The past is the past; the future is now! </sarcasm>

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard today's blog topic. Just today one of my friends posted this little tidbit that fits along perfectly, even though I disagree with it.

So now that the world is all 1's and 0's; Does the delivery matter? Absolutely!

This may seem a little strange but I'm going to use Twitter as a prime example. Many people see Twitter as the end of "traditional" media. Why read a news paper when you can read it all in 140 characters? It is actually my belief that Twitter has forced media outlets into a new level of story telling. Before, you had the width of an article (headline) and occationally the hook to get your readers attention. Now, you have just 140 characters, minus the length of your URL. The language must be sharp, vivid and straight to the story. If you can't convince the reader in 140 characters, they're not going to bother with the rest. I believe this is the essence of what we're asked to blog about.

The very things that have always been important, still are. The only difference is a change of format. Who wants to read a spreadsheet about the current economic status? Very few. Most of the US would rather have a well researched piece of literature that not only tells us where we are but where we've been and where we could be going. The reader loves a storyteller, therefore the writer must have a love for telling the story. As for clear, vivid language; pictures and video still can't compete with the human imagination, at least not yet.

Ah, respect for history. This is something that I believe we Americans kind of fail at. Many times when I see a tragic or shocking happening, I know that it will all blow over in a few months. Just about 60 days is all it takes for us to do what we do best... forget. I actually believe that TV and social media are giving us a slight push in this direction. Twitter doesn't keep much of a history and neither does Facebook. But this is a place where great storytellers who use language that brings the past back to life, can excel. It is history that defines an object, a date, a website, an event. To lose the history is to allow the object itself to fall into obscurity.