I’ve been hooking up with lots of local Twitter-ers lately (pretty much all of them can be found here), one of which was the Twitter account for the Des Moines Register. I unfollowed this account when, after just an hour or so, it became apparent that it is nothing more than an automated bot distributing top stories to the account. I found the concept a boring and trite use of the technology.

I found out yesterday that there’s an actual person behind the account, and he’s there tirelessly attempting to push the Des Moines Register into some semblance of the future of web-based social systems. I was shocked to learn the truth. But that’s not all.

Today I learned that the Des Moines Register has a page on their site with a Twitter widget that shows all of the tweets of its followers. I just had to capture a screenshot (below) of me admitting that the Register is definitely cooler than I had originally considered.

A newspaper. Trying to redefine itself by introducing its readers – and, truly, itself – to the social pipeline. Twittering, digging, Facebooking, etc. – they are all nothing more than channels for messages, and its great to see a member of “old media” get the “new media” and comprehend its value.

So, good for you, Des Moines Register! Keep stumbling into the future/very recent past, and we’ll keep stumbling alongside you.