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officialcolumbiauniversity · 7 years

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Columbia “Off”-Campus Eateries

Being in New York means that Columbians never run out of food options. Literally never. That being said, Columbia kids have got the restriction (or privilege, depending on how you look at it) of being in the Morningside bubble with restaurants nearby that are so convenient, it’s hard to convince us to go out into the city to eat more adventurously.

So brought to you here is as cumulative of a list of Columbia restaurants as I dare post at once. Besides the obvious factor of quality of food, I’ll try to include affordability, aesthetic, distance/convenience, and popularity (both among Columbia kids and the general public; that is to say, sheer crowdedness) in the list below. Take these with a grain of salt if you want: obviously nothing beats going there yourself. But if you’re in a rush, or if you don’t want to wait an hour just to ask me in person at the end of one of my tours, this post is for you.

ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE

Strokos

This is always the first place that comes to mind for me. Located right across the street from John Jay (right on Frat Row), Strokos is great for any of your take-away food needs or even brunch (many a hungover morning has been spent in Strokos, reviving myself with their omelette platter). Their aesthetic is actually very brunchy, with ample sitting space and a nice couloir of two-person (really just one-person) seating for if you just want to study alone. Lots of options, and their homemade lemonade it great. They stopped selling sushi, though. Don’t know when/if they’ll start again.

Expense: 4/5, where a 5/5 indicates most affordable.

Aesthetic: 3/5. The back couloir is cute; I Instagrammed a pic of a donut there.

Convenience: 5/5. The closest place to John Jay, and one of the closest to main campus.

Popularity: 1/5. I have literally never seen another Columbia soul here, and no one ever seems to know it exists. I would give this a zero if it weren’t for the fact that no, Strokos isn’t bankrupt, so yes, people go there. Seems to be pretty popular among the general NYC crowd, actually.

Food: 4/5. For the price, it’s really good food, and a lot of it.

Overall: 4/5. One of my favorite places around campus.

Friedman’s

This brunch place is small but kind of upscale, so come here alone for a treat-yourself brunch or take a date here for a literal candle-lit dinner. Very cozy, and certainly Instagrammable, but I get the feeling that dressing up is an unspoken rule here. It is, therefore, hopefully expected that this is one of the pricier places around campus. The wait (for food, but also sometimes for seats) can also be kind of long. If you’re willing to put up with this, though, the food is truly exceptionally good.

Expense: 1/5. The most expensive place I, personally, frequent around campus.

Aesthetic: 4/5.

Convenience: 4/5, it’s on like 118th or something. A nice and non-bothersome walk, but a walk nonetheless.

Popularity: 3/5. It’s moderately popular among Columbia kids, but the size of Friedman’s prevents you from seeing people you know there too often.

Food: 4/5. Again, for the price, it’s really good. Could be better, but so can everything.

Overall: 3/5. It’s a good place to go for food, but not something that college kids are going to be making a habit out of. Unless you’re stacked (which, ok yeah, most of us are. I’m not, unfortunately).

Hamilton Deli

HamDel’s pretty well known around campus for being super convenient for take-away food as well. It’s almost exactly like Strokos but with fewer options and no sit-down place; it’s literally your quintessential deli. I honestly cannot believe that people go to HamDel when Strokos is right there. But that’s a personal opinion for ya.

Expense: 3/5. Moderately expensive. I really have no idea how to elaborate.

Aesthetic: 1/5. Not ugly, per se, but it’s not meant to be a place people spend time in, and you can tell.

Convenience: 5/5, because I’m guessing the main reason people come here is because it’s so close to main campus, on 116th. (Again, Strokos is right there though.)

Popularity: 4/5. Columbia kids like to mention this place all the time, and the crowd in the store is almost always fully Columbian.

Food: 4/5. Better than some of the other food you could find around here for more money.

Overall: 2/5. I might be biased because I’m a sucker for Strokos, but honestly if you visit the two you can see that they’re exactly the same. But Strokos is better. I don’t plan to ever step foot in HamDel again, tbh.

Insomnia Cookies

If you’ve never heard of Insomnia, you are either very unfortunate or very lucky. Unfortunate because you’ve never had any of these morsels of heaven, or lucky because you have therefore never been up late enough to require such a godsend. Insomnia is known nationwide for being the college staple in terms of cookie supply (ice cream sandwiches too, but they’re known for their cookies), and Columbia University is blessed with one of their stores between 111th and 110th. To those of you who are familiar with Insomnia, I can affirm that ours is reliable and upholds Insomnia’s nationally recognized standards. Yes, you can have Insomnia delivered, but I have found that the walk to 111th is a welcome break from late night studying.

Expense: 4/5, absolutely worth it, unless it’s 1:30 PM and you’re just in the mood for a single cookie, in which case go somewhere else. Insomnia’s a special occasion. (Not actually, but you get my drift.)

Aesthetic: 5/5. The cookies always look great, the brand itself means it’s always Instagrammable, and the store is pretty cute, too.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s one of the farther places on this list, but definitely worth it (and honestly, the distance is almost negligible most of the time).

Popularity: 5/5. Everyone knows about it. I don’t know if many people are in the store during the day, but then again I only ever go when normal people sleep. You catching why it’s called “Insomnia”?

Food: 5/5.

Overall: 4/5. It’s only missing one point because it’s not really “food,” so if you’re looking for a meal, this isn’t it. It’s a pretty niche place.

Hungarian Pastry Shop

A staple cafe around here. I can’t say their coffee is great, but it’s not bad, and pretty cheap. A crowded place most of the time. Their flourless chocolate cake slices are legendary. I only got coffee twice from here, and I wasn’t a fan. It’s right next to Insomnia. Fun fact: they only take cash, no card.

Expense: 4/5. Oren’s might be cheaper. And better.

Aesthetic: 3/5.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s got wifi, but the cash-only thing blows.

Popularity: 5/5. Among Columbians, also a big one. It’s got inconvenient traffic hours.

Food: 4/5. I haven’t tried anything other than the flourless chocolate cake so i’m not gonna give this a 5 but what I had was pretty good.

Overall: 2/5. It’s got some inconveniences but good reason to be so popular. If you’re visiting campus, stop by here and bother some students (make sure they’re not cramming some Lit Hum reading in first!) and ask them how they like Columbia.

Artopolis

This cafe/bakery holds a soft spot in my heart as one of the first “off-campus” eateries that I ever stepped foot in, when I visited Columbia for the first time. Right across from Strokos, Artopolis is an extremely cute shop, with a sit-down section if you’re staying to order. Their crepes are legendary, and very cute to boot. The wait can be extremely long, in my experience, either due to forgetful waiters or some interesting method of cooking idk.

Expense: 2/5. Pretty expensive tbh.

Aesthetic: 5/5. I have the cutest snap of one of my friends here on Valentine’s Day. Also, being greeted with a lineup of macarons never hurt.

Convenience: 5/5. See Strokos. They also have wifi!

Popularity: 3/5. This seems to be a place for the bougie hipsters, or hipster bougies. I have seen people that I not only know but am friends with here, and people do certainly know about it, but just like Friedman’s, its size regulates how many people you see here at once.

Food: 3/5. Their food is certainly good, but for that quality of food you could probably find better prices.

Overall: 3/5. Not one of those places I’d frequent, or many people would, tbh. Although that might change if I only remembered that they don’t card for mimosas during brunch (or any drinks, I don’t think).

ON BROADWAY AVENUE

Sweetgreen, Chipotle, Joe’s, Five Guys, Starbucks, McDonalds, and allll the halal/food trucks

We obviously have the usuals, between 1 and 5 blocks north and south of campus on Broadway. It is, after all, New York. But if your first instinct is to head to something familiar, a big city might not be the best place to spend four years, buddy. (PS: God, whom I do not believe in, has blessed us with a motherfucking Shake Shack on 116th in time for next year.)

Nussbaum & Wu Bagels

Nussbaum & Wu (called Nuss or Nussbaum, usually, for short--someone tried to write a Spectator article about how shortening the name like that is problematic, but my response to that will have to be in another post for length’s sake) is a bakery that’s famous for its black-and-white cookies, invented by Wu himself. Most sophomores come here for breakfast, for the main reason that a sophomore residence hall is located directly above it. Their coffee is not bad, if a bit strong. Come here to fit the aesthetic and read the paper at 9 AM, if you can find somewhere to sit.

Expense: 3/5. It’s only a bitch to pay if you order the lox. Don’t order the lox.

Aesthetic: 4/5. Nice marble theme going on, paired with the cookies.

Convenience: 5/5, especially for anyone living in that res hall.

Popularity: 5/5. Almost always very crowded.

Food: 4/5. Honestly it’s great. Or maybe I was just hungry. Again, the coffee is pretty average.

Overall: 2/5. I’m not a huge fan of this place, and as a first-timer it can be a bit confusing to navigate (pro tip: order at the far end of the counter, pay at the door). It’s convenience, however, cannot be overstated.

Community Food & Juice

Community’s a restaurant, essentially. It’s got a very brunchy aesthetic, but I would argue it’s even more bougie than Friedman’s. It’s also incredibly expensive, and I’ve had nothing but bad experiences here, so I don’t recommend this place. I once ordered half an avocado that cost me six bucks, and when it arrived, it was grey.

Expense: 1/5.

Aesthetic: 2/5. Exceptionally average.

Convenience: 3/5. Not too far from campus.

Popularity: 3/5. I can’t imagine Columbia kids come here often, given the prices, but some of the wealthy kids here come for no other reason than to flex. And by flex I mean prove they can afford it.

Food: 3/5. For the price, you could find better food.

Overall: 1/5. Again, I might have just had a lot of bad experiences with Community, but I think objectively it’s still not a great place to go. Save yourself the trouble and head to Friedman’s for me.

Famiglia

This is a chain, like Starbucks and Sweetgreen, but people don’t seem to know about it as much. It is literally a pizzeria and has the pizzeria vibe. Its hours are also very conducive to late-night snacking.

Expense: 4/5. Not dirt cheap, but very affordable.

Aesthetic: 4/5. I love Famiglia’s aesthetic. It’s also very clean, despite its vibe.

Convenience: 4/5. I can’t tell you off the top of my head what street it’s on, but I pass it all the time, and it makes for a nice midnight run. I actually literally ran there once, with my friend, at midnight, to pick up pizza for our floor. Cute Columbia experiences, amiright?

Popularity: 3/5. It’s relatively popular, both among Columbians and among the general public, but for some reason it’s usually not busy at all.

Food: 3/5. Average grade only because the pizza here pleases some people, and it just isn’t my style. I prefer Koronet’s.

Overall: 3/5. I’m rather indifferent to this place, if you couldn’t tell by my writing. I think it’s a cute place and I do highly recommend it and most people love it, but I personally don’t really seek out what they offer. I know it’s very reliable, but for such a niche restaurant, I’d pick somewhere else first.

Koronet’s

Koronet’s (pronounced “Cornets”) is open until like 3 AM or something so they see a lot of drunk people stumbling in. And who can blame them: Koronet’s is king of comfort food. Their massive slices of pizza are of just the right thickness for me, even if I can’t finish one myself. I love everything about Koronet’s, but it’s really a place to be at past nightfall, if only for the aesthetic. There’s nothing quite like sitting at the booth at midnight, working on a slice with your friend, with everyone else ordering and chatting and walking by. That’s a rarity though, because there isn’t a whole lot of sitting space. Otherwise, Koronet’s is a great place for pizza.

Expense: 4/5. It’s not too expensive.

Aesthetic: 4/5. There’s a very specific aesthetic to Koronet’s, and you’d better have a really good reason if you’re going to go at any other time (don’t worry, hunger’s a good enough reason).

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right next to Mel’s and Westside Market. Obviously it’s not too much of an inconvenience to drunk freshmen in heels.

Popularity: 4/5. You know, I’m not sure if anyone frequents Koronet’s past freshman year.

Food: 5/5.

Overall: 4/5. It holds up under high pizzeria standards, and I’ve got fond memories attached to the place.

Dig Inn

Finishing my Broadway list is Dig Inn, which is also a chain restaurant but also deserved its own mention. It’s like Sweetgreen, which is like Chipotle for those of you unfamiliar with both, in that you build your own bowl down the line. Dig Inn is my fave among the three because you can get an assortment of hot and cold sides, and you can just get half an avo if you want (in case you can’t tell, I fucking love avocados). They prepare that avo really well, too. Sorry. (Pro tip: ask for all three: salt, pepper, and olive oil.)

Expense: 3/5. It’s a fair price, if a bit expensive. (The half avo costs $1.50).

Aesthetic: 4/5. The Dig Inn near Columbia has a very interesting aesthetic: white walls, crumbling columns, wood chairs and seats. All in all I’m a huge fan; it’s very clean, and people look cute eating together. Update: the columns were a temporary thing, lmao. But it did look interesting. Now it just looks more put together.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right on Broadway, but can be easy to miss for first-timers. Have someone point it out or take you there.

Popularity: 5/5. Pretty common to see someone walk into an evening lecture with Dig Inn in hand here, or schedule a quick dinner date there. Often there isn’t a whole lot of room to sit.

Food: 4/5. Sometimes the vegetables don’t all taste too good, but the tofu is surprisingly tasty for white people, and the mac and cheese is killer. And again, avos.

Overall: 4/5. I’m not docking a point because anything’s wrong, but because it’s just not ~stellar~. I frequent Dig Inn, Strokos, and Friedman’s the most, if that gives you an idea of how much I love Dig Inn.

A New Addition: Junzi Kitchen!

Junzi is an Asian fusion restaurant on, what? 113th? I think? that is essentially the Asian version of Chipotle. With a green sign outside that has random Chinese words on it, it’s hard to miss. They offer incredible flavors, and while it does take trial and error to find the right combination of flavors for you, once you do it’s honestly some of the best food around campus. The price is right alongside Sweetgreen’s and Dig Inn’s, and honestly with a bit of self-control you could easily make one portion two meals. It’s a good amount of food. They’ve also got cute candies for dessert that are sometimes stale tbh.

Expense: 3/5. See Dig Inn.

Aesthetic: 3/5. Moderately cute, and very clean feeling.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right next to Dig Inn, well, like, on the same block.

Popularity: 3/5. Never too crowded, but since its opening this summer it’s been a huge hit.

Food: 5/5, I personally think it’s a good amount, and it honestly does taste really good.

Overall: 4/5. Not a bad place, and good for them that they’re so successful so quickly!

BARS AROUND CAMPUS

I thought bars deserved a different category because 1. people have got different motives in going to these, and 2. I’m much less familiar with the Columbia bars, mostly because I never go to them. I usually get liquor for free just by showing up to a pregame or frat party since Columbia rich people are pretty lax in their regulation of alcohol, and also bars are just not my style. However I’ve been to Suite several times, oddly enough, so we’ll start out with that one.

Suite

Suite is the local gay bar that I first ended up in thanks to Accent dragging Wisconsin and I there. It’s a great place for doing your own thing with a couple of friends, or finding a one night stand. They also have drag shows every Friday and Saturday nights. The place is very lively, with little room to dance but plenty of people dancing anyways.

Expense: 2/5. I ended up paying $18 for a drink, which had 2-3 shots of whiskey. That’s crazy for 2 shots, okay for 3. The whiskey was good though, so I didn’t give it a 1.

Aesthetic: 3/5. I liked the aesthetic in the end, but some people can find it offputting. The lights are rather dim, the music is pretty loud, and it can be hard to carry on a conversation. But that also means you get nice and close with the people you are trying to talk to.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s like a block past 1020. It got a 4 because it’s the farthest, but I don’t think any place on this whole list really deserves a 5 because Columbians are spoiled in that everything we need is close by.

Popularity: 3/5. Among Columbians I don’t think it’s too popular, but it does get pretty crowded.

Food/Drinks: 3/5. The whiskey was awfully good. I saw a few of the drinks they offer, and it’s the standard Absolut, etc. Idk if it’s worth the money. They don’t offer food here.

Overall: 3/5. I don’t think this place is ideal for a lot of people’s weekly hangouts, but it’s certainly fun to come, and the vibe is great.

1020

One of our three “campus bars.” 1020 (pronounced “ten-twenty,” not “one oh two oh” or “a thousand twenty” like the pre-frosh you are) is nice because there are hours that it doesn’t card, although I can’t remember for the life of me when those are. As someone who 1. doesn’t go out much, 2. goes to frats when I do, and 3. only ends up at 1020 (or other bars) when I’m too drunk to protest, I can’t say I remember a whole lot about 1020.

Expense: N/A. Can’t remember.

Aesthetic: 2/5. Nothing notable, and always awfully crowded.

Convenience: 3/5. Not too bad, closer than Suite.

Popularity: 5/5. All the Columbia bars are super popular all the time.

Food/Drinks: 3/5. I like their g&t’s. I don’t know if they even serve food here.

Overall: 2/5. Super average but fulfills all the needs of a college campus bar.

The Heights

Another one of Columbia’s main bars. It’s located on Broadway with Mel’s, and it’s called The Heights because it’s upstairs, and looks out over the street. It’s a pretty small place, tbh, but they’re known for their bomb frozen margs.

Expense: N/A. Can’t remember.

Aesthetic: 2/5. A lil better than 1020 but it’s too small to be significantly better in any way, and the “view” is a horrible one.

Convenience: 3/5, it’s on Broadway but again not more noticeable in convenience than 1020.

Popularity: 4/5. For a campus bar, it’s less populated. Probably because you have to climb all those damn stairs while drunk, and go back down them more drunk.

Food/Drinks: 4/5. Their frozen margs really are that good, and they do serve food here but I’ve never gotten anything.

Overall: 3/5. I’m pretty apathetic to this place.

Mel’s

Rounding out the big three Columbia bar’s is Mel’s, which is technically called “Mel’s Burger Bar” and does serve real food. (I mean, technically so does The Heights, but no one cares). I’ve heard their milkshakes are to die for, and they offer spiked milkshakes as well. Gotta get me one of those.

Expense: 1/5. Holy shit the money on this place sneaks up on you.

Aesthetic: 4/5. It’s a nice, spacious restaurant, and it does have that restaurant feel. It has that iconic “Mel’s” lights sign in the back, and that has appeared on many an Instagram feed. I do really like this place.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s just in front of Koronet’s. Which explains why Koronet’s gets so many late-night drunk customers.

Popularity: 5/5. Yeah it’s a Columbia fave. And because it’s a restaurant, people aren’t scared away from stopping by during the day.

Food/Drinks: 5/5. Listen up. The milkshakes are incredible, the spiked milkshakes are incredible, their loaded nachos could be like 4 meals, but their mac and cheese. Ohhhhhh shit.

That shit is so tight

If you were to take everything you’ve ever heard about good mac and cheese, and imagine every good quality all together in the same serving, and cooked by Remy from Ratatouille, and freshly cooked just for you

and then just imagine it a lil bit better than that

that’s exactly what the mac and cheese at Mel’s tastes like. That mac and cheese has every single person at Columbia on their knees, a complete slut for whomever Mel’s chooses. I would absolutely suck dick every day of my life to ensure I could keep eating Mel’s mac and cheese. Honestly their power is severely underestimated. If they were to ever stop serving their mac and cheese there would be literal riots for days. There would be at least 14 different Spec articles about it, we’d most definitely hold some sort of a funeral service, and counseling would be staffed and ringing 24/7.

Overall: 4/5. It’s p good.

All three bars are frequented for their own reasons, and if you’re looking for the Columbia bar scene, there’s nowhere else to look but in these three. Suite isn’t really included because it’s a gay bar, which people think you need to be gay to go to. I do recommend coming here for a very accurate depiction of Columbia nightlife, but fair warning: they all card.

OTHER

These gems are not technically on either Broadway or Amsterdam Avenues, so they’ve got their own list. Check these places out if you’re looking to impress someone, or you just really want to go all out on food.

Pisticci

I really want to visit this place. I’ve heard it’s the best Italian food around, although it’s kind of out of the way, between Broadway and Claremont around 123rd. Supposed to be a really nice place to eat.

Symposium

Hidden almost underground amongst frat after frat on 113th, Symposium is easy to miss. It’s a Greek restaurant, one that I first visited due to my Lit Hum teacher, who made it a class field trip because we were reading Symposium by Plato. Hardly anyone (from Columbia) ever goes here, so if you make your face show up more than once, and within a fortnight, the owner/main server (I’m not positive of his title) will probably recognize you. That being said, the place definitely has regulars, the classic “generic pub” dynamic. The whole place is Instagrammable, with the welcome change of no other people in your feed having already Instagrammed it. Symposium is by far my favorite restaurant that I’ve been to in New York.

Expense: 3/5, because the prices are respectable but the food more than makes up for it.

Aesthetic: 5/5. With dim lights, cute booths, vines and intriguing art on the walls, Symposium has it all.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s just kinda hard to access by car; chances are, there won’t be parking space on the street and you’ll have to park around the block. Not a huge problem though.

Popularity: 1/5. Similarly to Strokos, almost no one from Columbia knows about this place or cares enough to visit it more than once.

Food: 5/5. Absolutely impeccable. With a light taste of lemon on everything, the food is drool-worthy. Anything from their simple spinach rice to their stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia) is cooked to the highest level of cuisine. If you visit here, be sure to order the flaming cheese as an appetizer (along with the dolmadakia)! It is literally on fire, making for a truly unique eating experience.

Overall: Quite rightly so, Symposium is the only restaurant on my list to get a perfect score of 5/5.

#columbia #ivy #ivy league #nyc #restaurants in nyc #restaurants near columbia #bars #bars in nyc #bars near columbia #halal carts #food cart #food truck

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mikemarko567-blog · 5 years

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Beginner's Twitter Basics for Business | Mike Marko

Is it your first time to use Twitter for business?

If you’re just a starter, you definitely need this beginner’s Twitter basics for business. This will give you an idea of what you should do to be successful on this platform.

Success doesn’t come easily and that’s why having a presence on Twitter isn’tenough. Keep in mind that there are a lot of things to do besides tweeting.

Twitter can bring a lot of possibilities to your business. You just need to understand how to use it effectively. To help you succeed on this platform, here are Twitter basics for business.

Learning Twitter Basics for Business

Your first steps on Twitter are important. Starting your marketing campaign on this platform with the right things will eventually give you good results.

Are you wondering where to start with your Twitter marketing plan? Let’s find that out in this Twitter basics for business.

Make an Interesting Business Profile

For starters, making an interesting business profile is the first thing to do. Since you’re using Twitter for business, your Twitter profile should look professional. Doing this will help you attract your target audience.

To make an interesting profile, you need to sign up first. Make sure to provide a valid email address or phone number when signing up. Either of the two is needed in verifying your newly created account.

Once you’re done signing up, consider following these Twitter basics for business. This will help you stand out from your competitors.

Always Use Appropriate Pictures

After signing up, you’ll be asked to upload a profile picture. Always remember to use appropriate pictures.

Your profile shows the world who you are. With that said, consider choosing a profile photo that visually represents your business or brand.

The profile picture of your Twitter account will not be only visible on your profile page. Same as other social networks, your profile picture will also appear as an icon in every Tweet you post.

Aside from the profile picture, you also need to use an appropriate image on your header photo. Usually, businesses use event photos or image that highlights their work and team.

To better help you, here are some things to consider when choosing an image:

The recommended image size for your profile pic is 400×400 pixels.

The Twitter header image should have a size with 1500×500 pixels.

On mobile, the Twitter header will be cropped to a 2:1 aspect ratio.

Make Use of the Bio Section

Your business profile on Twitter should use its bio to tell what makes your business special and different. Consider using it to provide useful information about your business such as store hours, location, or website.

Aside from giving details about your business, you can use it for different purposes. Some business profiles are also using the bio section to send followers to a capture page. A capture page is web page that appears in response to clicking on an online advertisement

Aim Tweets to Target Audience

Having a presence on Twitter isn’t enough. You should also post tweets and engage with your followers.

Your Twitter profile should provide high-quality contents to its followers. For example, some business profiles tweet solutions to the problems of its audience. Doing the same is a great way to establish yourself as an authority on your niche.

Avoid posting a random tweet just for the sake of tweeting. Your tweets should be relevant to your niche. This will help you stand out from your competitors.

Lastly, make use of 280 characters. This update from Twitter in 2017 allows you to be more creative in your tweets.

Building Your Twitter Following

Your high-quality contents and tweets will mean nothing if you have no followers. Your followers are the key to your success. That’s why you need to get a lot of followers as much as possible.

The easiest way to get followers on Twitter is using the unspoken rule of reciprocity. Find people in your niche or target audience and follow them. There’s a high chance that they’ll follow you back.

Just a reminder, don’t exceed Twitter’s allowed follow limit per day. You can only follow 10% more than your number of followers.

Don’t Automate Everything in Your Account

Automating everything will turn your Twitter account into a complete chatbot. This will make your account looks unreliable.

It’s true that many business pages are using automation. They are getting benefits from it because they’re doing it the right way.

The key to using Twitter automation well is to be selective about what and how you automate. Here are some good examples of Twitter automation:

Scheduling tweets in advance instead of manually tweeting everything.

Using a social media management tool to automatically tag incoming Tweets that contain a certain hashtag.

Using Twitter chatbots to streamline your customer service workflow.

Final Thoughts on Beginner’s Twitter Basics for Business

In this blog post, we talked about Twitter basics for business. If you’re planning to use Twitter for your business, make sure to make an interesting profile. This will attract your target audience.

To make your profile interesting, prefer using appropriate images on your profile and header photo. And also, make use of the bio section. You can use your bio to describe your business or lead followers into your capture page.

Lastly, remember to aim your tweets to your target audience and don’t automate everything.

#Beginner’s Twitter Basics #Twitter Basics for Business #Mike Marko

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lindyhunt · 6 years

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A Comprehensive List of Royal Rules Broken by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Prince Harry has always been a royal renegade. When he was 17, the red-headed prince was taken to a rehab centre after he admitted he had smoked marijuana and illegally drank alcoholic beverages. When he was 27, TMZ released naked pictures of the royal, who was reportedly playing strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel suite. For over two decades, Harry has been rewriting the royal rule book — and in the process, became known to the world as the fun and charming prince. (No offence, Will.)

And now, Harry has found the perfect partner-in-crime. With American-actress Meghan Markle on his arm, the British Monarchy is receiving the modern treatment it so desperately needs. From pantyhose to PDA, here are all the times that Prince Harry and the future Her Royal Highness Meghan Markle broke royal protocol:

Meghan’s coat of arms does not include her family name

With the tiara and the title also comes other cool royal perks, like your very own emblem. Now that’s she’s officially a member of the British monarchy, the Duchess of Sussex has received a personalized coat of arms. Traditionally, the symbolic gift usually goes to the father of the bride ahead of the royal wedding—Kate Middleton’s coat of arms not only reflects the Middleton family, but also her mother Carole’s maiden name (Goldsmith). With the newest addition to the family, however, the palace has decided to bestow the honour on only Markle herself.

A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex: https://t.co/mJb3mqZfaZ pic.twitter.com/0EgbiS29Rb

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 25, 2018

The coat of arms, however, does pay homage to Markle’s roots. The custom design includes a blue background (the Pacific Ocean) and two golden rays (sunshine), which Kensington Palace says is representative of the Duchess’ home state of California.

A two ring royal wedding ceremony

Usually, royal men don’t sport wedding bands after they marry. Harry’s grandfather, father and brother have all opted to follow this tradition by not wearing a ring after they wed their respective wives. However, Markle and Harry have chosen to break this tradition, exchanging rings in the ceremony that they will continue to wear. This signifies equality in the marriage and is a modern step for the monarchy.

Meghan starts her bridal procession alone

With the world watching, Meghan Markle will make a striking feminist statement as she walks down the aisle of St. George Chapel. Markle has chosen to walk solo for the beginning portion of her bridal procession, becoming the first royal bride in UK history to walk into their wedding ceremony without a father-figure on their arm.

When she reaches the Quire, she will be joined by Prince Charles, who stepped in to escort his future daughter-in-law after her own father, Thomas Markle, fell ill.

The plan for Markle to begin her wedding walk alone, however, was in place even when her father was scheduled to give her away at the alter. The plan is said to be her own, and the decision shows that she is ready to assert herself as an independent woman prepared to shake up royal norms.

They served lemon elderflower cake at their wedding

The reason why this is a big deal is because they’re forgoing the ‘traditional’ royal wedding cake in order to have this tart, buttercream-covered confection on their big day. What’s the customary royal cake, you ask? Alison McGill, editor in chief of Weddingbells tells us it’s apparently fruitcake.

“Queen Victoria and Prince Albert served the traditional British wedding cake, as have countless royals through the years including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton, whose elaborate eight-layer cake was filled with fruitcake!”

Fruitcake has been the cake of choice for upperclass and aristocratic British families for generations, Chris Dodd, pastry chef at London’s Dalloway Terrace, explained to Vogue.

“A fruitcake was originally a symbol of wealth and prosperity because of its precious ingredients such as dried fruits, alcohol, and spices. Furthermore, the cake, in a way, represented the vastness of the British empire, using ingredients from far-flung corners of the globe.”

It may be a royal tradition for various reasons, but if there’s one thing we know about the royal couple, it’s that they don’t shy away from unconventional choices. And who’s the person helping them flout tradition this time? It’s California-born, London-based pastry chef Claire Ptak, who owns a bakery in East London, and has been featured on Markle’s now-defunct lifestyle blog The Tig. Ptak shared the news on her bakery’s Instagram page, adding that she and the couple “share so many of the same values regarding food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and of course, flavour!”

Kensington Palace gave us a few more details, stating on Instagram that “The couple have asked Claire to create a lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring. It will be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.” We’ll take that over a fruitcake, any day of the week.

For their wedding cake Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of the London-based bakery @violetcakeslondon. The couple have asked Claire to create a lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring. It will be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers🍰 Claire Ptak, who was raised in California, focuses on using seasonal and organic ingredients in her cakes. Ms. Markle previously interviewed Chef Ptak for her lifestyle website The Tig. Prince Harry and Ms. Markle are looking forward to sharing the cake with guests at their wedding at Windsor Castle on May 19th. 📸PA

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 20, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

Meghan gets political

As a rule, members of the royal family aren’t supposed to make political statements. (This, we can only assume, is why Kate Middleton opted for a green dress for this year’s BAFTAs, rather than wearing a black gown in solidarity with the Time’s Up movement.)

When Markle joined Prince William, Kate Middleton and her fiancé Prince Harry for the first-ever Royal Foundation Forum, she may have broken this protocol by sharing her opinions on the subject of female empowerment.

“I hear a lot of people speaking about girls’ empowerment and women’s empowerment; you will hear people saying they are helping women find their voices. I fundamentally disagree with that because women don’t need to find their voices, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen.” She specifically referenced the current #MeToo and Time’s Up movements as well: “Right now, with so many campaigns like #MeToo and Time’s Up, there’s no better time to continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people supporting them.”

Meghan wore a crossbody bag

The princess-to-be arrived at Edinburgh Castle wearing an appropriately chic and seemingly inoffensive outfit: Burberry coat, Veronica Beard pants, Birks rings and a Strathberry bag. But it’s not what Markle was wearing that broke protocol, per se, it was how she was wearing it.

Photography via Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

GASP! A crossbody! What a shockingly common and un-royal — AKA comfortable and practical — way to carry one’s lipgloss and cellphone.

According to royal expert William Hanson, royals always carry a clutch as a means to avoid shaking hands. “It is protocol that you do not extend your hand to any member of the royal family (blood royal or those who have married into the family) unless their hand extends first,” Hanson told the Daily Mail. “The Duchess of Cambridge may well prefer not to shake hands with certain people—but there are other ways to achieve this, as used by the Queen and other members of the royal family, [rather] than opting for a clutch over a bag with a strap.”

Meghan will give her own wedding speech

In the distinguished realm of royal weddings, it’s relatively uncommon for the bride to deliver a speech. The honour of lifting a glass and sharing your thoughts has long been reserved for the groom, the father of the bride, and the best man (AKA, all of the important men in the room.)

But Meghan Markle has never been one to shy away from using her voice. According to The Sunday Times, Markle will be giving a toast at her wedding reception this May, with a source saying that Meghan will pay an “affectionate” tribute to new husband Prince Harry and say thank you to Queen Elizabeth, who is so graciously hosting the celebration at her castle. Harry, of course, gives his full support.

Christmas with the Queen

After weeks of rumours, Kensington Palace has officially confirmed what we all were wishing for: Meghan Markle will be spending Christmas with her prince. Markle’s invitation is, of course, a break from royal tradition, with Markle being not yet being married into the monarchy. But it seems with Prince Harry, rules don’t apply, because a palace spokesperson told AP that “you can expect to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms. Markle at Sandringham on Christmas Day.”

Here’s what’s expected to go down: Markle will attend church with the Windsor family Christmas morning, then she will join the royal’s holiday lunch and and will participate in the family-wide gift exchange. Does this mean Markle has to buy the Queen a present? Will she have to bring a pie for the holiday feast? We have so many questions… And on a side, but very important, note: this is the first time we can expect to see Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle together! (Cue the paparazzi pics.)

Meghan ignored the pantyhose policy

The royal family has an unspoken policy about wearing pantyhose in public. It’s not a style-code that’s set in stone, per say, but it’s a tradition that’s long been upheld by Queen Elizabeth, Kate Middleton and the ruling ladies that came before them.

Photography by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Until now! When Meghan Markle stepped out with Prince Harry for their official engagement photocall, the world ogled every inch of the American actress’ outfit. The Internet went wild for Markle’s snow white overcoat by LINE the Label and her opal earrings from Birks, but royal watchers were quick to note the one thing she wasn’t wearing: pantyhose.

They’re tying the knot in May

There’s nothing better than a spring wedding, right? WRONG. It turns out, a marriage in May would not have been approved by the Prince’s great-great-great granny, Queen Victoria. The late, great monarch believed it was unlucky to marry in the fifth month of the calendar year, buying into the superstitious rhyme: “Marry in May, and rue the day.”

Meghan’s been married before

Before hooking up with Harry, Meghan was in a long-term relationship with producer Trevor Engelson. They Hollywood powercouple married in 2011, after seven years of dating, and divorced in August of 2013. Now, Engelson is making a show about a man who has to share custody of his child after his ex-wife marries into the British monarchy. According to Deadline, this is the plot: “Divorce is hard. Sharing custody is harder. Sharing custody with the British Royal family when your wife marries a prince, in the unforgiving spotlight of London’s tabloid media, is next level.” GROSS.

Photography by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Previously, members of the Royal Family have not been allowed to marry divorcees. As you may recall — from history books, or from season one of The Crown — Princess Margaret had to break off her relationship with Peter Townsend because he was divorced, and Edward VIII abdicated from the throne in order to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson. But it’s not that big of a deal anymore: Prince Harry and Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, married fellow divorcee Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in a civil ceremony in 2005.

This means that Prince Harry will be the first royal family member to have a church wedding with a divorcee. In 2002, the Church of England agreed that divorced people could remarry in church — with the discretion of the priest, of course. After all, it’s only 2017.

Meghan isn’t Anglican

For centuries, it was forbidden for royals to marry a Roman Catholic. However in 2015, an amendment to the Act of Settlement of 1701 made that allowed British royals to have an interfaith marriage. Markle has never *actually* discussed her religious affiliations openly, though it has been widely reported that her father is Jewish and she attended an all-girls Catholic high school in Los Angeles.

Before her Windsor Castle wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan will be baptized and confirmed in the Church of England. By completing these religious sacraments, Markle honours Queen Elizabeth, who, as the sovereign, holds the title of “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.”

They’re all about the PDA

Okay, so calling a hand-holding PDA is a little extreme. But hey, *technically* it is a public display of affection!

Photography by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

There are no specific anti-PDA rules, but public displays of affection have previously been avoided by the royal family at official events, due to their position as working representatives of the British monarchy. For example: Prince William and Kate Middleton have been photographed holding hands less than a dozen times in the past 10 years (!!!).

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have ignored this unspoken rule at pretty much every opportunity. When they made their first public appearance, the couple shared a smooch. During their joint appearance at Toronto’s Invictus Games, they were photographed holding hands. Even when they stepped out together as an engaged couple, Markle and Harry couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Not that we’re complaining or anything…more PDA-filled moments please!

Meghan’s Vanity Fair cover

In Vanity Fair’s October cover story, @MeghanMarkle opens up about living in the spotlight, starring on @Suits_USA, and her whirlwind royal romance: “I think it’s really simple. We’re two people who are really happy and in love.” Photograph by @therealpeterlindbergh.

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Sep 5, 2017 at 4:00am PDT

It’s not unprecedented for a royal to grace a magazine cover (after all, Kate Middleton was in British Vogue), but to open up about her private life with Harry pre-engagement was a big shock for royal watchers. Here’s the major takeaway: Prince Harry and Markle are madly in love and they’re not afraid to share it with the world.

“We’re two people who are really happy and in love,” she said. “We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception. Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.”

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thewordonmainstreet · 7 years

Text

This Is Why You Need To Delete Instagram Now

The Gram. Everyone seems to have fallen for it. To me, its’ adult-sized peer pressure and all your friends are doing it and have pushed you to be on Insta too. You’re missing so much, they assert. Come over to the dark side, they have cookies. Then you’re hooked on it as an addict is to crack. You post pictures of dinners out, first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season selfies, road trips, your hair transformations and you sick in bed. It’s as if you want your own paparazzi and you crave that sense of importance and recognition that you’re not feeling in life. It’s like wiggling in your seat while waving your hand in class like “pay attention to me, pay attention to me”. Almost like a crying baby. You’re a legend in your own mind and you’re doing it all for the likes. Do we really want employers, clients, and family to see us like this? You spend more time on it than you would like to admit, scanning your friend’s feeds and showing them some love, for withholding a gushy comment is against the rules. And so is being negative. The unspoken but widely known rule of Instagram is that negativity or any criticism is not allowed. After weathering illness or depression, you post a heart-wrenching story of how your life as been hell and just like magic, you’ve gotten 15 comments in an hour about how sorry everyone is and how brave you are. You boast post about a friend who you feel needs to be recognized because that’s just part of the game. You boast about them, one day they’ll boast about you. In this game, there are invisible points for the fastest comment, how much you crush on them and how frequently you post.

Would you allow a camera to be in your home recording your every activity? There’s all this hype about devices possibly recording you and people get so afraid of that. Well that’s what you’re really doing, only more overtly. You are that camera letting the whole world in. Did you 12 month child allow you to take all of those photos of him in various states of undress? Some Insta-Moms have hundreds of photos and videos of their child on Instagram, likely more photos per two months than any Mom took in a year in the 70′s. A child predator could easily use those images that you’ve posted in disgusting ways. Your child is not just being a kid as you record his antics, he’s now bait for a sicko making child porn and you may never know. I’ve seen many a Insta-Moms dress their kids up like dolls and post an overload of adorable, modeled photos. So are kids are just bait for the likes? That’s a brand new low.

There’s something to be said about privacy. This is about protecting your family and holding yourself up to a higher standard that posting selfies of every move you make. What about when your family goes on vacation? You post those obligatory family car selfies with coffee in hand, expectant smiles on everyone’s faces. Anyone can see that you posted that photo in your driveway an hour ago and you’ve well on your way now. You may as well leave all the doors unlocked because that’s just what you’re doing when you share everything. Even if you post that you're just 2 hours away for the afternoon, they know that you’re out and could easily break into your home. And it would be your fault. Sorry, but the time has come to stop this blatant oversharing and live a low key, more private life. Falling for the cult of Instagram all comes down to self-esteem. If you don’t have a whole lot of it, you’re going to be hooked on it for affirmation and experience the acute fear of missing out on everything. If you’re secure in yourself, you won’t need to over-boast just to gain self-acceptance.

We all value privacy so much when it comes to unsolicited e-mails, ads. that relentlessly follow you on the Internet for a whole month that you once clicked on, and you shred your mail yet your whole life is on an open Instagram account that everyone has access to, you need to really think about your choices. That local break and enter artist now knows the whole interior of your home and that you have your 70 inch TV and living room filled with things that he would love to have, etc. They know your children’s names and what toy they like best and just how they could lure them. You’re better than scrolling through pics. of artificial happiness and fleeting moments of joy and capturing every little moment of your life. This app, only shows the best of times and not the worst of times. Friendship in the Insta age is hardly ever face to face, it’s all about the likes and five word max. comments from afar. It’s high time we either lock our Instagram profiles down and digitally detox or delete Instagram and choose to live real, unfiltered life with and for the ones we love.

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lindyhunt · 6 years

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Meghan Markle Will Be the First Royal Bride to Walk Herself Down the Aisle

Meghan starts her bridal procession alone

When she reaches the Quire, she will be joined by Prince Charles, who stepped in to escort his future daughter-in-law after her own father, Thomas Markle, fell ill.

They’re planning to have a lemon elderflower cake at their wedding

Fruitcake has been the cake of choice for upperclass and aristocratic British families for generations, Chris Dodd, pastry chef at London’s Dalloway Terrace, explained to Vogue.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 20, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

Meghan gets political

Meghan wore a crossbody bag

Photography via Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

GASP! A crossbody! What a shockingly common and un-royal — AKA comfortable and practical — way to carry one’s lipgloss and cellphone.

Meghan will give her own wedding speech

Christmas with the Queen

Meghan ignored the pantyhose policy

Photography by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

They’re tying the knot in May

Meghan’s been married before

Photography by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Meghan isn’t Anglican

They’re all about the PDA

Okay, so calling a hand-holding PDA is a little extreme. But hey, *technically* it is a public display of affection!

Photography by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan’s Vanity Fair cover

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Sep 5, 2017 at 4:00am PDT

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lindyhunt · 7 years

Text

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Broken Another Royal Rule With Their Choice of Wedding Cake

They’re planning to have a lemon elderflower cake at their wedding

Fruitcake has been the cake of choice for upperclass and aristocratic British families for generations, Chris Dodd, pastry chef at London’s Dalloway Terrace, explained to Vogue.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 20, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

Meghan gets political

Meghan wore a crossbody bag

Photography via Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

GASP! A crossbody! What a shockingly common and un-royal — AKA comfortable and practical — way to carry one’s lipgloss and cellphone.

Meghan will give her own wedding speech

Christmas with the Queen

Meghan ignored the pantyhose policy

Photography by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

They’re tying the knot in May

Meghan’s been married before

Photography by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Meghan isn’t Anglican

They’re all about the PDA

Okay, so calling a hand-holding PDA is a little extreme. But hey, *technically* it is a public display of affection!

Photography by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan’s Vanity Fair cover

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Sep 5, 2017 at 4:00am PDT

0 notes