Thing 18:Twitter

Tweet, Tweet! I just opened my very first Twitter account.

I had heard of Twitter before--it's everywhere!--but never really thought about adding that to my plate of social networking. For some reason, I always thought it was more complicated than it is. So far, I've found it's similar to status updates on Facebook, with the option to tag people and topics in your posts. Right now I am following two people, my husband and Elvis Presley (well Elvis's website). My only follower so far is my husband...hmmm...my next mission will be to find more of my friends! So far, I think Twitter will take some time to get used to, but I can see the potential. And now I finally understand a little more of what they are talking about when people tell you to follow them on Twitter. Just added KHOU to my list!

As far as the article (The End of the Email Era http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html) goes, I don't think e-mail has become completely obsolete. Instead, I think that whereas email was THE option for online communication before, now you can choose the medium that best fits your communication needs. Sometimes an email works perfect for professional communication at work or weekly updates to your mother-in-law, while tweeting informs large amounts of people about your latest ideas, adventures, and pet-peeves in one 140 character announcement. Determining which communication tool to use can boil down to how personal/private the message is, how professionally it needs to be delivered, how quickly you need a response, and the amount and depth of information that needs to be sent (length, attachments, etc.).
Vascellaro, J. (2009). Why email no longer rules. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html