Twitterwhaty?

Twitter what? Whatza twitter? Tweeting? Whatcha talkin' about???

Everyone seems to be talking about Twitter all of a sudden.

There are people who specialize in helping you market your business on Twitter. Most news shows have set up Twitter accounts. Politicians are tweeting to constituents throughout the day keeping them posted on bills, hot button items and where they went for breakfast. There are untold numbers of side applications to make Twitter easier and more manageable.

When I first set my account up on Twitter (Read My Lipstick), it was somewhat daunting. I had a blank page and 140 characters of space I could use to talk to... no one. I found Top Conservatives on Twitter, figured out how to follow some of them and pretty soon my blank screen was a hotbed of activity. Things blipped down the page at unreadable speed.

Luckily one of the first people I followed saw my plea of ignorance and sent me to some Twitter for Dummies type documents.

Now I'm set up on TweetDeck, have my blogs titles and links posting to Twitter and have it set up so everything I tweet pops over to my Facebook account.

I have met some fantastic people and I get news that many never see. It's great to share thoughts with like-minded people across the country and even the world.

When Facebook shut down my conservative account a few days back, the first place I went was to Twitter. A few minutes after I set up my new account and tweeted the name, I started getting friend requests. Twitter friends sent messages to their followers on Twitter and Facebook. What a great group of people and a great conservative community! Pretty soon I was bombarded with friend requests and well on my way back to previous friendship levels.

Today I was scanning through the Georgia Front Page and Fayette Front Page inboxes looking for news to post and came across the following. It just goes to show you how prevalent Twitter is becoming, and how fast they've infiltrated every aspect of our culture! (emphasis in article is mine)

Westin Bonaventure Offers Instant Tax Relief with “U.O.Me” Weekends

Landmark L.A. Hotel to Give Away 200 Weekend Room Nights through April 18,
20 Rooms Reserved for Twitter Users Only

Officials of the Westin Bonaventure today announced the property will be giving away 50 room nights every weekend through April 18, a total of 200 room nights, as part of its “U.O.Me Tax Relief” promotion. Five room nights each weekend will be awarded exclusively through Twitter. The promotion also includes the “Westin Tax Credit,” a coupon given at check-out for 10 percent off dinner at L.A. Prime, the property’s New York-style steakhouse. Winners who book a second consecutive night with the property will receive a 20 percent off coupon to the restaurant.

“In this recessionary climate, several states, including California, had to temporarily delay sending out tax refunds,” said Michael Czarcinski, managing director at the Westin Bonaventure. “While California has now resumed payments, we wanted to help relieve the stress even a temporary suspension may have caused and invite anxious taxpayers nationwide to spend an evening at the Westin. We’ll foot the bill. It’s our form of an in-kind tax refund.”

U.S. residents over 21 years of age can enter to win a “U.O.Me” through Twitter or the Westin Bonaventure website, www.westin.com/bonaventure. Rooms will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis—the first 45 website entries and the first five tweets will receive a room night. Eligible dates: March 27 and 28 and April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18. Entries for March 27 and 28 will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. PT, March 17, via the website and Twitter, hashtag #U.O.Me. For all other dates, entries will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. the Tuesday before the desired weekend. Winners can choose to spend Friday or Saturday night based on room availability. All winners must present a form of credit upon check-in for the purposes of incidentals.

Latest Porkulus List in S.1 from Heritage (via #TCOT)

* $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year because the project was inefficient

* $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program

* $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship)

* $448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

* $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

* $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees

* $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD's

* $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs

* $125 million for the Washington, D.C. sewer system

* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

* $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion

* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges

* $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI

* $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction

* $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River

* $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas

* $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings

* $500 million for state and local fire stations

* $650 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service lands

* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

* $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs

* $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service

* $412 million for CDC buildings and property

* $500 million for building and repairing NIH facilities in Bethesda, MD

* $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service

* $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the VA "National Cemetery Administration"

* $60 million for Arlington National Cemetery

* $850 million for Amtrak

* $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint

* $75M to construct a new "security training" facility for State

Dept Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

* $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems

* $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

* $275 million for "watershed and flood prevention operations"

* Unspecified assistance for "nonambulatory cattle"