The Police are following me on Twitter

An email recently landed in my inbox with the subject line " Ledyard Police is now following you on Twitter." I admit it was a bit disconcerting. Actually, I freaked out temporarily when I realized I was one of only 3 people being followed. I ran into "Ledyard Police" a few nights later. I'm a member of the Ledyard Town Council and we were discussing the police budget. (Honestly, I don't make this stuff up.) As it turns out "Ledyard Police" was following me for all the right reasons. It seems that police departments in the area are considering Twitter as another resource to notify residents in case of emergencies.

I joined Twitter in 2007. Back then it was intimate, like the bar where everyone knew your name. Since then Twitter has exploded. When someone follows me, I usually oblige and follow back. As a result, it is often hard to find the good stuff among the noise of people I don't really know. Fortunately, applications like Tweetdeck allow me to create groups and weed out those that don't contribute to my Twitter objectives.

Like "Ledyard Police", each user has his own reason for following and being followed on Twitter. I was attracted to Twitter because of the 140 character limit. I seldom read blog posts beyond a few paragraphs. I don't need the War and Peace version of an opinion on short sales. I'm an Aries and those born under that sign are described as "Lose interest quickly - easily bored." Yep, that describes me.

Whether I'm speaking as a Town Councilor, writing a blog post or debating politics, I've always been a woman of few words, many of them an attempt to be witty. "Brevity is the soul of wit" is my mantra. I doubt I could ever write a book. I'm sure I would bore myself before the final chapter.

I don't have any expectations from Twitter as far as putting commission dollars in my pocket. For me Twitter is more of a resource for making industry connections, following breaking news and events, and picking up tips on the latest and greatest technology. I'd give it a "5 thumbs up" for meeting those expectations.