It’s finally time to join Twitter.

When Washington, D.C., librarian and book reviewer Phil Shapiro began to follow Southern California elementary school superintendent John Puglisi on the social media site Twitter, he never dreamed Puglisi would fly him across the country to teach at a professional development conference.

“I tweet about my musical interests, and he saw that we’re both educators, both progressive, and both musicians,” Shapiro explains. “I saw that he’s an amazing person. He brings his guitar to work and asks students to compose songs with him on matters that are important to their lives. I wouldn’t have met him if it weren’t for Twitter.”

Shapiro uses the site to find people who strike him as both wise and humble, and then he follows them. “They illuminate the path for me,” he says. “I want to do what they do.” One of the people he follows is Tim O’Reilly, co-author of , which explores the ways media organizations and individuals can use