Mindfly Web Design and Development

When local Bellingham brewpub Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro tweeted that they were hosting a special beer and dessert tasting event for local Tweeps on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, I jumped at the chance to participate. As regular readers of my Mindfly blogs know, I love to eat and I especially love Boundary Bay beer.

Boundary introduced a Summer Dessert Menu, concocted by Donica Burnett of Bantam Cakes, earlier this summer and decided to consult their fans in pairing these delicious desserts with their craft brews. By enlisting Twitterers, Boundary fans not in attendance could follow the comments along on Twitter, envying every mouthwatering bite and drink.

I ducked out of the studio a little early to head to the Beer Garden for Sweet Tweet. Seeing the set-up of tables under a white tent on a warm summer day was a real treat, and the place settings with personal menus, red cloth napkins, and four empty glasses waiting to be filled with Boundary Bay’s finest brews gave the “focus group” a fancy feel.

Many of the Sweet Tweeters assembled are connected in Bellingham web development, social media, and marketing, but we also had a WWU student and a New Jersey-based photographer in our midst. As we waited for the beer and dessert to arrive, the group compared mobile devices, agreed on a hashtag (#bbst), and took a survey of how long we’d been Twittering; usage ranged from one month to “as long Twitter has been around.” We also enjoyed the fact that this was probably the one and only social situation where Twittering while eating and conversing with others was okay—nay, encouraged!

The first marvel of the event was the sight of Boundary Bay craft brews in pitchers, a rare if not completely unheard of occurrence. And then the dessert came. Kudos to Donica for the lovely presentation of each dish; they were almost too pretty to eat…almost.

I started with the Strawberry-Celebration Shortcake Shortcake and expected the super-sweet dish to pair well with the Lightner Ale, a light American-style ale, but found that the Dunkles Bock, a full-bodied German-style bock, complimented the sweetness of the fruit. Tweeters also recommended dipping the shortcake alone in the chocolaty Oatmeal Stout.

Speaking of the Oatmeal Stout, I loved the rich, black stout with the Cherry Porter Ice Cream Cake (photo above). The creaminess of the ice cream and the moistness of the cake brought out the coffee flavors in the stout, making this a perfect post-dinner pair.

I saved the Larabee Cake for last. This gluten-free dish offers an explosion of diverse flavors—chocolate mousse, fresh blueberries, and a lavender-lemon glaze—and this is where the Lightner Ale worked for me. It provided a refreshing finish that didn’t overpower the intense flavors of the dessert.

As a special surprise at the end of the tasting, Donica served up figs glazed in a stout wort reduction. Although I’m not a huge fan of figs (it’s the texture), you could drizzle that chocolate sauce on just about anything and I’d eat it. We were also treated to the recently tapped Imperial IPA to “clear the palate.”

Sweet Tweet turned out to be a phenomenal way for loyal fans and customers to feel like they have a say in the mission and service of Boundary Bay. It was definitely a win-win event; the Tweeps enjoyed sampling the beer and dessert, and the Boundary Bay team—General Manager Janet Lightner, Public Relations guru Amy Jones, and Dessert Chef Donica Burnett—received useful feedback on their menu and what their patrons want.

As opposed to an open-ended tweetup where you’ll find web developers and restaurateurs and realtors and politicians all clamoring about with no definable agenda except networking, the Sweet Tweet gave attendees a specific task during the event. Having that shared interest allowed a diverse group of people come together so that the networking aspect can occur naturally.

I definitely recommend using Twitter to reward and engage customers in promotions and events for your business. And I’m on board for any other Boundary Bay Twitter event in the future…may I suggest Eat & Tweet to pair brews with new entrée items or Cheap Tweet for Happy Hour specials?

 Get Boundary's recap and links to more photos at Sweet Tweetin' at Boundary Bay Brewery.

Are you sick of hearing about “these difficult economic times” and reading articles that offer tips for saving money? I hope not because this is another one. Here are a few Internet options that can help individuals save a few dollars, and they also allow small businesses and organizations to market their services for fairly cheap.

Twitter Specials

Although Twitter is a great way to drive traffic to your site, small businesses don’t even need a website to open an account. To promote in-store business, offer occasional Twitter Only specials. Just tweet “Mention Twitter and get 10% off,” and see if any customers turn up. A Twitter account provides an inexpensive advertising forum for businesses, and a web-savvy customer will love saving money on all the special deals they’ll catch around town.

One of my favorite local businesses to employ this kind of promotion is Mindfly’s neighbor, Film is Truth. I wasn’t even planning to rent a movie, but when @FilmIstruth tweeted, “Mention Twitter and get any DVD rental for just a buck” a few days ago, I couldn’t turn it down. And when I returned my rental the next day, I was definitely more likely to rent another flick since I saved a few bucks the previous day.

Knowledge is Free at the Library

Speaking of movies and saving money, a great alternative to renting movies at regular prices or maintaining a Netflix subscription is with the Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library. This option is especially nice if you’re interested in documentaries and other non-fiction titles (they have lots!). You can search their Online Catalogue and place holds on any films or TV shows available in the system. You might have to wait a little bit longer to see some new and popular titles, but it’s all completely free (as long as you can avoid overdue fines).

If there’s something you’d like to see that’s not in the catalogue, you can fill out a Purchase Suggestion Form; basis for possible purchases are determined by appropriateness of the request to the library collection and available funding. If your suggestion is added to the library’s collection, the item will be held for you upon its availability.

Along with videos, you can also request CDs and, of course, books through the library.

Pay Bills Online

This one is nothing new or original, but it’s still a useful tip. Going paperless when paying bills is an easy way to “go green,” and you’ll also save money on stamps. A stamp here and there doesn’t seem like much, but it can really add up by the end of the year, especially now that prices for First-Class stamps have jumped again. I could go into a rant about how much stamps cost when I was a kid, and I could really sell it if I said “two bits” instead of 25 cents, but now we’re getting off-topic. The point is that most banks and utility providers offer opportunities for online payment; look into it.

Live Smart (and Cheap) with Smart Trips

I feel like I can never praise Whatcom Smart Trips enough. It’s a great, local resource that helps you keep track of all your “smart trips,” which is anytime you walk, bike, ride the bus, or carpool in alternative to a single-person car ride. Along with the knowledge that you’re doing your part to reduce congestion on roadways and air pollution, and saving money on gasoline, Smart Trippers are eligible for plenty of savings and prizes.

After you sign up, log on each month and record your trips. After 10 Smart Trips, you’ll get a Discount Card for special deals at over 100 Whatcom County businesses. Each time you make 100 Smart Trips, you'll receive a gift certificate to a local business. Participation as a Smart Trips sponsor is a great way for small businesses to attract customers who might not have otherwise visited the store or restaurant.

Now that you’ve saved a little bit of money, you can put a few bucks towards a beautiful new website, just like you've been dreaming of all these years.