twitter chat 101: how to join your first chat

i wrote a post on twitter chats last year, but i decided i wanted to expound on this topic and include some more experiences.

twitter chats are a fantastic way to connect with an online community, "meet" new people, and finally talk with some fellow bloggers about your joys, frustrations and ideas. some twitter chats are huge and draw in so many people that your feed basically whizzes past you, and others are far more intimate. lately, i've watched twitter chats pop up more and more in my feed, and i only wish i had time to participate in them all!

to join your first twitter chat, you can choose to simply hop on twitter, type in the hashtag of the chat in the search bar, and begin following the conversation. however, there's a tool out there that makes this process much easier (and more linear) to follow, and it's called tweetchat. this website is a simple to use, easy to navigate tool that will enhance your entire twitter chat experience. trust me, you won't want to follow the feeds manually after using it!

step one:

go to www.tweetchat.com, and enter the hashtag of your chat in the box, then click 'go'.

step two:

you'll be asked to allow tweetchat to use your account. click 'authorize app'. you will then be redirected back to the tweetchat site.

step three:

once you're back on the tweetchat site, you'll be in your "chatroom". you should see a feed of all the tweets with the hashtag of your chat - in this example, i used #nectarchat by melyssa of the nectar collective (wednesdays at 8pm cst!)

where it says, "tweet into #nectarchat", this is where you will type the tweets that correspond to the conversation. just like a regular tweet, hit "tweet" to send your message. the cool thing about tweetchat? it automatically adds the chat's hashtag to the end of your tweet - no need to write it out!

as the host of the chat leads the discussion, they will use numbers or letters to indicate which question is being asked. for example, question three may be written as: "Q3 what are your favorite blogging platforms?". to keep the flow of tweets organized, participants will respond to question three by indicating it is answer three, i.e., "A3 my favorite blogging platform is blogger!"

step four:

during the chat, don't just answer the hosts questions - interact! it is a twitter chat after all, and you're there to connect with others. this means favoriting, retweeting (both of which can be done from within the tweetchat platform), responding to tweets, voicing your opinions and engaging in discussion with the other chatters. sometimes, you can get so wrapped up in a back and forth conversation, you miss a question the host has asked! scroll back down through the feed to pick back up in the conversation and answer questions. have fun!

 

go forth, and chat!

twitter chats have been a great way for me to get involved in the creative community. i'm fortunate to have a large, awesome group of bloggers both locally and online to support me, bounce ideas off of and collaborate with. if you're craving some like-minded folks, twitter chats are a great place to start.

some of my favorite chats for bloggers, creatives and entrepreneurs are #nectarchat, #blogelevated, #creativebizchat, #createlounge & #ellechat. happy chatting, y'all!

icebox coffee cold brew coffee cake

birmingham bloggers has been working with birmingham favorite icebox coffee to put on a fantastic recipe contest that challenges members to develop a creative recipe using icebox coffee - and man, am i glad, because i am the biggest icebox fan ever, and any excuse to buy more... i'm in.

i wrote about icebox last year, and the love affair never ended. i'm sippin' the stuff all the time. i actually drink the concentrate straight, which is horrific for my heartrate, but y'know, gives me quite the rush on a monday morning. not to mention, it tastes divine. guess i need to move up to full blown espresso drinking, huh?

so coffee cake, right? doesn't normally taste like coffee. this one does. because why not. it was super simple to make, and the flavors are present, but just subtle enough. this sweet cake can be enjoyed for breakfast if you're the "cake for breakfast" type, or an afternoon snack. yum!

icebox coffee cold brew coffee cake

for the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup icebox coffee cold brew concentrate
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

for the crumb topping:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl and whisk together. in another bowl, mix together icebox coffee, greek yogurt and vanilla extract until smooth.

in another bowl, beat butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, or until light fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. next, add flour mixture and icebox coffee mixture in 3 additions, alternating each until just combined. pour batter into a loaf pan (or two!).

for the crumb topping, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together. pour over cake batter just before baking. bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick insert comes out clean.

southern blog society's 3rd annual conference [part 2]

for part 1 of my sbs con experience, click here!

after the wonderful sessions at the conference that morning, it was time for the brand networking sessions! the curtains in the riviera theater were pulled back to reveal a ballroom full of brands, rangning from moon & lola, lilly pulitzer, vera bradley, physician's formula and so many more!

we grabbed a vera bradley tote bag and got to work on networking while we enjoyed snacks and mimosas. i made my way to every table, swapped business cards and handed out my media kit - which i'm so, so glad i got printed.

after the brand networking sessions, we were free to explore for the night. first, we ventured up king street and ended up at the moon & lola store (because clearly, we didn't get enough moon and lola at the brand networking session!). next, we ended up at cumberland's smokehouse for some good old fashioned carolina bbq. i actually really, really enjoyed the carolina sauce, which is vinegar/mustard based.

after that, we ventured to the gin joint for cocktails and s'mores, and man, were they amazing! the place reminded me a lot of collins bar here in birmingham. the menu was, of course, mostly gin drinks, but you could tell the bartender two adjectives - i went with "tart" and "refreshing" - for a custom drink. bloggers love cocktails!

Bloggers love cocktails. This is a fact. 💁🏼 #SBScon #charleston #ginjoint #sbsatbelmond @thesbsociety

A photo posted by Meredith Davis (@meredithnd) on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:18pm PDT

on sunday, we woke up and had a farewell breakfast at the charleston grill, and then promptly got to exploring downtown because we hadn't really had a chance to take in the scenery. we walked from the belmond all the way to the battery on the water, taking in charleston charm along the way.

all in all, my first experience in charleston was one for the books. i cannot wait to go back. the conference took up a huge chunk of our time, of course, so i would love another opportunity to go back and explore the city. the culture, the people, everything is incredible.

thank you so much to jessica, cathy and the southern blog society for putting on this amazing event. i can't wait to return next year!

until next time, sbs con!

some photos by kim graham photography :)

popcorn week: caramel corn pistachio ice cream sandwiches + a giveaway

i'll be totally real with y'all: these were ridiculous. despite drippy pistachio ice cream getting all over the floor and more chunky, sugar rush goodness than you can imagine, i really believe these popcorn pistachio ice cream sandwiches have a place in this world.

if you want to whip up this tasty, summertime treat, you've got a few options that lend for some creativity. you could pop up a bag of salty, buttery popcorn, melt down the marshmallows and then combine the two to form your "cookie" mixture. or, you could do what i did, and buy some crunch n' munch caramel corn with peanuts mixed in. keep in mind, this option is a lot sweeter.

these were so messy - as you can see from the photos - but delicious!

popcorn pistachio ice cream sandwiches

1/2 bag of caramel corn crunch n' much (or, substitute with a bag of buttered popcorn)
4 cups marshmallows
5 tablespoons butter
2-4 scoops talenti pistachio ice cream
peanuts (optional)

in a large saucepan over low-medium heat, add butter to pan and melt. stir in marshmallows. stirring constantly, wait for marshmallows to melt into a creamy liquid. put your popcorn (either pre-made caramel corn or buttered popcorn) in a large bowl, and pour marshmallow topping on top. stir to combine, then quickly spoon mixture on to a large baking sheet covered in parchement paper. flatten the mixture in an even layer.

pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to allow it to harden. take a large glass, cookie cutter or any item that can be used to form a circular shape, and press into the layer of popcorn and marshmallow to form your "cookie" halves". plop a scoop of ice cream in between two halves, and enjoy, and have some napkins on hand!

  I teamed up with 14 other bloggers to share innovative popcorn recipes with you and to bring you an eye-popping popcorn giveaway. We're using the hashtag #popcornisforbloggers on social media this week. check out everyone's blogs to see their popcorn recipes throughout the week: Tabasco Honey Butter Popcorn — The Speckled Palate Cookie Butter Popcorn Cupcakes — The Crumby Cupcake Mexican Chocolate Popcorn — Macheesmo Unicorn Popcorn Rocky Road — The Sugar Hit Snickers Popcorn — Cake 'n Knife Birthday Cake Oreo Popcorn — Club Narwhal White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Popcorn — Feast + West Loaded Candy Bar Popcorn — Sugar Dish Me Matcha Popcorn Milkshakes — Brunch with Joy Vegan Caramel Corn Cacao Nib Popcorn — Twin Stripe S'Mores Popcorn Treats — Hey There Sunshine Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake with Caramel Corn Crumb Topping — bethcakes Caramel Corn Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwiches — Meredith Noelle Caramel-Masala Popcorn with Pistachios — Love & Flour Vegan Almond Joy Popcorn — The Frosted Vegan   also, a big thanks to cabot creamery and bob's red mill for generously sponsoring our project and giveaway.        we're giving away a big movie night prize pack that's worth more than $115! see the fafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set. The prize pack includes:

• a west bend professional on-demand hot-air popcorn popper // $80 value
• two 27-ounce bags bob's red mill white popcorn kernels // $7.38 value
• two 27-ounce bags bob's red mill yellow popcorn kernels // $7.78 value
• one 8-ounce jar cabot cheddar cheese shake // $6.95 value
• and a $15 gift card to amazon.com!

giveaway rules:

1. enter the giveaway through the rafflecopter widget below. everyone gets a free entry! you can enter multiple times, up to 18 additional entries by following the giveaway sponsors on social media. (if you’ve followed in the past, that counts! just enter the info as prompted.) all entries will be verified. No purchase is necessary to win.
2. the giveaway is open until friday, july 17, 2015 at 10 a.m. EST. one winner will be chosen at random and emailed within 48 hours. winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. the retail value of the prize is $117. prizes shown in the graphic are the only ones available.
3. open to U.S. residents with a valid shipping address only. must be 18 years of age as of july 6, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway    

southern blog society's 3rd annual conference [part 1]

finally, i'm sharing my wonderful experience at the southern blog society's 3rd annual #SBScon in charleston, south carolina. the conference, which took place june 26-28, was my second SBS Con, and i am so, so happy i returned this year. where do i even begin?!

thursday night, beth, rachel and i drove to athens, georgia to meet molly. on friday morning, we started off to charleston super early, and arrived just in time for lunch at sean brock's mexican eatery, minero. i basically died and went to heaven. it. was. amazing. after we loaded up on tacos, magaritas and queso fundido, we were ready to take on the day.

next, we met up with my dear friend whitney and got to exploring charleston. but first, it was time for blowouts at tease blow dry bar! despite the crazy charleston heat, we were determined to get our hair done for the party that night, and we crossed our fingers it would last the humidity. a relaxing afternoon at tease was very much needed after trekking around.

then, we finally checked in to our wonderful hotel, the belmond, and began getting ready for the friday night cocktail party on the terrace. we brought a little champagne along with us and had a little pre-party in our room, too!

then, we made our way to the terrace for a night of drinks, snacks and networking. we were greeted with a gorgeous peronalized notepad from swoozie's (which now serves as my 'to do' notepad on my desk!) and ushered to the terrace. it was such a beautiful setup! i loved seeing whitney's graphic design expertise come to life. the logo was even on the cups! isn't it adorable?!

man y'all, it was hot. we were dying. my wonderful blowout from tease had fallen by the time the party came around, and my makeup was sweating off my face... but we powered through. i pretty much had to accept that i was going to be a sweaty mess the entire weekend - whoops, my bad, a glistening mess. we are southern women, after all, and glistening is an acquired skill. if i bump up the exposure on photos just enough, i look like i'm not fresh out of the bath tub. ;)

the next morning, it was conference time after breakfast at the charleston grill. we trekked over to the riviera theater from the belmond - and it was right across the street with our own personalized marquee! i was excited for all the speakers, but especially to hear my friends beth and rachel chat about photography and taking your best photos.

first, we were greeted with some (HAND SEWN) bags with blog planner notebooks from whitney's heart & arrow. next, jessica & cathy gave us the scoop on the state of SBS - and we learned we're going national, ah! soon, the blogging societies will be available for bloggers all over the usa. i'm so excited to watch sbs continue to grow.

the sessions this year were amazing! i really enjoyed hearing from amy northard, cpa about taxes, money and all that pesky stuff bloggers often don't think about it. so, so informative. the brand panel at the end with lilly pulitzer, the real real and kendra scott was also great.

i was so happy to see beth and rachel kill it talking about photography! way to represent alabama! beth wrote a great post on some of the tips she shared about shooting in manual, and you can check that out here.

stay tuned next week for part 2, featuring the brand networking session, our saturday night adventures and the hallmark farewell breakfast!

some photos by kim graham photography :)

watermelon moscow mule

if you're in the u.s., i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! after taking a short blogging break last week in light of my trip to charleston, south carolina for southern blog society's SBS con, i'm back! i'm going to have a long, photo-filled recap post of my trip soon, but first, i figured we all needed a summer cocktail.

i love moscow mules. one of my favorites bars here in birmingham, 41st st. pub, makes my favorite mules ever. i'm partial to the fever tree ginger beer they use at 41st st., but i know there are many, many varieties you can pick up at the grocery store. for this cocktail, i used barrit's.

moscow mules are refreshing, easy to make, and highly customizable. watermelon juice seemed like a totally natural addition. let me tell y'all, these were freakin' delicious. i was so pleasantly surprised by how well the watermelon juice complemented the ginger.

you can make some fresh watermelon juice by following this tutorial and then straining it to get rid of pulp, or, if you have a local juicery, have them make you some to pick up. i promise that using fresh watermelon juice is worth it. you could simply puree some watermelon if you don't mind a pulpy texture, but i preferred mine smooth.

watermelon moscow mule

1 part (shot glass full) fresh watermelon juice

2 parts vodka

1 part fresh lime juice

1.5 - 2 oz. ginger beer

combine watermelon juice, vodka and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until combined. pour into a copper mug, and top with ginger beer. be sure not to shake your ginger beer, or you'll have a fizzy mess on your hands! garnish with lime, mint or watermelon and enjoy.