From ABCNews.com...

Don't discount the power of people who follow stars on Twitter.

A woman who used the micro-blogging network to announce her plans to commit suicide by tweeting actress Demi Moore was later found by authorities and taken in for evaluation after followers of the actress reported the incident to police, who said this is an unprecedented use of the network.

I tend to post a lot of negative Twitter items.  Not because I dislike the service but because people make it out to be something more than it is and I feel the need to correct that.  But it does have positive aspects, none more positive than this. 

The reality is this:  Most suicides are a cry for help.

The problem comes when no one is around to hear the cry.  People attempt suicide with at least a sub-conscious expectation of being saved and then no one discovers them in time and they actually end up dying.

In this aspect Twitter serves a very valid purpose.  It allows people to "cry for help" in a public forum where someone is bound to see it.  That's a really great thing.

So while I don't use Twitter personally and will seem to attack Twitter on occasion I'd never want anyone to think I hate it or want to see it go away.  It does serve some purposes, It does bring joy to many and it even has some profound unintended benefits. 

Heck, saving lives is the only thing that might make it worth the crazy valuation people are giving it.