Tweeting South Jersey

Now that Oprah has bestowed her approval on Twitter.com, the messaging service is taking off. Looking for South Jersey folks to follow?

First: What’s Twitter? It’s putting your thoughts into 140 characters and sending them out in the great unknown. It’s a little bit like a blog and a lot like Facebook status updates. Need a tutorial? They’ve got one at Twitter.com.

I started on Twitter about a year ago, and have found it helpful in a few ways. I’ve connected with other people with similar interests. I can follow along with breaking news from sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDCemergency). I share this column with my Twitter followers (hey guys!). I’ve used it to report — when I was stuck in a late season Nor’Easter down the Shore last May, my tweets alerted people to what was flooded and when bridges closed (and let my parents track me to make sure I was OK).

So if you’re new to the Twitterverse or an old pro, here are some South Jersey contacts:

@AC_CVA — Looking for Atlantic City deals? Then follow the Twitter handle of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority.

@capemay — If you love the town at the tip of the state, follow along.

@chefmarksmith —This is the handle for Mark Smith, chef/owner of the Tortilla Press. Not only is he funny, but he also tweets specials at the restaurant and asks for feedback on menus.

@SJLocavore — Speaking of local and fresh foods, Robin Shreeves has just about all the information you’ll need when it comes to what’s local and fresh in South Jersey.

@EatinginSJersey — The Twitter handle of John & Lisa Howard-Fusco, who we’ve interviewed in this column before.

@dandelionvintage — Whenever this vintage-clothing e-tailer, which is based in Strathmere, has new hot items in stock, it tweets the news. A must if you’re into good vintage clothing, as quality items disappear quickly.

@RidePATCO — Are you a PATCO devotee? Follow them on Twitter for delay updates and schedule changes.

@southjerzeygirl — Tina Yerkes tweets on behalf of the South Jersey Tourism Corp.  

@mhgatti — A little bit of wacky and a whole lot of running, Audubon’s Mark Gatti is a fun Twitter friend.

@joyRuN — A whole lot of running here. Joy tweets and blogs about running in and around South Jersey. Her training for the New Jersey Marathon was inspiring.

@NJMonthly — Obviously.

@jerseyshorejen — Why her? Because that’s me!

Want to share your Twitter name, too? Leave it in the comments below.

Tags: South Jersey | Cape May | Tortilla Press | PATCO | Twitter | Dandelion Vintage