores like Costco and Big Lots, 15% (17% on web) want more department stores like Target and ugh, Walmart, and 11% (12% on web) want more speciality goods stores like Dick's Sporting Goods and Babies R Us.

Information Sources for News, Events, Programs

They asked people to list their top 3 information sources used for learning about City news, events and programs.  The top 5 sources were The Acorn (41%), Ventura County Star (29%), Internet (general) (26%), City website (22%) and City newsletter (14%). WOW!!  The Acorn blew away the VC Star on this question.  Maybe because The Acorn is delivered free of charge weekly and it because it focused very specifically on highly localized news. 

But even more shocking was that 73% of the 2,785 web survey takers say they use The Acorn compared to 46% for the VC Star. Then the 3rd top choice in the web survey, at 26%, was utility bill inserts.  What the??  Only 2% of phone survey takers mentioned utility bill inserts.  Ironic that only 5% of the web survey takers listed the internet as a top 3 choice vs 26% in the phone survey.

Something tells me this was a poorly designed question.  There is way too much disparity between the 400 person phone survey and the 2,785 person web survey results. But kudos are still in order for The Acorn.

Survey Methodology

This year's survey cost $30K according to The Acorn. The last survey done in 2004 cost half that I believe because it was done by the City. The 400 person "randomized" approach this year was new. In prior years, the survey was physically mailed to nearly 12,000 households at random with a 27% response rate. Response rates using this approach ranged from 27% to 37% going back to 1979.

Well that's it! For more details, visit this article on The Acorn website and this one at the VC Star.

Camarillo Artist Chuck Trunks Selected as One of 12 Essential Artists by 1800® Tequila

Chuck Trunks, whose work has been prominently featured throughout Conejo Valley Guide, has outdone himself again as one of only 12 artists selected for special limited edition 1800® Tequila bottles.  One of Chucks' originals, "You Got a Problem?" will be featured, in color, on a limited quantity of bottles of 100% Agave Silver Tequila! 

Congratulations Chuck!  Visit Chuck's website at www.trunksart.com and the 1800® Essential Artists website at www.1800tequila.com/essential.