There are two ways to participate on Twitter: Join the conversation or start it.

Keith Urbahn, chief of staff for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, started perhaps the conversation of the year. On May 1, 2011 at 9:24 p.m. CST, he tweeted the following:

Reportedly, this was the first leak. Urbahn admitted in following tweets that it could have been misinformation or just a rumor, but to the delight of America and many nations around the world, it was true.

He is not a journalist. He just happened to come upon some information and shared it. If the information is good enough, it can spread like wildfire no matter who you are.

We’ve reached a period where this is lacking in the sports realm.

Some people have yet to realize the power they possess. You don’t have to be a journalist to break news about athletics. Be the one who starts the conversation.

Just think about the leads you could provide if you immediately post about a brawl you saw between athletes. If you catch a coach or player in the midst of a heroic act, that needs to be shared because society needs those stories, too. And please, leave out the petty gossip and foundationless rumors. No one benefits from that.

The “#kubball” hashtag is the biggest Jayhawk sports cesspool on Twitter. Filter out all the journalists and spam, and the remainder consists of “rah-rah, Rock Chalk” or some clever quips, which are appreciated. But there isn’t a substantial topic worth talking about.

Some of you should be able to see these athletes on campus or around Lawrence. Think about it. Onlookers have the power to shape how these figures are viewed and discussed.

Give us some meat.

Good tweet examples:

“Overheard (athlete) say he is going pro to his teammates. (#hashtag)”

“I saw (athlete) work out today not once, not twice, but thrice. (#hashtag)”

Bad example:

“(Athlete) just sat on some gum!!! Lol”

This whole social networking age is like having eyes open at all times, but how much do you really see when consulting these sites? For the recent national events, we see it all from every angle. Even the average person is contributing, reflecting and responding while putting these events into perspective.

But whether it is local sports or even the ones on a national scale, it looks a little blurry right now.

— Edited by Caroline Bledowski