Twitterfeeding  Existential Dinners

(taking place at TEDActive Tuesday night February 28, 2012)


1. WHAT in the (digital/real) world is Twitterfeeding? It’s a memorable meal with a bunch of characters. A group of about 6-8 friends (and willing strangers) gathering for dinner live and in person, and tweeting whatever happens at the table. It’s a way to create a lasting document for conversations that otherwise might have vanished in a haze of wine and carbs. Simply put: You meet, you eat, you tweet.

ESSENTIAL:  Highly recommended to use a laptop (or ipad) at your dinner; pecking away slowly on one’s smart phone is not so smart in this instance.

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2. BEGIN by choosing a Designated Tweeter (DT) or a rotation of DTs throughout the night.  It’s best to have one DT at a time to allow everyone else at the table to focus on the conversation and the moment.

ESSENTIAL:  The DT will include the hashtag #twitterfeeding with every Tweet.

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3. NEXT are the introductions.  Go around the table and answer these questions.
Who are you?  (name, where from)
What do people call you?  (for example: a writer/wife/mom/crazy)
When is the last time you experienced pure awe?
When did you become you?  

ESSENTIAL: When quoting someone at your table, always put their @ address AFTER the quote because as most of you know, tweets beginning with an @ address won’t be seen be everyone in twitterland!

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4. NOW just keep eating and tweeting! Feel free to use the prompts below to let the conversations flow… use them all, use some, use none, and/or add your own.

What are the things you tell yourself you’ll do “when the time is right?”
And you’re not doing those things because…?
Who in your life deserves a massive thank you? Perhaps make a toast to them.
What’s something we can all do right here, right now, at this table, to better the world?
What’s one word you would tweet to describe your evening so far?
What idea (either fully crystallized or still in diaphanous hunch form) is pulsating in your brain?
Anything nagging at you?
Are you living your best true life?  Would it kill you to live a little more like you’re dying?
Does your server have any parting Twitter words?

ESSENTIAL: Use the hashtag #twitterfeeding with every Tweet.

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5. END with a closing tweet. Think of it as your table’s epitaph. Earnest is cool. So is playful.

Take a photo! You’ll be glad you did.  And tweet that out too if you’d like.

Good night, everyone.  Tweet dreams,

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and David Hochman

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