Twitter Trouble

As I've said in the past, it can be a great thing for lawmakers to take to blogs and Twitter in their own personal, informal voices. But there's a peril in Twitter: if you use an allusion and don't explain it in your 140-character allotment, as Sen. Chuck Grassley did this weekend, you can end up sounding both unclear and petulant in that small space, and having to clarify yourself. The same rule should apply to Twitter and all other new media: go ahead and use it, but be absolutely sure you're comfortable with the format, and understand both its risks and rewards.