I gave up on major news outlets a long time ago. I haven’t had cable in years. I am not a neanderthal.

I don’t need news from traditional sources. I heard that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, about the tragedy at Sandy Hook, and that Ohio University beat Michigan in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament in 2012–all from Twitter.

I think most people give up on Twitter or dismiss it all together because they think it’s best used to find out when your friends have to take a leak or to tweet pictures of omelets. I think if you use Twitter as an information gathering tool as I suggest below you’ll find it will quickly become your favorite news and resource tool.

1. Don’t follow your “friends”. They’re the reason you hate Facebook. “Friends” online are not your friends in real life. They are acquaintances you’ve met once who post pictures of kissy faces in the mirror and complain about how school/work/their life sucks. Remember, Twitter isn’t reciprocal like Facebook is. Just because someone follows you doesn’t mean you should follow them. In fact, don’t. Continue reading →