As I recently told Renee, what Twitter’s done for me–yes, beyond all the espresso machines people keep trying to give me–is force me to tighten up my writing. I wondered if Twitter’s limit of 140 characters helps me keep my two-sentence missives under control, how could I benefit from a limit of 140 words?

Renee excitedly jumped to her feet, her mai tai spilling across the other occupants of the sunny patio. This was the best idea she had ever heard. I assured her I had even better ones, but she was having none of that, waving her goodbyes as she rushed off to write her own 140-word post.

So what does a limit of 140 words do? Evidently, it makes blog posts really short.