The requisite post on social media and Twitter

I'm hooked. I'm at Twitter.com/jrosenberg6432. I think Twitter is the next big thing. People think Twitter has hit a critical mass; I think that it is just beginning.

First reason why I believe in Twitter: the news comes quicker. Last week I found out about school being closed on Tuesday before the news was posted on the Buncombe County School District website and before they had announced it on their automated calling system. On Friday of last week, when the GDP of the US for the 4th quarter was released, I anxiously opened my Twitter stream at 8am and saw the blockbuster number. Bloomberg didn't have the number posted until about 8:36; CNN didn't have it up until around quarter to nine. Because of my adroit twitter choices, I got the news at 8:30. This is a bit of a crazy example, but it was important to me. Finally, when I was notified over the PA system at the high school at which I am student teaching of early dismissal on Friday afternoon, I tweeted the news, which was reteweeted by a local journalist for the Asheville Citizen-Times, and for the alternative newspaper the Mountain Express. As a result, I don't believe it's a stretch to suggest that a few hundred people at least saw the early dismissal announcement earlier; I'm sure those who were directed affected by that news (i.e. needing to change plans to pick up their kids at 1p instead of 3p) is far fewer, but if a few benefitted, then I was able to reciprocate the some of these types of benefits I get from using twitter every day. It really is EVERY day: when I am about to drive into Asheville, then see that there's traffic or an accident on the Smoky Mountain Bridge that connects Asheville to West Asheville via I-240: I take the river arts district back route. During the latest snowstorm I was quickly and comprehensively notified of what was open and what was closing early. I knew where snowplows hadn't reached. Enough examples, twitter rocks.

Second reason, Twitter is as custom-tailored and locally oriented as you wish. In a town like Asheville it feels like most businesses use Twitter: its utility is broad, its not just for marketing, and its pertinent. As another example of using twitter during the snowstorm, a Montford (North Asheville) restaurant Nine Mile tweeted that they were closing early last Friday night. Saturday afternoon they tweeted that they were driving around collecting staff from snowed-in homes, and that for dinner they were putting together an unusual $10.00 buffet. On Sunday, they tweeted that the "neighborhood" decided they needed to have a musical jam before and during lunch hour. Just for the heck of it - this is a normal restaurant interested in making money. But Twitter makes the creation of community easy. I began using twitter seriously a few months ago, and even more seriously the past few weeks: contributing to twitter feels great, using it is fun and practical, and I believe Twitter will become as mainstream as has become facebook in the coming mos. and years.