Why Peter Maer Joined Twitter

Call me "Peter the Tweeter." After some initial resistance, I've joined the world of Twitter.

When first approached to "tweet" last year, I was concerned it would interfere with my main duties -- reporting on the White House for CBS News/Radio and posting frequent reports on CBSNews.com. I also questioned the value of devoting time to communicating with a relatively few Twitter "followers" compared to the millions of people who listen to CBS Radio hourly newscasts on our hundreds of affiliates nationwide.

What changed my mind? Recent conversations with broadcast journalism students in Professor (and former CBS News/Radio manager) Michael Freedman's George Washington University class reminded me that the college and "20-something" demographic relies on much more than radio, TV and even standard websites for their news. Chats with young White House staffers have conveyed the same message. Frankly, and it is difficult for a veteran radio reporter to admit, some of my younger friends are not even aware of network radio news.

Twitter is another platform to deliver news and hopefully hook some new listeners. I've also been inspired by my friend and CBS News colleague Mark Knoller's prolific use of Twitter.

Writing 140-character bursts is a fun challenge but radio journalists are accustomed short-form writing. I'll also use Twitter to shamelessly promote CBS Radio coverage of breaking stories along with mentioning my postings on CBSNews.com's Political Hotsheet. So follow me on Twitter @petermaercbs.

You can read more of Peter Maer's posts in Hotsheet here.