By Colin A. J. Murphy

You’ve heard of it, you sort of know what it is, you see it referenced on TV, and your kids use it. But what is Twitter? And how can it be useful to you?

Simply put, Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. You choose what you follow: it can be people, organizations, sports, politics, news, celebrities, businesses, friends, anything.

At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called “tweets.” Tweets allow you to share/receive text, images, and links to articles you find interesting.

You don’t have to build a website to use the Internet, and you don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter. Whether you tweet 100 times a day or never, you still have access to the voices and information surrounding what interests you. You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve up-to-the-second information. Many people never tweet, they simply use Twitter as a way to get the latest information on their interests.

By following us on Twitter @SPVoice and @SPVoiceSports using your smartphone, iPad, and/or personal computer, you can receive local news, features, sports updates, photos, and more on a regular basis, between print issues.

I’m interested. How do I begin?

Creating a Twitter account is as simple as entering an email address and creating a password. Here is a simple, three-step process you can follow to create a Twitter account and begin enjoying Twitter.

1. Visit Twitter. Click “Sign up for Twitter.” Enter your name, email address, a password and a username. Your username is how you will appear to people on Twitter. It can be creative (like “LaxChick74”), or just your name. A confirmation email will be sent to you. Click the link in the confirmation email. You are now signed into your Twitter account!

2. Find the sources that interest you. In the search box at the top of the screen, you can enter anything that interests you: Baltimore Ravens, CNN, Food Network, Severna Park Voice, Lady Gaga, whatever you want. Click “follow,” and you’ll receive tweets from those sources.

3. You can check your Twitter account as often as you like: once an hour, once a day, once a week, or once a month. Anytime you check, you will have access to information from your favorite sources.

The goal of our Twitter account, @SPVoice, is to provide rich, unique, local content just as we do in our print issue. In addition, our Twitter account provides news on a real-time basis, such as traffic updates, school and local government announcements, and any and all information of local interest.

The goal of our sports Twitter account, @SPVoiceSports, is to provide ongoing coverage between our print issues of high school sports in the Severna Park Area, including Severna Park High School, Broadneck High School, and Severn School. If you follow us @SPVoiceSports, you will receive scores, news, links to articles, and photographs of local sports teams. Visit our rich library of high school sports photos, receive articles about recent games, get real-time updates during the most important games, and stay current on your favorite teams.

Questions? Comments? Contact our Sports Editor and Twitter crackerjack, Colin Murphy, via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .