When I signed up for a Twitter account I couldn't, to be honest, envision how it might make me a better reporter but I had faith that, like a lot of other online tools I've used since I downloaded Netscape's Mosaic in 1994, its value as tool to help me improve the quality, efficiency, or scope of my newsgathering. Unlike Facebook, where I'm approaching 1,000 friends (many personal but most professional), I thought I'd restrict my Twitter "Follows" to key or frequently used sources -- political operators like Jack Layton or Gilles Duceppe or folks with expertise, like Michael Geist or Jim Carroll, that I've called upon many times over the years to help with my stories.

... is Jack Layton. So says the new radio spots the New Democratic Party plans to begin airing today. One spot argues that everyday families were "counting on Michael Ignatieff" to stand up to Stephen Harper but "he failed" in his first test as Liberal Leader. Now, "Jack Layton's the only leader strong enough to stand up to Harper and get us through this economic crisis," a female announcer says.