This story will not surprise those of you who are active on Twitter. If you think it’s a stupid waste of time, read on.

Someone’s life was saved last night because of Twitter.

A person I follow tweeted earlier today:

Tweet 1: Helped saved man’s life last night, was suicidal. Got him 2 give me his phone no. Called him, kept him online while using cell 2 call police.

Tweet 2: Police traced the call. Was on phone when they took him to hospital. Really was a sad experience. How does one fall into such deep despair?

Tweet 3: By the way it was all because of Twitter!

Twitter is a hard thing to explain to those who don’t get it. It’s hard to understand why people I’ve never met care about what I had for lunch. But the truth is, it’s more than that.

People I’ve never met in person ask about my injured ankle, pray for me when I have my yearly mammogram and give me suggestions on wines I might like. I often get restaurant recommendations, technical advice and creative ideas from my Twitter friends.

So, if you don’t tweet, try it. Just for one month. You never know — you could save a life. I dare you.