Editor's Note: This one was so good, it even got us!

Twitter has come of age. Beginning next January, individuals in distress will be able to use Twitter to help send their calls for help. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this week that it is adding the microblogging service to the national emergency response network.

Under the plan, individuals in distress will be able to send direct messages to @t911help. Root services at Twitter will direct these messages to first responders.

"Twitter is not just about what you had for lunch anymore," said a FEMA spokesperson. "It's about choking on what you had for lunch and being able to call for help--even when you can no longer speak."

In another Twitter development, Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill intended to ensure the accuracy of the service after constituents complained about misleading messages posted to the site.

"With more politicians using Twitter, and more people relying on it for instant news updates, we wanted to provide incentives for people to use it responsibly," said a spokesperson for Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), co-sponsor of the bill. "We don't need more twits messing with our tweets."

For more on FEMA and Twitter:
- check out this InfoWorld article