I like Twitter a lot. It's not love, but it's a good thing we've got going, and I think we understand each other. But sometimes I wonder if Twitter is taking advantage of me.
I don't mean the company, Twitter, or even the application (I use Tweetie, which works very well for my multiple accounts, though the iPhone version is far superior to the desktop app). But my use of Twitter has changed my brain a bit. When I have a good idea, or an interesting thought, I tend to sum it up to myself in a Twitter-appropriate sentence or two. This is especially odd since I use the medium for mostly social purposes; who am I trying to impress?
The answer, I guess, is Posterity. And Myself.
A great tweet is a thing of beauty, I'll admit. When a 139-character movie review of mine was published in the Red Eye last month, I was especially proud of how much more insightful and efficient it was than the rest of those printed. The eloquence! The concision! It was a proud moment. Maybe a little too proud.
If I comb through these little messages, I find a lot of thoughts that might have warranted a few more than 140 characters. Here on my blog (or on one of my other blogs!) I have the room to do that, and I really enjoy doing so. But once a thought has turned into a tweet, I typically consider it "published." Out there in the ether. Finished.
This spring, I'm going to try and rework my deal with Twitter. Instead of working against me, those tweets can be like a little notebook of story stubs to pore over and elaborate here on the blog. It will be like a second honeymoon for Twitter and me.
I promise not to let things get too mushy.
