Lets appreciate twitter for what it really is

After todays class I began to think...How many times has anyone heard people complain about someone's twitter? ....

"He/She tweets the dumbest stuff"

"I like them less and less after reading their tweets"

I cant tell you how many times I've heard friends or peers say things resembling that. But what is twitter really? A place to vent about our exgirlfriend or our biology professor we cant stand?...No, its a connection tool to the world. Its a place for people to share experiences, moments and feelings throughout one internet community. Twitter was even technically made as a tool for sharing experiences. Twitter had its first big moment of popularity at the 2007 South by Southwest music festival. Twitter usage increased from 20 thousand to 60 thousand tweets a day in just a short matter of time. "Hundreds of conference go-ers kept tabs on each other via constant twitters, panelists and speakers mentioned the service and bloggers in attendance touted." according to Steven Levy of Newsweek.

Personally I love twitter. Having three older siblings, one living in Atlanta and two living in Kentucky its somewhat of a fun new way to keep us all connected and share whats going on in each others lives in 140 characters or less. Being an aspiring writer myself, I think its a great way to share a joke or a line of dialogue I have for whatever I'm working on.  Twitter is also more then just connecting on an emotional level. Its an outlet for creative artists on all levels. Ever heard of the author Justin Halpern? He took his twitter handle @shitmydadsays and turned it into two award winning books and a lot bigger pay checks at the end of the week. What about Rob Delaney? He took what was a mediocre comedy and writing career and turned it into a TV pilot, a book deal and headlining comedy clubs across the country.

So when you have your newest song recorded, newest BLOG posted, newest painting or drawing made or simply just a joke you think will make someones day better, turn to twitter....or the old horse that we're too afraid to put out of its misery...aka facebook and put it out there for the world to see. Lets quit complaining about Twitter and use it for what it really is.

-Andrew Storey