Tweeting the Mess Hall Menu

One common complaint from detractors of social media services like Twitter is that people just use them to tell you what they're having for lunch. At Kadena Air Base, Japan, officials are flipping that around, using Twitter to let airmen know what's on the menu at the dining hall.

Every day, about an hour before each meal, staffers at the Marshall Dining Facility send tweets with menu updates. That way, followers of the feed can access it at work, home, or on mobile devices. The system replaces an automated telephone answering system that had gotten clunky and out-of-date.

An airman views the Kadena Air Base's Marshall Dining Facility Twitter page on a cellular phone. (Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman)