Okay so I might have gone a little out on a limb with this, but please hear me out.  Twitter and Facebook and other social media outlets get some flak from time to time for 'destroying the English language.'  Critics claim that in our fast paced society we aren't stopping to check our grammar, and that if things continue this way we will tear a whole in the very fabric of communication, destroying any hope of our little ones interacting with each other in an intelligent way.

But I say it isn't true.  I say Twitter is actually a boon for the English language.  It's a gift we should be cherishing instead of rushing to chastise.  I say embrace the 140 characters.  Champion it as the savior of language, a symbol of all that is right with good writing.  I will even go so far as to say that if you are not using Twitter you may actually be hurting your writing abilities and in turn destroying the English language. (ok, so maybe not destroying the English language, but I thought I'd be controversial)

Who doesn't use Twitter?  These people definitely don't.

Businesspeople seem to think that the more convoluted the language they use the more intelligent they sound.  Here is a prime example of blantant overuse of business-ese (I have left the name out to protect the fairly innocent):

"Every great global brand addresses multiple layers of consciousness yet, in every case, the different layers exist primarily to fortify the foundation message and secondly to provide focus for marketing and operations."

Huh?  I think he was trying to say that a global brand appeals to people in many ways and reinforces a company's core principles and provides focus for the company.  But, that's just my guess.

Politicians even get in on the act:

"The rugged rugged hardy people that live up here and some of the most patriotic people whom you will ever know live here, and one thing that you are known for is your steadfast support of our military community up here and I thank you for that and thank you United States military for protecting the greatest nation on Earth." - Sarah Palin

I admit that this is like shooting fish in a barrel, but it's still worth quoting because this woman was in charge of Alaska and almost became Vice President of the United States.  That's a little scary isn't it? I think what she wanted to say was "There are rugged patriotic people up here that always support our military which protects the greatest nation on Earth."  This quote came from her infamous farewell speech.  I dare you to make sense of the rest of it.

140 characters was enough for them, why isn't it enough for you?

If you look back at some of the great catch phrases of all time, you will find that they all have a lot in common.  They are usually concise, don't require the use of a dictionary to understand, and a majority (not all) are under 140 characters:

"I have a dream." - Martin Luther King

"... the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. " - John F. Kennedy

These phrases were instantly understood.  Nobody had to reach for a dictionary or wait around until the hot air stopped.  People knew exactly what the speakers were saying.

Advertising is also full of examples of short sayings:

"Have it your way." - Burger King (Pretty simple right?  You can ask them to make a burger for you the way you want it.)

"A diamond is forever." - De Beers (If you want your marriage to last forever, the symbol of that marriage better last forever too.)

"Breakfast of Champions." - Wheaties (Well if a champion eats it, then it has to be healthy.)

If it's worth saying, you can say it in 140 characters.  Or you can at least pique someone's interest in it.  Then write a blog post to back it up.

It's all about your audience

You have to write for your audience and the majority of people out there do not want to reach for a dictionary or read a long monotone spiel.  They'll fall asleep long before you've made your point.  I know it's a little sad.  I know you just learned that big new dictionary.com word of the day and would love to show it off to people, but make sure you know your audience before you do.

Twitter has an estimated 24 million or so users.  That's a big audience and it's still growing.  These are people worth talking to and networking with.  The limitations of the system can actually make your writing better and clearer.  I challenge you to try to pack as much as you can into that next Tweet.  It's pretty difficult but with practice it can make you a great teacher and idea spreader.

Do you have some other short concise famous quotes?  I'd like to hear about your favorites.  Or do you have any wordy quotes from your favorite businessperson or politician?  Let me know about it in the comments below.

We are also working on a training kit for Twitter.  If you have a few moments could you fill out a survey on Twitter for us?  Your ideas will help us make a great training kit.  Thanks in advance for the help!