Follow me @Paulflevy

When you have an addictive personality (any doubts, check my blogging record here), you have to be careful what you start.

I figured, though, that I could trust Scott Hensley, one of the guys who runs the Wall Street Journal Health Blog. He strongly suggested that I sign up for Twitter, noting that their blog appears there.

Oh, it was all too easy to slip into this. After all, I already had a Facebook account and was used to the idea of that kind of social media interaction.

Sure enough, after just two days of updates (42), attracting followers (60), following others (35), Hensley writes: "You're on fire! Good stuff."

But it was too late that I learned. As noted in an early update to me, Bob Coffield, who writes the Health Care Law blog, "Facebook was the gateway drug that led me to the crack that is twitter."

And, then to add insult to injury, Dr. Val, author of Getting Better with Dr. Val, reminded me that I had said, on a blog radio interview with Dr. Anonymous last April, that I would never sign up for Twitter.

And, since this "dialogue" is splayed out for all to see, Ramona Bates, author of Suture for A Living, wisely commented, "Things change. Times change. Circumstances change. Best to never say never."

Dr. A himself replied, "I admit I didn't get twitter at first as well. But, things change. We're glad you're here!"

Of course, he's glad I'm there. Addicts crave company of like-"minded" people.

So, now, like any self-respecting addict, I want my friends to join me, too.

Start here and follow the all-too-easy instructions. As an extra incentive, this blog is now automatically fed to Twitter.

Warning. One friend writes plaintively on her first update: "Trying to understand Twitter."

To which Yoda offers the eternal advice: "Do, or do not. There is no try."