Twitter logo (courtesy Twitter.com)
Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- There has been so much breaking news lately, we thought it a good idea to emphasize the importance of joining the Twitter universe.
Twitter says it's "the fastest, simplest way to stay close to everything you care about." --- and there's nothing closer to the truth.
If something happens anywhere in the world, someone there sends a Tweet about it. Sometimes it's more than just one person, many times dozens, but on occasion it's just a single individual that's the start of something that has global impact.
When Osama bin Laden was killed by the U.S. Seal team, someone sent a Tweet about it hours before the President addressed the world.
Seconds after the Colorado theater shooting started, two people Tweeted about it, and through re-Tweets and an observant news editor at our sister station, KUSA in Denver, the world found out about the horrific actions of James Holmes.
News spreads on Twitter like wildfire, sometimes hours before a single news broadcast or print column is written on the topic.
On some occasions the news that spreads is false, like the many fake reports of celebrity deaths.
But often times when the topic is a serious one, or even about a traffic snarl someone in the area is seeing, Twitter is more informative than any other source you'll find.
Think the childhood game 'telephone' - but on a global scale.
Whether you Tweet once or one hundred times a day, you have access to all information on Twitter 24/7 - 365 days a year.
That's better than any newspaper or cable subscription could provide. True, you can get 24 hour news channels, but the information they're reporting (a lot more often than you might think) originates ON Twitter.
If you haven't yet joined up, visit Twitter's introduction page here, and watch my attached intro video to dig in a little deeper and get started.
(now bear in mind that this was produced by me, and I'm at best a buddy wanna-be video editor!)
When you're ready, visit the WLTX Twitter lineup page, where we have links to the entire News 19 team on Twitter.
Best Regards,
Derry London
Social Media Manager - News 19, WLTX