Twitter Ye.....?

The Internet has changed our lives  - some say for the better, some not. The Internet and email undoubtedly makes communication far easier and more instantaneous than it was in days of old. As a boy growing up in Cumbernauld and then Aberdeen forty years ago, if I wanted to communicate with anyone I would have to go round and see them in person, send them a letter or speak to them by telephone. And as we didn't have a telephone until the mid 1970s that was a tad problematic...

Today it's a different ball game. I discovered on Wednesday evening that my eight month old grand-daughter Ava has chicken pox. I didn't get a phone call or a visit from my daughter Laura - I found out by logging on to Facebook. My other daughter Michaela posted a comment wishing her niece a speedy recovery but didn't think to mention anything to me when I saw her earlier that evening. I duly phoned Laura who whose defence was she had no credit on her mobile phone and there was nothing I could do in any case. Fair points, I concede but I still felt uncomfortable that the world wide web knew about my grand-daughter's illness before I did.

Facebook has become something of a phenomenon  - and a highly addictive one at that. I have a Facebook account and look on the site fairly regularly - although I'm making a conscious effort to do this less and less. Some of my 'friends' seem to record everything they do on there. As well as Facebook there is Twitter. I also have a Twitter account -  and of the two social network sites, this is my preferred option. Twitter limits comments to 140 characters so messages are brief and to the point. What I've found fascinating about Twitter is it has become an outlet for famous people to get their views across without them being twisted into something entirely different by the media. I have a few followers on Twitter and I am quite proud to list the likes of Nicola Sturgeon the Scottish National Party Deputy Leader and Scottish Health Secretary, the broadcaster Nicky Campbell and STV's John Mackay and Raman Bhardwaj among them. I've also had the odd 'tweet' from the radio legend that is Tony Blackburn but I won't go into that...

I've embraced Twitter on the basis that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So if anyone fancies joining me you're more than welcome to do so at www.twitter.com/Mike1874

I'm logging off now in order that I can go and do something really old fashioned - I'm going to visit baby Ava and Jack and Hannah in person. Now if I find Jack has a Facebook page I really will despair....