RALEIGH -- While squeals erupted from whirling midway rides and pigs raced for cheese doodles, nearly 300 people crowded into the Folk Festival Tent at the N.C. State Fair to meet, as they said, IRL.
For those who have not yet jumped on the social media bandwagon and joined a world of Twitterers who can express their innermost thoughts in 140 characters or less to their friends and followers online, IRL means "in real life."
The Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup was a fair event designed to give Twitterers who follow each other in a two-dimensional world a chance to add a third dimension. There was face painting, a caricature artist, fried food and a 10-stop scavenger hunt.
"It's an excuse for people to step away from their computers and meet people in real life and see if they're as interesting in real life as they are on Twitter," said Andy Beal, 35, a Raleigh resident and marketing consultant.
Dave Walker, 41, who works for an e-mail marketing firm in Research Triangle Park, goes by the name "Lockjaw the Ogre" when he's tweeting. His wife, Shannon Walker, likes to tweet. But nothing like her husband. He tweets about whatever moves him. He has tweet decks, and lumps his Twitter mates into groups.
There are times, though, when he's not all atwitter about the social media tool.
"If you get tired of it, you can just put it down for a while," Walker said.
Jess Commins, 31, or "renewabelle," and Lisa Sullivan, 40, who goes by her real name online, like tweetups because they arrive knowing a lot about people before they meet face-to-face.
Karlie Justus, the public information officer with the state Department of Agriculture who organized the event, was delighted with the turnout. The 300 registrants ranked the event as the largest Triangle tweetup yet. That, of course, prompted lots of tweets. "We're thrilled," Justus said.
