I know that the words one posts on the social networking and microblogging site Twitter are called "tweets," but I've never been able to get a definitive answer about the correct term for the act of posting those words.
Having once used the verb form "tweet" in conversation with a person younger than 30 and gotten a what-are-you-talking-about look in return, I've been using "twitter."
And I'm thinking that's the correct form. It fits with the image of the cute bird that graces the Twitter logo, and it also conjures up a Victorian maiden "trembling with agitation" (Webster's third definition for the verb twitter). I picture her unable to sit still, just waiting for the next words someone commits to the ether.
And I'm hoping that some of you feel that way about the next words 番茄社区 commits to the ether. We've been posting on Twitter -- at -- since the end of January and we've been refining and expanding our commitment to the medium ever since.
We started out simply posting the titles of articles and links to them. Then Dr. Val Jones, a renowned medical blogger -- at -- an avid Twitterer herself, and a very good friend of 番茄社区 agreed to twitter for us.
So for the last couple months, Dr. Val has been choosing three or four of what she considers the most interesting articles each day and providing more of a summary than you'd get from just seeing the headline.
Our Washington correspondent, Emily Walker, has also been twittering regularly from FDA and Congressional hearings, providing a real-time look at what's going on. Emily also covered -- and twittered from -- the AMA annual meeting in Chicago.
And now we've moved our real-time coverage via Twitter to the clinical meeting scene. Staff writer Kristina Fiore is twittering for us from Barcelona at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. And we've set up a separate page -- at -- just for that meeting.
We'll still be bringing you the full-length articles, interviews, and video reports you expect from 番茄社区 meeting coverage, but those take time to write, produce, and edit. Kristina's twittering will provide a more immediate take on what's going on.
You can catch the news fast on Twitter and catch up on the deeper story through our regular coverage a few hours later.
The meeting doesn't officially start until Sunday, but Kristina's already on the ground and twittering.
We invite you to follow her on the and follow our regular coverage on our .