Don't get me wrong — I loved the *idea* of Twitter, I just didn't think a constant stream of messages such as
12:02 "Reading New Scientist"
12:11 "Still reading New Scientist"
12:45 "In front of computer, reading the Internet"
would be interesting. To me, or to anyone else.
But (and there's always a 'but'), Twitter is perfect for a task that I've been having trouble managing: immediate new-word filing. If I'm at my desk, sure, I can append any new-to-me words I find in my reading to a file. And if I'm out and about, I can make a note on my Treo, or in my Moleskine. But they aren't all in the Same Place, and so consolidation has to happen. (Note: I am not so good — actually, frakkin' terrible — at consolidation, of any sort.)
Twitter lets me post a WOTD (word-of-the-day) from anywhere, and then it is nicely stored ALL IN ONE PLACE. The limit of 140 characters per 'tweet' keeps me from rambling on and on. And it's semi-public (you can follow my messages if you like, I'm emckean on Twitter) which allows for the possibility of feedback.

If you really want a reliable, highly structured WOTD — my Twitter feed is not for you. (What you want is Double-Tongued Dictionary.) But if you just want to ride shotgun while I read, go ahead and add me to your "follow" list.
If *you* want to do the same thing with the words you notice, go ahead and use the tag "wotd:" — Twitter has a 'track' function, so if you prefix your messages with this tag, I'll be able to follow your new words easily. Fun, no? (BTW, Twitter is free.)
I'll try to keep my Twitter feed just for the WOTDs — although a few rollerskating or "seeing-cool-music" tweets might make it through. Just a warning.

Labels: neologism, twitter, wotd