Follow Me – The 25 local Twitter accounts you need to know—to learn, to laugh, to stay connected to all that’s happening in Baton Rouge.

A new language is invading Baton Rouge. There’s no Rosetta Stone for it—whether that means a Ptolemaic carving or a software program. It has no translations, and it’s not even communicated verbally. It concerns a once-whispered subculture, an undercurrent of local commentary, creativity and, at times, consternation. And it is growing louder every day.

This new language uses nonverbal symbols like @, # and RT. It forces brevity upon those who choose to speak it. At 140 characters, tweet speak is commanding locals’ fingertip-fueled conversations.

Twitter’s use of hashtags linking like content and the ability to follow whomever you wish paves the way for establishing connections. It’s constantly updating, so when you visit your feed, it’s never quite the same as when you left it—unless you’re like Kanye West and have a grand “Following” count of one.

The 7-year-old social network has certainly been a game-changer worldwide. Twitter has altered how we receive our news, how we approach customer service and even how we find our food. Baton Rouge’s expanding food truck scene wouldn’t be what it is now without Twitter; the trucks let us know where we can find them via tweets.

But what exactly is it that makes this network, with its little blue bird icon, so popular? Is it the character limit? The always-fresh timeline? The cuteness factor of the now-iconic and globally recognizable logo?

The answers vary so widely, depending on whom you ask, it seems that no one really knows what makes Twitter so popular.

Stafford Kendall, co-founder and principal of the communications firm Covalent Logic, says it’s all about the relationships. Through its hashtags, Twitter helps its users form new relationships based on mutual topics of interest, she says.

For example, the @BRFoodies Twitter account that now has more than 1,000 followers was born out of a desire to get together to watch and chat about Bravo’s hit culinary series Top Chef.

What it turned into was a popular feed run by a group of new friends who love eating, drinking and cooking. The cuisine-centric account has become so popular because lots of other Baton Rougeans love those things, too.

If you ask Orhan McMillan, founder and managing partner of the graphic design and web development firm dezinsINTERACTIVE, he’ll tell you Twitter’s popularity stems from its efficiency.

Twitter’s clean, text-only interface allows for quick scanning and scrolling through content, as opposed to Facebook’s News Feed full of multimedia posts, McMillan says. Additionally, he says, the strict character limit forces even the wordiest communicators to self-edit and get those messages out as clearly and quickly as possible.

Though Twitter is often celebrated for this streamlined simplicity, McMillan thinks it may be the most confusing of popular social media sites.

“It has so many diffferent things it can be used for,” he says. “It can be a text message, a conversation, and then there’s the hashtag, and you can create a public-exclusive conversation for a person who uses the hashtag.”

Sure, Twitter is a blossoming and booming new technology, but Kendall doesn’t think we should call it—or social media in general—”revolutionary” quite so fast. To her, these are examples of our communications habits coming full circle.

“I see it as a return to communication we had before this came along, which is word-of-mouth,” Kendall says. “Think about the way you use word-of-mouth; what you trust is what your friends say. Social media is the fulfillment of that. Unlike the telephone game, social media messages can be literally copied and pasted and shared and moved.”

While the verdict is still out on what exactly it means to be “good at Twitter,” users know a resourceful or entertaining feed when they see one. 225 has compiled a list of Baton Rougeans with Twitter accounts worth following. Our Twitter 25, complete with profile photos and example tweets from each, begins below.

@KrystalBennett
Style blogger and graphic designer Krystal Bennett knows what looks good. Follow her, and you will, too.

@LSUBonnette
As a sports information director for LSU, Michael Bonnette is a go-to guy for Tiger sports news. Bonnette also uses his Twitter account to share funny tidbits about being a dad.

@wbreaux
Whitney Breaux is a social media expert who bleeds purple and gold. She’s a fun follow for quips about LSU sports and life in the Capital City.

@JoshGrillsItAll
Joshua Burton’s Twitter account is more than just a foodie’s ravings and a chef’s rants. His frequently updated feed is full of light-hearted, fun tweets that are sure to make you laugh and drool simultaneously.

@lizclausen
Elizabeth Clausen’s feed is a stream of both serious and lighthearted musings from a college student and budding writer.

@YouAreFilthyBTR
As evidenced by his handle, Taylor Daigrepont seeks to clean up Baton Rouge—both our litter problem and a variety of other local issues.

@TheAleRunner
Brenton Day’s Twitter feed is a compendium of 140-character messages on his two seemingly disjointed loves: running and beer.

@jfeirman
This account is all about LSU athletics, but it won’t clog your feed with game updates. As the publications director for LSU Publications, Feirman offers a unique perspective on the college sports world. He often uses Instagram photos to show rather than tell what’s going on.

@mc_prof
Freeman isn’t just an LSU mass communication professor. He’s also a local school board member with a feed as multi-faceted as he is, with tweets ranging from Arrested Development quotes to news and local commentary. We asked Freeman to give us the names of his Twitter mentors: “@mat_johnson and @JennyJohnsonHi5 are two. They write hilarious stuff, but don’t write just to fill the Twitterverse. They’re the cool kids of Twitter.”

@notagaindrew
Famous on Tumblr—his blog has more than 80,000 followers—LSU art history student Andrew Harlow tweets beautiful photographs, camera phone pictures, random musings and most importantly, thoughts about his cat.

@MusicEverWhere
Interested in Baton Rouge’s bands? Ben Herrington plays in most of them. Follow this multi-instrumentalist for an inside look at the local music scene.

@jthogg
Jesse Hoggard is not only a voice of the Louisiana Tech Park, but an avid foodie as well. Follow him for tech news and food photos.

@RivsHughey
To make it short and sweet, Rivers Hughey is a funny lady. This Delightfully Southern blogger’s frequently updated feed is filled with short bursts of wit and Seinfeld-worthy observations.

@EdwardTedJames
State Representative Ted James is an active Twitter user and is on top of the latest news and politics. Follow him for a first-hand look at the Legislature’s inner workings—and plenty of unfiltered opinions.

@knappad
Baton Rouge Area Chamber CEO Adam Knapp is all about economic growth and development. Follow him for links about tech, economics and quirky news.

@lleger
With more than 18,000 tweets, local entrepreneur/student Logan Leger consistently puts out punchy remarks on everything from sports to tech to music and movies.

@RTMannJr
Bob Mann, an LSU faculty member, always has something to say about state and national politics. An active tweeter, Mann consistently provides followers with links and his detailed, left-leaning political commentary.

@LouisianaFilmTV
Patrick Mulhearn of Celtic Media Centre is an expert on the Baton Rouge film industry and “Hollywood South.” He’s active on Twitter, sharing observations, and—of course—movie trivia, tidbits and news.

@chadortte
Chad Ortte is a Louisiana-lovin’ real estate guru whose tweets range from how to buy property to praising a food stand’s choice location in Tiger Stadium.

@theresaoverby
Theresa Overby is an enthusiast about running, social media and Baton Rouge. Follow her for running news and thought-provoking links.

@HauteOffTheRack
Haute Off the Rack is Jennifer Palpallatoc’s fashion-focused brainchild. Her frequent tweets include style guidance, cool products and gift ideas.

@stephsandy
This social media strategist for LAMAR has a Twitter feed that is a zany collection of everything from newsy links and tips to Anchorman quotes.

@KellySpell
See scenes of Baton Rouge through the artsy Instagram filters of this photography buff, foodie and cat lover.

@chrisjtyson
LSU law professor Christopher Tyson is a fun follow for his diverse tweets. He shares news and commentary, interesting retweets, daily observations and anecdotes about life as a new father.

@SwedeWhite
Former WRKF reporter-turned-LSU graduate student Swede White’s feed is a hub for local commentary and conversation.