Perhaps you've delved into Twitter -- the instantaneous 140-character synopsis of life as you know it at this second in time. Perhaps you've only heard about it or seen the ubiquitous logo and catch-phrase - Follow me on Twitter. It's everywhere - on web sites, print media, tv shows, trucks and billboards.
Why?
If you've checked out Twitter and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. Unless you know the person "tweeting", or are following a breaking news story, most tweets may not seem to make much sense. I still don't get the attraction, mostly.
Until late last week, when I was able to find up-to-the moment information, pictures and video about the storm lashing the Outer Banks and the Delmarva peninsula. Yes, I'm a storm geek, and my brother and his family live in Delaware, and I hope to spend a lot more time along the ocean on Delmarva in the very near future. Watching the dunes fall away into the sea was frightening and fascinating, and the waves mesmerizing.
That sort of information just isn't available on the Weather Channel or networks or in newspapers. It's changing by the moment, and it feels like you're right there watching another porch being ripped away, while you're wondering why we ever thought it was a good idea to build anything on the edge of an ocean in the first place.
If you're monitoring a certain bill working its way through the legislature, or the Yankees working over the Phillies, or need to know the absolute latest on the Droid - Twitter is pretty much cutting-edge.
And if you want to get rich quick, see my web cam (ok, not my web cam) or find religion, Twitter is your ticket.
And if you don't want to be bothered figuring out Twitter, it will go on without you and you will still have a full life. You see, that's the best part of Twitter, the Internet, and living in America. It's still our choice.
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