Twitter

I started using Twitter about three months ago.  I always told myself that I would never use Twitter because I thought it was pretty useless, but I caved.  I think it is fascinating that people our so obsessed with what happens to be going on in each others lives.  I have found that while Twitter is just for entertainment most of the time, it can actually be quite useful.

I'm a member of a non-profit organization called The 367 Project.  There is a chapter of the organization here at Penn State, but it mainly operates in Philadelphia.  Before I had Twitter I had to wait to hear from the president of the PSU chapter if something important happened, but now I know the second someone tweets about it.  I'm also a big hockey fan so I follow the writers of various Pittsburgh Penguins blogs, the team, and the NHL.  I always know what's going on with hockey.  Following CNN helps me stay informed with what is going on in the news without having to read tons of lengthy articles.

I will admit that I do follow people for pure entertainment, but Facebook has Twitter beat on the entertainment value.  Twitter focuses mainly on what the individual is saying, but on Facebook people can tell you what's on their mind, share photos with others, and communicate faster.

I think that both Facebook and Twitter can both be used for either great things or completely useless things.  I've spent my fair amount of time on both wasting away valuable time, but I've also used both to become more informed about the world around me.  We have these great informational tools at our disposal, and it is up to us to use them to our benefit.