this blog is not Twitter

For those who don't know: Twitter is an online "social networking" service that might qualify as a subset of blogging. To blog is to write an online journal about any topic you choose; to Twitter is to do the same thing, but using only up to 140 characters. In other words, Twittering is highly condensed, rapidfire blogging, and because it's easily done from one's cell phone, Twittering often makes more sense for people who want to give the world real-time updates as to what's happening right at that moment in their lives. While this sort of blogging continues the erosion of modern Americans' attention spans, it does have its advantages, such as when a group of Twitterers happen to witness a car accident or a bar fight and can Twitter about it in real time. One has the option of finding and "following" certain Twitterers. This allows "followers" to know, up to the minute, what that Twitterer is thinking. If the whole thing sounds a bit twittish, well, I agree that it is, but it's the "follower" notion that makes Twitter ideal for social networking. If that's what you're into.

I'm a blogger, not a Twitterer. I don't do real-time updates, often because I'm in the ICU and unable to blog while there. For that reason, hours will go by before you, Dear Reader, have a chance to see a new update. I apologize if this doesn't satisfy your craving for the latest news, but there's little I can do about the situation. Please be patient. If you have an urgent question, call us either at home or via our cell phones. You can also email me or leave a comment on the blog. I encourage this, because I blog often enough that I'll probably respond pretty quickly to any comments you submit. If I don't respond, it's probably because I haven't had time to crack open my laptop.

We cool?

(More on Twitter here.)


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