I've been converted to the Tweety thing too

Watching TV late at night, I usually opt for ABC's Lateline with Tony Jones.  Sometimes I'm too tired for Tony and instead watch The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Craig Ferguson

Watching this week, I noted that, as he often does, the Scottish-American comedian joked with one of his guests about being on "the Tweety thing."

A baby boomer, Ferguson often refers to Twitter as "the Tweety thing" in a self-deprecating manner, as if to suggest he's an old bloke who finds these new social media gizmos that the kids use a little difficult to grasp.

But the fact is, when I checked out his Twitter feed, @CraigyFerg has an impressive 850,574 followers.  Ferguson himself follows 75 people on Twitter and has tweeted 725 times since he joined Twitter in February 2010.

Struggling just to keep pace with Facebook, I avoided the Tweety thing until my Online Journalism course at QUT required me to join.  I have to say, like Craig Ferguson, while I'm still a little sheepish about being on Twitter, I'm really beginning to enjoy the experience.

In place of SMS messaging, I've started communicating with friends via Twitter and I receive news feeds from my chosen sources with just enough information to determine whether or not I would like to read on.

By following only those people and organisations I find interesting, I generally receive only information that is of interest to me.

With all due respect to my friends on Facebook, the information feeds aren't always that interesting or relevant.

And while Facebook is good for keeping in touch with friends, particularly those who live far away, I think Twitter can offer the same service in a more meaningful and deliberate way.

Yep, like Craig, I've been converted to the Tweety thing too.