A journalist's guide to why she's a convert to Twitter

Freelancer writer and editor Kim Pittaway, former editor of Chatelaine, has become a convert to twitter, the microblogging service. (Careful readers will note that Canadian Magazines also has a Twitter account; first, as research on the 'what-the-heck-is-this-all-about?' vein, but I admit I have become a convert, like Pittaway.)

Pittaway has written an article for J-source that sets out some tips, from a journalist's perspective, for what makes Twitter work, and how to get the most out of the experience.

My favourite line refers to the criticism that this is yet another time-waster and a gift to procrastination:

On the subject of time-sucking procrastination: When I first signed on, I used to scroll back to see what I’d missed since I last checked in. Great way to kill time—and go bleary-eyed. Now I treat Twitter more like a river than a pool: I watch what floats by when I’m signed in, and accept that if I miss something, I miss it. There’s plenty of info-fish in the stream, and I’ll catch something interesting later (to push that metaphor to its limits—and beyond).