Good morning everyone! Thanks for joining the #MNMOtv Twitterview of @burkcity. An assistant editor and #TCCulture blogger at @MNMOmag.

Ellen:    Hey all! Nice of you to join us :)

So to start @burkcity, where did you grow up, attend school and what did you want to be when you grew up?

Ellen:    I grew up in Burnsville. Then I decided it would be a great idea to go to UND in Grand Forks. I lasted a year.

After that, I transferred to the U where I majored in journalism (shocker) and minored in Spanish.

Growing up, I wanted to be a few things: speed skater, vet, hair stylist… luckily, my mom pointed me toward writing.

And for the record, I have no idea how the heck to speed skate. It just looked sweet in the Olympics.

It does looks cool. :) How did you get your first job using your journalism skills?

Ellen:    Well, I guess it’s time to come clean: this is my first “real” journalism job. I’m the baby of the office.

I interned at @metromag my senior year, developing my writing/editing chops, getting clips, making connections.

That experience and my witty cover letter convinced @mnmoeditor I could do this job. I’ve been here since Nov. 2010.

Nothing wrong with that! Have to get your start somewhere. :) So what kind of topics or subjects do you write about?

Ellen:    I cover all sorts of topics (loons, yoga, bike trails), but my main beats are theater reviews for #TCCulture & travel

What are some awesome theaters that people should be aware of that are “Gems in Hiding”?

Ellen:    Oh man, there’s so much great theater in the Twin Cities. In St. Paul, @PenumbraTheatre and @ParkSquare are amazing.

In Mpls: @GuthrieTheater (of course), @JungleTheater, Theater Garage (on Lyndale), all the @hennepintheatre stages

I’m going to @YellowTT for the first time Fri. to see “Glass Menagerie.” You could see a new show every night.

Oh and @theaterlatteda and Ten Thousand Things theater. I could keep going and going. It’s amazing.

Any BIG shows that are coming to the Twin Cities that people should look to get tickets for in the next 1-6 months?

Ellen:    “BIG” makes me nervous! I’ll tell you what I’m really excited about: @PenumbraTheatre’s ‘The Amen Corner’ in May…

@GuthrieTheater ‘Sunshine Boys’ with Raye Birk and Peter Michael Goetz in July…

Summer is kinda slow. But looking way ahead, I’m pumped for ‘Book of Mormon’ & ‘War Horse’ in 2013 at @hennepintheatre

With your diverse writing assignments, any Spring or Summer activities people should be excited about?

Ellen:    The new Harriet Island music festival should be awesome. I’m a huge @MinnStateFair fan and can’t wait for August.

Joel:    Great suggestions Ellen. Thanks for your time and comments today on #MNMOtv. Have a great week and enjoy your work!

Ellen:    My pleasure. Happy Wednesday all!

@JoelECarlson: Hello, and welcome to today’s Twitterview, No. 250, with my guest @AnnieDSouz of @YelpMSP. Lets learn more about her!

Annie: Hi Joel!

Q – #1    So @AnnieDSouz, you grew up in the Twin Cities. After attending the UofMadison WI, what was your 1st job?

Annie: I started teaching Spanish to little ones and interning with @metromag a couple months out of college.

Q – #2    What steps led you from @metromag over to eventually be at @YelpMSP?

Annie: I started freelancing for a few publications, websites and nonprofits, but mostly entertainment and travel writing.

Then I just saw my dream job pop up in the Weekly Yelp newsletter and I knew I had to have it.

I love writing, but I was looking for a different kind of challenge and the @YelpMSP Community Manager gig was it

Q – #3    As Community Manager for @YelpMSP, what are you responsible to take care of?

Annie: Local marketing, events, PR, the Weekly Yelp, biz owner education, social media and a small mountain of other things

Q – #4    I see. @Yelp has been around for awhile when it comes to SM platforms. What are some features that ppl might not know?

Annie: Our events are still under the radar, even though we have something going on all the time.

Cupcake Camp is tomorrow, Burger of the Month Club is on Thursday, Trivia on Saturday.

And on the business side, we have a ton of free tools to help business owners manage their Yelp profile…

Business owners can post photos and announcements, respond to reviews, create check-in deals for the Yelp app, etc.

Small business owners think Twitter/Facebook, but @Yelp is where they can reach their customers directly.

Q – #5    Great tips for using @Yelp. Now about YOU! FAVORITE(S): Restaurant or kind, store or kind, comfort food, hobby/activity.

Annie: Indian is my bread and butter. Or Mexican. Or anything edible. I just love good food.

I’m a thrifter. It’s so hard to pick a local favorite, but I do frequent @rewindvintage and @BlacklistMpls regularly.

Comfort food=mac ‘n’ cheese. A box of Annie’s, sub cream cheese for milk and add too much grated sharp cheddar.

As for hobbies, try to play tennis as often as I can in the summer (oddly, on a Boston Scientific team).

Q – #6    Of course Annie’s! :) To end today, what personal or professional goal are you currently working on?

Annie: One of my big goals this year was to take a real, unplugged vacation, which I didn’t do last year.

Two weeks in Peru should do the trick!

@JoelECarlson Peru??? That’s awesome with a capital A! Thank you very much Annie for your time and comments today! Enjoy the trip!

Annie: Thanks, Joel!