I query the multitudes. Last week, I was writing a script for a TV segment, and needed a great example of "an arty movie that a teenage baby sitter wouldn't be caught dead watching." My followers instantly shot back a huge assortment of hilarious responses. ("Gandhi." "My Dinner with André." "The Red Balloon.")
How useful can communication limited to 140 characters be for serious journalism? It turns out that the short messages you find on Twitter have proven wildly useful for some writers penning larger pieces.