Campus crushes: New Twitter fad part flattering, part creepy

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Andy Paras

A couple of the tweets are sweet: A secret admirer says a girl is gorgeous. A girl tells a boy he’s so funny and nice “and definitely boyfriend material.”

But by and large, the material on the new @CofCCrushes twitter account is way too raunchy to repeat here. And it’s all anonymous, except for the targets of the tweets who are either described in detail or named.

I have just discovered @cofccrushes on my timeline. It’s like @postsecrets meets the bathroom stall wall at Upper Deck. #chs #cofc

— Andy Paras (@AndyParas) March 27, 2013

Some of the tweets are funny – and seemingly meant to be – and so far no one seems to have taken offense to being a target, no matter how creepy the tweet.

The College of Charleston account has grown to 900 followers in about a week but it is not the first of its kind, not even in the state of South Carolina where there is already @USCCrushes 5,000+ followers; @ClemsonCrushes 2,800+ followers; and a @WoffordCrushes 260+ followers.

Continue reading “Campus crushes: New Twitter fad part flattering, part creepy” »

Road rage video not Charleston driver’s first confrontation – or video – involving police

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Andy Paras

Chad Walton has been confronting officers – and videotaping those confrontations – long before his road rage video (above) went viral on YouTube this week.

You can also find him arguing with officers here, and here, and here.

Post and Courier reporter Natalie Caula also reported today that Walton filed a similar complaint against a North Charleston police officer a year ago but the department determined the complaint to be unfounded.

Does Walton’s repeated confrontations with police change your opinion of what the North Carolina deputy did? Read the deputy’s public statement on Facebook here.

Chasing News

The coolest and yet most challenging aspect of social media is it gives everyone a platform. You no longer need “traditional media” to magnify your voice.

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That’s a Clowny account, bro: Will the real Clowney Twitter account please stand up

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Andy Paras

Which of the above Twitter accounts belongs to South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? None of them. Not even this next one, which has more than 51,000 followers. (Update as of 1/23/13: The account below has been suspended by Twitter.)

It’s actually the one below, as verified by teammate DJ Swearinger.

Continue reading “That’s a Clowny account, bro: Will the real Clowney Twitter account please stand up” »

Colbert’s Twitter campain for DeMint’s senate seat begins; Haley responds on Facebook

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Andy Paras

After hours of speculation Thursday, Stephen Colbert took to Twitter and his TV show that night to implore his fans to tweet Gov. Nikki Haley and tell her why she should select Colbert, a Charleston native, to replace U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.

The social media savvy Colbert instructed fans to use the #SenatorColbert hashtag, which is literally getting dozens of responses every minute. There’s also a website with a Tweet to @NikkiHaley button, but I’m not sure that’s a verified site.

Gov. Haley responded this morning on her Facebook page, her social medium of choice.

Is Colbert “campaigning” on Twitter for DeMint’s senate seat?

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Andy Paras

Reporting for duty, South Carolina!

— Colbert for Senate (@ColbertforSC) December 6, 2012

The above tweet appeared this morning just hours after U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint announced he was leaving his position, igniting all sorts of gleeful reaction from his South Carolina fans. After all, Colbert rocked Charleston like a Hermain Cain about a year ago and “ran” for president a time or two, if that’s what you call what he does.

So it wouldn’t be a surprise if he started a campaign for U.S. Senate, even though the next senator will have to be appointed by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. So, is he or isn’t he?

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Celebrities recognize Charleston on Twitter, Facebook

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Andy Paras

Even the most famous celebrities recognize Charleston as a great city, so it’s no surprise when they’re recognized while shopping on King Street, frolicking on the beaches or just standing around the airport tarmac.

Celebrity sightings are so common now that we probably shouldn’t get so excited any more but we still do, especially when their Mount Pleasant wedding becomes national news. We just can’t help ourselves from taking out the smart phones and tweeting it.

That’s why I collected some of the best celebrity sightings captured on Facebook and Twitter from the last year or so often by the celebrities themselves.

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A closed-door meeting heard around the world via Twitter

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Andy Paras

If you weren’t on Twitter tonight, you most likely missed the drama unfold as Goose Creek High’s coach literally begged a state board not to ban the high school football team from the playoffs for having an ineligible player. (It would later uphold the ban.)

The funny thing is, the committee ignored the S.C. Freedom of Information Act and met behind the closed doors and, as far as we know, none of the participants knew a gaggle of reporters were outside the door listening to practically the whole conversation.

@hsprepzone @pandcphil @andywontor twitter.com/GooseCreekPatc…

— Goose Creek Patch (@GooseCreekPatch) November 14, 2012

And not only were they listening, they tweeted it. Here are some examples (by the way, hats off to The Post and Courier’s Phil Bowman for an excellent job tonight):

Continue reading “A closed-door meeting heard around the world via Twitter” »

Say hello to my new blog, Charleston

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Andy Paras

I’m extremely excited.

The Post and Courier just switched to WordPress for all of our blogs, which now includes this one.

This will be similar to my other WordPress blog in that they both discuss social media but this space will also focus on Charleston and the Lowcountry’s social media scene and what we’re doing at The Post and Courier.

Unfortunately, we’re unveiling the new blogs just before the election so I don’t have much time to play around with the new toy. I can tell you we’ve got a lot of cool stuff planned.

I’ll be moderating a live chat tomorrow for the election that you can find at The Post and Courier’s homepage or on Facebook.

You can also use Twitter to let us know what the lines and traffic look like at your polling place by using the #chsvote hashtag. Tweets with that hashtag will go straight to the live chat. I’ll be moderating for roughly 12 hours tomorrow so please come by and at least keep me company for a bit.