What's the buzz? Tell me what's a-happening

To avoid writing my business plan, I've signed up to Twitter. It's certainly an effective distraction. Is it Superman who hears all the voices in the world clamouring for his attention? Or, perhaps a more Ju-like analogy is from the safe haven of 1970s musical theatre - that temple scene in "Jesus Christ Superstar" where the heaving, rotting masses crawl over Lord J until he breaks off from his multi-register falsetto to shout ungrammatically: "There's too many of you...Don't push me. There's too little of me...Don't crowd me." Not that I'm comparing myself to Lord J (my initials are almost the same but I could never get the beard right), but Twitter makes you feel as if the whole world is having a party on your computer screen.

It's my fault, I suppose - in a frenzy of enthusiasm at the novelty of it all, I seem to be following 45 different people (are they "people" on Twitter? Accounts? Voices? Twits?), only a few of whom I'd actually heard of before this morning. And 3 people were following me before I'd even (brace yourself for the jargon) tweeted. They're obviously fans of Bayberry Moonrise [insert winking emoticon in the spirit of social networking memes].

Look what it's gone and made me done! I've used the words "Tweeted", "emoticon" and "memes" in the space of two lines. I am being sucked in! I'm simultaeously checking my Facebook updates and my LinkedIn connections. And my new WordFire Communications email account. And Gmail for personal messages. And Hotmail for diverting e-newsletters. Oh yeah, and writing this blog post

And yet... and yet... it's fascinating. And liberating. And really rather wonderful. There are millions of people all over the world with something to say and a platform to say it. I read an article recently by a curmudgeonly editor (in SfEP Editing Matters, where else?) who scorned the use of social media and its tedious, self-obsessed fixation on our own tedious, self-obsessed lives. But the reality is that other people are interested in our tedious, self-obsessed lives, especially if those lives are a little like our own - or not like our own at all. I think it's a glorious thing that we can learn from each other, learn with each other, build relationships, do business, laugh and share and affirm our humanity as social beings.

Already I have found a blog, via Twitter, which was of such immediate appeal that I've added it to my blog roll. Norfolk Kitchen has lovely photos and tells of "foraging, growing and cooking fresh, local, seasonal food" fairly near to where I live. It's the sort of lifestyle many people aspire to but few have the courage to get out there and actually do it.

Mr B and I are sitting side by side on the sofa with our his 'n' hers matching laptops. It is nearly half past ten in the evening of Mr B's birthday. Here's a novel idea - let's power down and do what they used to do in the olden days: have a chat.