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I still have dial-up. Let’s just get that out there in the open.

It is slower than molasses. I usually curse — a lot — as I wait for pages to load, and God forbid I want to open another browser. I don’t know why I don’t just get high-speed already, and believe you me, it’s something I think about every single day as I sit at my cluttered desk at home. Especially since I am such a dinosaur that I still have a home phone number because of said dial-up.

In our office, I am surrounded by iPhones and Blackberrys, but even my cell phone is the base model. I can text. I can make calls. Isn’t that what a cell is for? But I admit I do long to be able to scour the Interweb from my phone, especially if I’m waiting at a doctor’s office or something, or don’t want to be chained to my laptop, what with the slow connection and all.

So if you haven’t guessed by now, I am not the most tech-savvy of persons. I don’t really need, nor want, any of the gadgetry most people can’t live without. iPod? Nah. iTunes? Nope.

I can assure you that I will never be on Facebook. I have MySpace, and that’s enough for me, much to the chagrin of most of my friends. I have my own personal blog. That’s about as wired as I need to be.

When the Weekender did a cover story on Twitter (read it here: www.theweekender.com/cover/Tracking_the_Twitter_trend_02-24-2009.html), I scoffed at the idea of another social networking site. Doesn’t it just sound like yet another distraction and yet another pain-in-the-ass-to-update site?

But soon after the article ran, there I was creating an account after watching the tutorial on the site. And here I am, nearly a month later, not sure how I lived without Twitter. I absolutely love it. I love having to be short-winded (you can only Twit in 140 characters or less). I’ve made some great contacts thus far, personally and professionally.

It’s inspired me in my other writings: My personal blog, which I updated less than weekly, has grown, and I love having this new creative outlet. I’m journaling and writing my haiku/tanka poetry more — my creativity has just snowballed, and I am so blown away by that.

Sure, Twitter falls under the category of TMI sometimes, but I think it’s a great outlet for someone like me, and it was the shot in the arm my inspiration needed. If you haven’t checked Twitter out, I highly recommend. See my page at twitter.com/nikkimm33. Follow me if you’d like, I’d love to have you on board.

If not, go Tweet yourself, in 140 characters or less.
 

About the Author

Nikki M. Mascali began her career at the Weekender as an intern in 2005 - and holds the honor of being the oldest intern the paper ever had. She received her degree in journalism from Luzerne County Community College in 2007 and joined the Weekender staff full-time in 2006 as staff writer/designer before becoming associate editor in 2010. In March 2011, she was named editor.

Nikki has interviewed everyone from Gene Simmons to Richard Simmons, and her articles have run the gamut from local and national theater to music and in-depth reports on the radio industry and negativity in NEPA.

Nikki enjoys writing, quoting movies, traveling and being a diehard foodie - which is why she pens our weekly food and drink column, "Dish."

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