New York Times executive editor Bill Keller likes things stirred-up, as his recent public spats with The Huffington Post and Fox News demonstrated. This afternoon he took the fight to Twitter, posting a message to his seldom used (just 19 tweets since May 5, 2009) @nytkeller account.

The responses from the Twitter peanut gallery were predictably mixed. Reason magazine associate editor Mike Riggs dreaded the media navel-gazing the comments would produce

Huffington Post media reporter Michael Calderone couldn't wait to see how Times media reporter and influential tweeter Brian Stelter covered the comments

Social media evangelist Jeff Jarvis used the occasion to make a favorite point that The New York Times is no longer capable of steering the national discussion.

Times media columnist and Twitter power user David Carr tried to assure his boss that the tweeps were alright.

The New York Observer's Foster Kamer wondered how Keller's comments would play with his tweet-happy wife Emma, who has posted 1767 of the 140 character messages since joining in February 2009.

As for Emma Keller, she was just happy her husband used the service.

Our two cents? Bill Keller has finally discovered what journalists around the world have learned: Twitter is a great source of ideas to borrow. We expect to read a "Is Twitter Making Us Stupid?" column in the New York Times Magazine any week now. 

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Ray Gustini