Chapter 1: The Birth of a Social Media Giant

Fifteen years ago, when Twitter made its debut with co-founder Jack Dorsey's now-famous tweet, "just setting up my twttr," I was completely oblivious to its existence. Launched in 2006 and later showcased at SXSW in 2007, I only began to take notice as it gained traction in mainstream media, including my own publication, PC Magazine, where I served as Editor-in-Chief. I joined Twitter on March 19, 2007, shortly after its first anniversary, but embarrassingly, I managed just nine tweets throughout that entire year—most were mundane updates about my meals. If monotony were a crime, I would have received a life sentence.

For the first few months of 2008, I didn't tweet at all. I either felt overwhelmed or struggled to figure out how to leverage the platform for my personal brand, which was not yet a concept at that time. However, a pivotal moment occurred on April 25, 2008, when I tweeted about a life-saving event and, for the first time, included a link.

While many recall the iconic image of a jetliner on the Hudson River, a lesser-known but significant tweet occurred when James Karl Buck tweeted "Arrested" just before being detained in Egypt during protests. This tweet served as a digital SOS to his followers, which may have played a role in his eventual release and was dubbed "Tweet of the Year" by some.

This incident shifted my perspective on Twitter, prompting me to explore its potential. By the end of April 2008, I was actively tweeting about my articles, discussing tech issues, and connecting with other Twitter personalities, including tech expert Veronica Belmont and former PCMag columnist John C. Dvorak. My tweets ranged from personal insights to discussions about government stimulus checks, referencing the financial crisis of that era.

By May 2008, my tweeting frequency had dramatically increased, and I had around 180 followers, even though my account didn't display my full name. I often engaged in various topics, from my favorite baseball team, the Mets, to live-tweeting American Idol episodes. It was on my 44th birthday that I changed my handle, which helped me attract more followers.

In those early days, Twitter was still a shaky platform, grappling with rapid growth that often led to server crashes. Many users relied on SMS texting to tweet, which, for me, became overwhelming as my follower count increased. Twitter didn't release its official iPhone app until 2010, but that didn't hinder its growth or my engagement with it.

As Twitter became an integral part of my daily routine, I began tweeting simple greetings like "Morning" to my followers. In just nine months, I transformed from a sporadic user to someone who relied on Twitter for daily engagement. However, this also led to less-than-ideal habits, such as tweeting during family activities or while driving.

Throughout that year, Twitter evolved into a bustling conversation hub, often serving as a space for people to vent their frustrations. Notable moments, such as Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's public Twitter fallout in 2009, highlighted the platform's growing significance. Many of Twitter's popular features we know today, like the retweet button, were still nonexistent, requiring users to manually annotate their retweets.

Despite Twitter's increasing popularity, it still felt somewhat niche, with many outside the tech and media circles remaining unaware of its existence. This changed dramatically on January 15, 2009, with the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident, which showcased the platform's potential to disseminate news in real-time and popularized the use of hashtags for organizing stories.

By this point, my initial skepticism had dissipated, and Twitter became a cornerstone of my daily routine. The initial flicker of interest I had in 2007 had transformed into a blazing passion—one that shows no signs of extinguishing.

Chapter 2: Embracing Twitter's Role in Modern Communication