Do you tweet? Or even twit?

The Charlotte Observer tweets. The AP tweets, and so does Time Magazine, in the person of anamariecox, whom some of you will remember as the founding Wonkette. A number of McClatchy folks do, too. Including me, albeit erratically.

If you haven't discovered Twitter, it's worth a test drive. I haven't found it satisfying as a means of personal expression, but there seems to me to be real potential for delivering news in these 140-word tweets.

Posts are limited to that length, and can be delivered via web, mobile device or SMS. You choose who (or what) to "follow" and then whatever they post (or tweet, I guess) shows up automatically. I followed the Charlotte Observer for a while, and was impressed by the frequency and volume of news snips they delivered. (Each tweet can include a tinyurl link back to a fuller web story). I had to stop following after a while because I just didn't need to know that much about the Bobcats, or the Greene trial, or whatever).

Hearing small personal updates from friends can be fun, though. And used properly, the form is entertaining, too. Ana Marie Cox is following the presential candidates for Time. Here's a recent post from the trail:

Miami, FL: McCain "nat'l security roundtable" largely consisted of old white men telling each other how awesome they are.