2010-03-27 13:19:43

Better late than never?

OK, so I finally created a Twitter account.

I might have done this earlier if there weren't some nitwit squatting the "ericsink" user name.  I considered registering as the National Waffle Institute and posting "French Toast Sucks" as my first tweet, but in the end I settled for "eric_sink".

I've been on Facebook for quite a while.  I apologize for turning down all the friend requests from blog readers, but I mostly just use Facebook for family stuff.  Unfortunately that means Facebook is a lousy place for me to make snarky comments about the technology world.  Most of my friends there either don't get it or don't care.

But Twitter should fill this hole in my life nicely.  Now, when it occurs to me that my German Shepherd is smarter, bigger and better-looking than Spolsky's husky will ever be, I can just let the world know immediately, and everyone will be better off.

At first I was worried about the length limit, but I've been practicing, and it is surprising how often 140 characters are enough.  For example, this one leaves plenty of room to spare:

Everything Borland ever created is now owned by someone who will destroy it.

But some of my practice tweets didn't go so well.  This one is way over the limit, but I could probably make the point without being so wordy:

Imagine what the software industry would be like if Bjarne Stroustrup had chosen a career with less potential for harm to the world, such as the intentional destruction of all tropical rainforests.

For me Twitter looks like a solution at the intersection of two problems.  With verbal remarks, it's easy to speak before thinking, but it just doesn't scale.  With blogging, I can reach lots of people, but I always end up thinking carefully before I post.  Twitter allows me to spew hasty, poorly-thought-out observations to a potentially worldwide audience.  I'm obviously a newbie, but that seems like a great feature.