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How to Build your Social Network

I’m sorry, I can’t help you there. Social networking still confuses me. All I know is this: If you bring yummy food, you’re bound to make many friends!

The other night, I trekked to a friend’s house to watch The Social Network. And I brought along… a Christmas recipe? 😕

gingerbread balls

Gingerbread Cookie Dough Balls

Didn’t I tell you I’d be eating these on the beach in July? You didn’t believe me?

ginger balls

Everyone loved the Gingerbread Balls.

And I loved the movie! (Where’s the facebook “like” button when ya need it?) I especially liked Jesse Eisenberg (who plays Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg) and his fast-paced talking. Plus, Eduardo? Really, really cute!

social-network-640-alt

Supposedly, some of the story is fiction. But it was a good movie regardless: well-acted and defining of our generation. It’s hard to imagine that a few years ago, no one knew what facebook was!

Blog Updates:

good3_thumb_thumb

1. The chocolate-covered blogroll will go up this week.
2. I spruced up the page, with photos! Check it out: My new Recipe Page!

Remember a time before the internet?
And do you remember–horror of horrors– dial up?

When you couldn’t be on the internet and the phone at the same time? When it took like 20 minutes just to get into your email account and hear, “You’ve got mail”? Now I get frustrated if it takes a minute to get into the internet! 

Published on March 21, 2011

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

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87 Comments

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  1. Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete says

    Yes I remember having dial-up and it was such a pain in the butt!

    My parents recently watched The Social Network, and ever since then they keep asking me about how to set up a page for them. I’m sure I’ll help them set it up sooner or later. Yikes!

  2. Kim says

    Oh boy, do I ever! The first computers I used were Commodore 64’s in grade 4. I didn’t see a Windows OS until high school. The first computer that I owned had a 33.6 modem in it and I bragged about it! I highly recommend watching Hackers, a good but strange movie. In it they get giddy over a 13.3 modem (snicker). “Back then” it took years to get to each new stage so my 33.6 was fine for a while. Now I can’t keep up with the changes!

    Great looking cookie balls! I’ll admit that my first thought was that you should change the name to something shorter, like maybe Tiger Balls, but then I thought about that and realized it probably wasn’t such a good idea 😉

  3. Heidi @ Food Doodles says

    Haha yes I remember dial up! That actually wasn’t that far in the past for me 🙁 My last year of high school in ’05 we moved to a tiny little town and ended up having dial up. It was horrible. Lol. My hubby and I always talk about what it’s like to be in our kids generation. They’re growing up when almost everyone has a cell phone and everyone has a computer and gadgets that do everything. It’s good and bad I guess 😛

  4. Hela says

    gosh, the time BEFORE the internet… Still, I can´t believe how addicted and lazy we have become! But sometimes I am wondering what people did when they, for example, wanted to book a flight. Jesus. I love the internet, and I love the movie “Social Network” 🙂

  5. Carrie (Moves 'N Munchies) says

    ITS CRAZY how different my life would be without any internet- ACK!! i cannot imagine life without it! now im excited for what the future will bring next with technology! i LOVEd that movie- so so good and quite informative!!!!

  6. Debra says

    I remember dial up. I also remember prodigy. It was the only way to get any info from the net- basically it had categories- home, hobbies, etc.. then sub categories. I printed off tons of recipes from their vegetarian category.. that was over 18 years ago..
    the chocolate/gingerbread balls look delish!
    Blessings, Debra
    Raw Vegan Diet

  7. Jennie says

    So funny – my niece (who is 6) has no patience when it comes to the internet. If she clicks on something and it doesn’t open in less than one second, she automatically thinks something is wrong with the webpage or the computer. She would be so frustrated with dial-up (as would I – admittedly, even though I started out with Oregon Trail and the DOS system!)

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Isn’t it crazy how technology’s progressed?! I still can’t believe you can check the internet on your phone now, even when you’re driving in a car! Probably not good for the accident-rate statistic… 😕

      • Jennie says

        Well, it is a good thing I have high-speed internet so I can quickly access your delish recipes with no waiting! I had voluminous oats with a melted banana, ground flax, and a few shakes of cinnamon this morning!

  8. Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says

    Ugh, I remember dial up! My parents put a password on it so we could never sneak on when we were home alone. I remember getting AIM when I was in elementary school and getting so excited when I would hear the ‘door open’ because someone was signing on!

  9. Emily says

    I really liked The Social Network! Hahaha oh dial up… When I was in jr. high we still had dial-up while all my friends had switched to DSL. So of course they couldn’t call the landline while someone was on the internet AND our cellphones didn’t have service at our house. Talk about communication disaster.

  10. Tara @The Game of Life says

    Those look great i love gingerbread!! I also loved that movie…. it is crazy to think how much time people spend on the dang computer these days! Remember when we had to use encyclopedias??? Now we have google!

  11. Sukee says

    How did you get your gingerbread balls to look so swirly? I’ve been trying to figure out what the lighter swirls are… ground ginger? They look seriously delish!

  12. Lisa Fine says

    I’m still trying to figure out the whole social networking thing too. I remember when my best friend came over in high school to learn how to use the internet. Back when Prodigy was a big thing…anyone else remember that?

    Love these delicious looking treats! And the recipe page is fabulous.

  13. Sabine @ thefruitpursuit says

    hahah I thought it was such an usual title for a post from you Katie! phew, thank God you haven’t changed one bit 😉

  14. Sabine @ thefruitpursuit says

    ps I missed those balls when you first posted them but they look amazing! I made Coffee Date balls yesterday and I cant keep my hands of off ’em 😉

  15. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    Haha, yes, I do remember the days before internet and I still cringe a little when I hear a dial-up modem, LOL.

    I am going to borrow your Gingerbread cookie ball recipe on July 3rd when I honor my kitty, Gingerbread, that I lost last year. July 3rd, his birthday, is now Gingerbread Day on my blog. 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Aww Jenn, that is SO sweet. So so sweet. Why do I not do that for my doggie, whom I loved for 15 years? Never too late to start, right? ‘Course, his name was Harris, so I can’t exactly make him gingerbread ;).

  16. Jackie @ Baking Charms says

    Dial up feels like FOREVER ago! But I’m not going to lie… my parents still use AOL. Now that sounds ancient.

  17. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    ohmygosh….I have wanted to watch this movie!!! I’m glad you say it is good because I will now rent it!

  18. Camille says

    Oh god, I had dial up for about 2 years after all my other friends got high-speed and it was the worst!
    P.S. Eduardo is playing Spiderman in the new reboot!

  19. Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says

    It’s crazy how fast the world changes and upgrades. I don’t mind it though, I like to do things fast fast fast 🙂

  20. Allison @ Happy Tales says

    OMG I LOVED that movie!!!!!! And I actually think about what life was like without the internet quite a bit… and how much slower everything seemed… I can’t IMAGINE doing college-level work without the ease of looking things up online…

    And oh lordy.. the days of dialup. Who knew things could be so fast now?!

  21. Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says

    Isn’t it funny how our expectations shift? I miss the days before all of this technology, but at the same time I don’t! I love being able to communicate with people who are as crazykins as me at all times of the day/night, it makes life that much more enjoyable:) BUT it is good (and necessary!) to get away from all that every once in awhile:)

  22. Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing says

    Haha, oh yes, I can channel memories of the olden days before internet (and, dare I say, computers being a normal accessory in a home)! I remember my brother getting on the internet, tying up the line, and me being left at basketball practice as a child for hours, because I couldn’t get through to my parents! Uuuugh. Dial-up. I shudder at the recollection…! 😉

  23. Luciana says

    I remember a time when there was no internet, and you had to call into a bulletin board system to exchange messages with people. When I went off to college my dad told me there was no reason I’d need an entire *1 GB* hard drive. Then a dinosaur crushed my car. 😀

  24. Eleanor@eatinglikeahorse says

    I don’t know how I’d cope without the internet! Weirdly though, not long ago and thanks to the brilliance of BT, my internet was down. It took me a while to realise that it only worked when the phone was picked up – and that’s broadband! Very strange… 🙂

  25. The Teenage Taste says

    My family didn’t have a computer during the dial-up era but I remember going to my aunts house to play on her computer and having to get off all the time when she was expecting a phone call. Oh yeah, and then waiting at least 10 minutes for the computer to reboot after the phone call. Nightmare!
    I haven’t seen The Social Network yet, but I’ve heard many good things. I’ll have to get it on Netflix soon.

  26. Renée says

    To think I was just peeved about my internet connection being weak and my browser lagging!
    I can’t imagine how I used to cope with dial-up disconnecting every 20 minutes and taking up to an hour to check my e-mail sometimes!

  27. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    Congrats on both the blogroll and the recipes pages…nothing like a little busy work behind the scenes to keep you busy. That’s what blogs do…they timesuck us in 🙂 In a good way, of course! I spent the weekend trying to install and learn some new photo editing software. In about 3 years i should maybe have it figured out. Right before they come out with another newer version 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      lol… well, not as old as my parents who always tell me about how they made $ typing their friends’ papers on the typewriter! What, no delete button??? Yikes, I would’ve had to have used a lot of white out!

  28. rebecca lustig says

    oh my gosh i remember aol 1.0, 2.0 and 9.0 hahaha. CRAZY to think about what we did without the internet.. probably read more books and got better grades, that’s for sure lol

  29. Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says

    Lol every time you post about updating your recipe page, it’s old news to me because I stalk it/you daily and already admired it!! 😛 Love it!!

    Seriously, I am MOVING to Texas so we can feast on balls and watch movies!! Those gingerbread balls are the BEST I will definitely be eating them all year round too! Festive food is the best, and should be eaten all year round 🙂

  30. Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says

    Ok, so I just got done with your cake batter pizzert, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best thing EVER. Period. End of discussion.

    Seriously, it is!!! 😀 I used half whole wheat pastry flour/half brown rice flour and 1 tbsp coconut oil with 1 tbsp applesauce, and I added the butter flavoring. It blew my mind away!!! (as all your recipes do 🙂 ) Me and my taste buds thank you to no end!!

    And it’s definitely a single serving recipe 😉

  31. Jen says

    I love the marble look of the gingerbread balls. They’re so pretty and festive! It would be cool at Christmas time to find some sort of ingredient that would add little red studs. Like a healthy substitute for red hots or sprinkles. Hmmm…

  32. Tina says

    Unfortunately, these memories are not far enough behind me since we’ve been living in Asia for the past 7 years! We’re in the US for a few months, and can I just say how blessed you people are here? Please don’t ever take your super-fast connections for granted!

    On a completely different topic, I wanted to you ask you, Katie, if you’ve ever tried Kind bars. (www.kindsnacks.com) My father-in-law gave me a handful this weekend, and I absolutely love them. They remind me of a Larabar except that the nuts are left whole, so it’s sort of like a nut cluster. (Does that even make sense?) I’d love it if you could come up with a similar recipe…hint, hint… 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I haven’t! I should buy one, right?! I guess I never bought one because they’re not chocolate. But my sister loves them, and she’s not a health-food nut, so they must be good!

      And I don’t know about the page thing… I hope it’s just your computer, because it’s working for me :(.

      • Tina says

        Actually, they do have some chocolate flavors now, so you’ll really have to try them! 🙂

        I asked my techie-husband about the new recipe page, and he figured out the problem. The link in the text of today’s blog goes to this address: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/03/21/chocolate-covered-recipes/ and it 404s because of the date in there. When I clicked on the Recipes tab at the top of the page, it goes to this address which works: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/. Hope that helps!
        Tina

        • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

          Wait, but I’m so confused! When I click on the link in the post (that says “My new recipe page”) it doesn’t have a date, and it goes straight to the recipe page without a problem… is that the link you’re talking about? I hope other people were able to get there; it took me so long to make the new page :(.

          I will definitely look out for the chocolate Kind bars!!

          • Tina says

            OK, it’s working now. I have no idea what was going on, but I promise it was really doing it – my husband even looked! Just ignore me. I’m going to bed. :}

          • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

            No no! I am so very glad you told me! I am just confused as to why it was working for ME! My link worked for me all day, and didn’t say a date. But after your second comment, I went into the actual “edit” section of the post, and it was indeed broken. Then only thing I can think of is that my browser was somehow automatically redirecting me, which makes me sad because I don’t know how many people received the 404 like you and never saw the new page :(.
            So truly, I am so thankful that someone spoke up; I wish someone else had done so sooner!

  33. Tara says

    Haha, I don’t remember the time before internet. The people who remember it are dying out! I do remember slow connections and dial up though. It’s so weird to think about.

  34. Katherine: Unemployed says

    I’m pretty sure my grandparents still dial up… (aka I call and if the phone is busy, I’m like hm maybe they’re checking email for the first time since 2001)

  35. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    Ohhh..time before internet. I gotta say, those were the best years of my life. Not because of the lack of internet, but because it was spent outside and playing with dolls and what not. My cousin was on the net by the time she was 6..along with all of her classmates. I honestly think she’s missing a whole part of childhood while she’s sitting in front of the computer. :/

  36. Kristie says

    I remember the first time I ever used the internet and it was the most exciting moment ever. Except I only knew like 2 websites from tv shows I watched so there wasn’t much I could think to do on their. And then I remember actually getting the internet at home. And having it conk out every time someone picked up the phone. Oh the days of dial-up. Pure childhood torture. I couldn’t have the internet continuously dying on me, I had important neopets business to attend to! Ever use that site? Oh boy was I addicted way (way…) back in the day.

  37. Odette @ theonlyplanetwithchocolate says

    Those desserts look like MARBLE! Love it 🙂 I need to try to make your fudge baby recipe – I hear it’s life-changing!!

  38. BroccoliHut says

    I was just reminded of the horrors of dial-up the other day at the doctors office. My orthopedist apparently hasn’t entered the 21st century because I heard the tell tale sound of dial up while I was waiting for my appointment…

  39. Alyssa says

    I loved the movie as well _ It was so interesting to see how it all came about! I just saw your cake batter pizzert…o.m.g. delicious! I’m going to do a blogroll this week, I’ve been meaning to do it for a while! Of course I will be adding you 🙂

  40. Serena says

    Honestly, I didn’t love the Social Network. I appreciate it as a good movie, but it started to depress me. I just kept thinking, “How can humans be so cruel? How can they be so neglectful of others? & so self-absorbed…?”

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Oh Serena, I felt exactly the same way! I STILL keep asking, “Why? Why? Why did he cheat his best friend like that? Or ignore the twins?” I only hope that it didn’t happen like that in real life. (I know a lot of the storyline is contested.)

  41. Avra-Sha Faohla says

    Only a few years ago my mother had dial-up! And several months ago I was still using an email that hogged up the phone line (Juno offline). Now I only check my email when I’ve access to the Internet, but that’s only because the phone jack in the room with my computer was having issues. Dial-up Internet and email do still exist!

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