Ah, the power of Twitter. It’s become the ultimate medium of customer service, where brands reach out to their loyal customers followers and woo new clientele. It gives us — the average Joe (or Josephine) — an unbelievably powerful megaphone to broadcast our thoughts to the world, where the volume is determined solely by the size of the following you can amass. 
All too often, it becomes the venue of 140-character ranting. Sometimes, though, it can provide little surprises that make you want to race to the company’s headquarters and hug every employee in sight. Case in point: Crumbs Bakeshop’s birthday surprise. 
I was feeling a little lonely since my family is 1,200 miles away, so I planned to celebrate with a cupcake and a call home. When the folks at @CrumbsBakeshop heard of my plans, however, they took matters into their own hands, asking me to stop by my nearest cupcakery, where a special note would be hidden behind the counter. It was a sweet birthday card, offering my choice of three cupcakes: two classic (chocolate or vanilla) and one signature (I opted for a Galaxy cupcake, vanilla cake filled and topped with a velvety chocolate buttercream frosting and Milky Way pieces). It was a simple gesture, but my beaming smile lasted all day. And it wasn’t just the sugar rush. 
As I savored the delicate, buttery cake with a frosting so rich it demanded its own glass of milk, I felt a sense of home in New York. Sure, I don’t know anyone at Crumbs personally, but I couldn’t help feeling cared for, appreciated, valued. It didn’t involve any prodding or grumbling for a freebie — it was just a little surprise out of the blue. It got me thinking: What if we used Twitter to conduct random acts of kindness? Instead of complaining, I’m challenging myself to use the social network to make at least one person smile each day. 
I’m @collegiatecook. Who are you? Let’s follow each other and share some #randomtweetsofkindness (#rtok). Life’s too short to be taken seriously.
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