Twitter--a blogging service that allows users to post tweets limited to 140 characters--has undoubtedly revolutionized the way people converse both online and in person. The whole premise of using only 140 characters to relay your thoughts and opinions already sets Twitter apart from other interactive blogging sites. On Blackboard, for example, users are able to respond to posts made by others by commenting on the original content. These comments are not limited to any amount of words or characters. On one hand, this allows users to express their opinion thoroughly, possibly referencing outside sources or providing supplementary links. However, those who would not naturally be inclined to write a paragraph or two often see the freedom to write as much as you want as a requirement to write as much as you can. This results in comments that either repeat themselves or are neither relevant to the original post nor to the initial thoughts of the person commenting. Sites like Blackboard are ultimately suited towards people with a lot to say. Such blogs are used for in-depth discussion, where the content creator's purpose is to explore a specific topic, to provide instructions, or to keep an online diary. Twitter is more suited to those people who want to quickly note something that made an impression on them or briefly update their followers on a new occurrence in their lives or in the world around them.
As for in-class discussion, I actually think that the fast-paced back and forth quality of Twitter successfully mimics this type of discussion. In class, the teacher or a student will begin the discussion with a statement or question. Others then reply to what was said, often directing their reply at a specific person. Of course, both tweeting and in-class discussion have their respective advantages. While Twitter allows multiple people to reply to a tweet instantly, in-class discussion allows students to give a more meaningful and thorough response where needed.
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