Twitterteachers

Eight months and 2537 updates later, I honestly have no idea how I lived without Twitter. I've lost count of the number of adventures I've had because of it, or how many spontaneous lunches, or parties or – let's not be coy here – hook-ups have resulted from a simple 140-character message (that's 140 characters not 160, Nick). I know friends who have been offered jobs through Twitter, I've flown to other continents to attend events purely on the strength of Twitter chatter surrounding them, and I can't remember the last time I Twittered a difficult question that wasn't answered in minutes, often by someone half a world away.

Suddenly these were not just nameless faces on the news, but people who hours earlier had been Twittering about their pets or how they were eating a sandwich, but who now feared for their lives. You can't read that stuff and not realise that, as humans, we're all in this together. And that's where Twitter, unlike Facebook, has the potential to change the world. You don't have to be my 'friend' or my 'contact'. If you're on Twitter, we're connected. You can follow my updates, and I can follow yours. If you want to say something to me personally, just begin your update with @paulcarr and I'll hear you. On Twitter, everyone is equal.

Don't be afraid to change subjects if your interests change. You may end up with smaller numbers, but you will end up talking with people who share your passions and focus.

The easier it is to connect with others, the more often we'll have to decide with whom to connect