Do you “Like” us?

So, with the onslaught of social media, who is with me thatthere are days when it seems like we’re back in grade school, tweeting,friending, and FourSquaring ourselves into a virtual game of "who likes me?"

Picture this: Note passes your way. Open note. “Do you likeme?” Yes, No, or Maybe? There are many days when prompted to “Like” something,I’d rather there be a “maybe” button. I mean, can I think about it beforesending it out to the universe that I “like” something?

With that said, we at Cooking Light don’t take the 22,000+Facebook fans who “Like” us for granted. There are slew of brands out therevying for your attention in the virtual mixer, and we want to offer somethingof value. So we’ve launched this new blog space, Simmer and Boil, as an invitationbehind the scenes at the magazine. We want to hear from you here, on Facebook,on Twitter, and beyond. We offer all these arenas as a place for you to sharewith your friends who also “Like” Cooking Light, who like to cook, and who have interest in learning about nutrition, fitness, and living a healthy life.

As a reward for all those people "liking" us…starting TODAY we’ll bedoing weekly giveaways here for our Facebook fans and blog followers. Can wegive you the moon? We wish. What we can give are cookbooks, gadgets, and otherfun freebies. Check back every week for new giveaways.

Our first thanks for “Liking” us gift: a chance to win afree copy of the new Cooking Light grocery store guide: What to Eat. This book shows you how to navigate the grocery store,aisle by aisle, in search of the healthiest products. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Show us the love and “Like” us on Facebook (use theFacebook box to the right and click “Like” if you don’t already like us...see annoying arrow above in case you missed it). 

Step2: Tell us here in 30 words or less your best tip for successful groceryshopping. Entries should be typed into the comments field of this blog post.Entries are due by Monday, August 9 at 11:59 AM EST.

Editors will select their favorite based on originality,creativity, and how well you address our question. The winner will be notified viaemail by August 12, 2010. See our full contest rules here.

Happy cooking…happy clicking…oh, and happy liking.