The 25 Random Things meme has gone crazy over the last few weeks, becoming the biggest thing to ever hit Facebook - and spilling over into the blogosphere as well.
Douglas Quenqua of The NY Times calls it "the latest digital fad - threatening to consume what little remaining free time and privacy we have..."
Is it a fun fad, or TMI? A bit of both perhaps. But it's also a great way to connect with people across social networks, and a major viral linking campaign.
Everyone who participates in the 25 Random Things meme was tagged or linked to by someone else, and then tags or links to a group of their own friends - either 5 or 25 friends, as there seems to be two versions of the meme: one for Facebook and another for bloggers.
I've been tagged multiple times across Facebook myself, but it was Michelle MacPhearson that tagged me directly from her blog. I enjoyed her post, as well as the one by Michel Fortin. It's kind of fun getting to know the more personal side of my online friends.
Since I've been tagged I'm now officially obligated to participate, so here goes...
25 Random Things About Me
1. The back deck is my favorite 'room' in the house. When I decided to buy a home I told my real estate agent "I want a back deck and a dishwasher. Anything else that comes with it is fine."
2. I'm allergic to latex. I suffered welps from contact for years (cleaning gloves, dentist, etc) before I finally figured it out at the age of 23.
3. My birth date is June 7th, 1973. I'll be 36 this year.
4. I love storms, and often sit out on the deck with a coffee to enjoy a good one. My children usually join me, despite having been in the path of more than one tornado over the years.
5. I'm not superstitious - at all. In fact, this month marks the beginning of my 13th year in business and I am confident it will be my best year yet!
6. I'm the sensitive type. I get choked up almost every time I watch a movie - and sometimes over commercials. My daughter thinks this is hilarious.
7. I cant remember how long I've been divorced. I've been saying its 10 years, but I think its only 9.
8. I rarely use apostrophes when I write or type. It's a quirk - and an inconsistent one.
9. I have crooked pinkies. So does my mother, and my son.
10. I love Netflix. The next movie in my queue is Burn After Reading.
11. I drink 5 or 6 cups of coffee every morning. Most of my coffee cups have a story behind them, and I use my grandmother's old yellow sugar bowl. Low fat milk, 2 sugars and a dash of nostalgia...
12. I have a metal plate in my jaw from a near-fatal head injury in 1994. I was a passenger in a one-car accident.
13. I make the best crab legs you'll ever put in your mouth. No tools required.
14. I love to root cuttings and pot plants. Like my coffee cups, most of my plants have a story behind them. I tend to pluck things I like from places I like so that I can root them at home.
15. I have some cuttings growing in Australia at a friends house from my trip there in December. I get photo & video updates every now and then. They are a combination of tidbits plucked during a walk with Susan and a walk with Jessie - both very nice days on my trip.
16. There are 6 computers running in my house. 3 desktops, 2 laptops and my Acer Mini.
17. I'm deaf in my right ear, also from the accident in '94.
18. I am officially right-handed, but have become somewhat ambidextrious over the last few years. I assume this is a result of typing instead of writing. It caught me off guard the first few times I realized I was cutting, shaving, etc with my left hand.
19. I love to go for a walk. One of my favorite memories from last summer was a 2-mile walk with the girls in a hard rain on a hot July night.
20. I have a son who is 17 and a daughter that is 12. When I say "the girls" I'm referring to the friends, cousins, my stepdaughters, etc - the group of girls that usually hang out at my house during summer break or holidays.
21. I take naps. Religiously.
22. I took care of my grandmother around the clock for 2 years before she passed away.
23. I homeschooled my children when they were younger. Not for personal reasons or because I considered myself a "super mom" but because I had to. It scared me to death going into it, but turned out to be some of the best years of my life as a mother.
24. I'm a recovering perfectionist. I live in organized chaos.
25. I was never a good Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny... but have always woke my kids with heart-shaped chocolate treats on the morning of Feb 14th.
- - - - -
Your turn! I tag: Rae Hoffman, Michael Brito, Deb Gallardo, Chrissie Cole and Carrie Lauth for the 25 Random Things About Me meme.
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose five more people to be tagged. You also have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. To do this, you simply link to their blogs so that they know you responded to their tag.
About Lynn Terry
I enjoyed reading those. Kev is also allergic to latex too. Can't wait to try those crabs sometime. Yum!
11. I drink 5 or 6 cups of coffee every morning.
Wow!!!, no wonder you get so much done in a day!, if I have just 2 I start to shake like Elvis on tour!.
I'm going to try this out tomorrow as a test, "eh uh, thank you very much";)
As much as I hate memes, I have really enjoyed learning a little more about the personal side of other marketers. We had a great thunder storm last night - hope you get some awesome one too!
OK. the crab legs were a surprise.
Now how to stop my mouth from watering!
So you wait 'til you're tagged or hunt...I mean, seek out others??
Dan
Lynn -- wow, thank you for sharing this! We have a lot in common, me & you.
I am working on mine now ... geez, I hate writing about myself.
Long read, but enjoyed it. I face problems writing about me :p Maybe I ask my friends to write about me 😀
I think this could be somewhat therapeutic for many.
I have to agree with you Lynn - Memes can be quite annoying but this one is a good one (marking my calendar for June 7 😛 ).
I think it is very interesting to learn about people you spend so much time communicating over the net or reading info from. It helps us to get to know each other on more personal level.
thanks for sharing!
Thanks for tagging me, Lynn. I read Clayton Makepeace's 25 things and man, does that guy have a history! Whew! Still haven't read Michel's yet. To find out everything you never wanted to know about me, you'll have to read my blog. LOL
I'm a member of a new forum known as "Jobs Based from Home". It's a forum, but more like a community. It's basically all about how to's, and what to do's to get yourself motivated to get a job online. Tips, Strategies, and even Questions you might have on how to make it happen. Like I said, it's pretty new, so right now it's all about questions. If interested, check it out.
Interesting..another social media tool to talk about yourself and connect with others. Do we need another?
Hi Lynn,
I too was tagged several times on my personal FB page, and then decided to answer it on my blog. (Great minds. . . )
The twist I added was writing it with my family caregiver's hat on, since that's my niche. I did sneak a few personal facts in there though -- couldn't resist!
Thank you for baring your soul to us. I'm sorry you had to go through that trauma in 1994, but you've obviously recovered beautifully!
I'm a huge #6 too & cry when I'm happy or sad! And my b-day is June 8th, but I'm older than you. 🙂
If you'd like to read my 25 Random Things About a Family Caregiver, it's here:
http://tenderlovingeldercare.com/25-random-things-from-a-family-caregiver#comment-1345
I was tagged a couple of weeks ago on Facebook. At first I hesitated and then decided, why not?
It was fun stepping away from work, reading and multi-tasking. While I didn't add the 25 things about me to my blog (which I'll do now), I did post Blog Tag: 10 Honest Traits About Me… http://budurl.com/agrf last month.
Hi! Isn't it a litle risky to put your actual birth date out there so plainly due to identity theft?
Oh my, 6 computers running. the new gov't is only going to allow one computer maximum of 4 hours per day... Wendy
Wow, 5-6 cups of coffee in the morning? How`s that working for you? I guess you can`t sit still after that? 🙂
My coffee is fairly weak, and that is spread out over a 4-6 hour period of time. As for my date of birth, most people know when my birthday is (or can find out easily enough) and the year is obvious if you know my age - and basic math.
5-6 cups of coffee? That's pretty serious! I can rarely manage one or two - and that's only if I have something major coming up later in the morning that I really need to be up and about for.
I suppose it all stems from the fact that I once had an epileptic seizure after drinking about 15 Red Bulls and then sitting at my PC the whole night long. I guess that experience taught me to really watch it when it comes to any sort of energy drinks, hence why I'm very careful around coffee.
Thanks for sharing some interesting things about you Lynn!
10. I love Netflix. The next movie in my queue is Burn After Reading. (this movie is pretty strange - and not one I would recommend to anyone, lol. I was expecting it to be so much better then it was)
Did the life change much after the car accident?
You refer to that issue several times. I also spent several months lying (not that severe stuff, but not the most pleasant as well). And for me it was a good time to think over the stuff in my life.
What was it for you?
That accident changed my life dramatically.
I was paralyzed, horribly scarred, 80% deaf and suffered brain damage and regressive memory loss. I was in bed for weeks, and sent home told I may never work again.
I had a miraculous recovery, and have had a very deep appreciation for life ever since. A beautiful sunrise or a happy moment still make my day...
#11 - I got a Valentines coffee mug for Valentines Day this year 😀
#10 - Melissa, It looked strange. Will let you know what I think of it after I've watched it. Thanks for the warning 😉
Awesome Lynn! More things we have in common:
I have rootings going in my kitchen right now!
I also cry at sentimental movies, commercials & shows. I cry every week when we watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Hallmark commercials (especially at Christmas) get me every time.
I'm also a recovering perfectionist.
I too got a mug for Valentine's Day. Red with white hearts. I love the color red!
We never did the tooth fairy thing here either, but also give my children gifts on Valentine's Day.
Wonderfully shared, Lynn.
I am also a deck kind of person. At our home in Vermont, Toad Hall, we have a long deck facing south that runs the length of the house. I go sit out there with my wireless connection and read emails and such
At Rose Arbour, our bed and breakfast in Chester, VT we have a wonderful front porch that wraps around the front of the house. We sit out there and visit with the neighbors and guests. Front porches need to make a comeback in America. A lot of community can be built from front porches.
I too am an inveterate rooter. (Be careful though. Ask your Australian friends what the word "root" means in Australia.) I have an Australian friend who was bowled over with laughter the first time he saw a Roto-Rooter truck.
I am an avid container gardener, My most precious container plant is the Cymbidium orchid my father planted over 50 years ago. It still blooms beautifully and has been divided numerous times. A reminder of how blessed I was to have him as a father.
OK, now I am going to get all teary.
Thanks for sharing, and I am so grateful for your recovery from your accident. God had plans for you, and we are blessed by them.
Jerry Nielsen
Hi Lynn,
I have to say right off I hardly knew you but you were the first speaker for me at NAMS.
If anyone wanted to know a little bit more about you they just found out a lot more than expected today.
I cry when a comedy has a happy ending like in "Mall Cop".
I do not know anything a about Meme for that mater what it means.
I do know what will be posted on my next blog.
You gave me inspiration well before NAMS on that Blogtalk Radio show where you said, this is not an exact quote, " You can buy all of the IM stuff you want but it will only work if You use it. If it isn't working it's because YOU didn't use it"
Happy Valentines Day!
it's crazy what makes a meme work and what doesn't, isn't it? I was pretty sucked in by the 25 thing theme and it prompted a spree of theming... here's my related blog post:
http://washwords.com/words/2009/25-things-about-me-and-you/.
I just got one for 25 things: the couples edition. what's next? pets? 🙂
Hi Lynn,
Thank you for sharing. I think you have embodied the concept of 'make this a good day for yourself'.
My wife, Sis, and I finally made it to Ireland a couple of years ago. While we were there we took over 500 pictures. After we got home I took about 10 of the most meaningful ones and sent them out to be put on coffee mugs (Snapfish as I recall).
Now, when I have my coffee in the morning (2 LARGE cups), I re-live moments of our beautiful time in Ireland. I suspect your cups from various places does much the same for you.
Bill (Liam) Costello
So many things about you I didn't know! you sound like a pretty cool chick if you ask me 😉
Nell
It is so nice to learn more about you.
I am a huge deck person and front porch person. My horses are right in my front yard and I will sit on my porch and watch them. I only could afford 1 acre lot with a house after my divorce. At least I could do that.
I love thunderstorms and I enjoy being on a porch when they arrive.
I have bad hearing in both ears.
We are the same age.
Just a little about me.
I loved this post! I know this sounds stupid or possibly corny, but these types of posts are funny, whimsical and humourus.
Daniel.
These random 25 things lists sure are popular lately. It's nice to read about and learn about you. I haven't done one of these myself, though. And I'm glad I'm not allergic to anything, it sure sounds frustrating to discover you're allergic to something.
I love reading these lists. I was tagged as well a few months ago as well.
Re #14 - we have something in common. I learned about rooting plants from my mom whe I was a little girl and have been doing it ever since.