A little less than an hour ago, I received a phone call from my 17-year-old son who is attending a month-long program at the University of Southern California. “There was just an earthquake” he said. “I’m okay,” he said. “It was legit.” I’m not sure exactly what the legit part was referencing. My mind was pausing on the “Okay” part. “Call Mom,” he said, “I gotta go.”

(If you have a 17-year-old son, you’ll recognize that phone call. “Hello, I’m alive, everything’s okay, gotta go.” It’s the same call he makes to us each night whenever he’s away from home. Earthquake or ordinary day, it works the same way.)

I would typically immediately tune into CNN when news like that breaks, but today I figured that Twitter would be the best place to monitor the breaking story — from the scene. MG Siegler explains what I mean in this post about how Twitter search (formerly, Summize) allows you to track people who are ‘tweeting’ about the earthquake.

For me, however, this is a case where it’s great to be following lots of specific people on Twitter, not just a key word — people I know (via Twitter) who live in LA and who thought first to let those who follow them via Twitter know their status.

It’s situations like this that help make Twitter easier and easier to explain.

Pardon me while I place two historic firsts in the record.

Early this morning, my wife starts off a conversation with, “I disagree with something you wrote on your blog.”

“When did you start doing that?” I respond.

“Disagreeing with you?”

“No, reading my blog?”

Second, today Gawker placed the phrase “Media and Marketing Guru” in front of my name. (Note to self: Add a side-bar blurb: “A Media & Marketing Guru,” says Gawker.)

You don’t need me to tell you that Seth Godin is a brilliant marketer. He sees marketing lessons in all of life’s journey. And because his lessons about marketing are shared with parable-like simplicity, even people like me can understand them — and be inspired.

Today, he’s having a little fun demonstrating how people will join “tribes” they think are exclusive. If you pre-order his new book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (due out October 21), you can “join Seth’s new tribe.” But hurry, because, “Membership is numbered, with low numbers getting prestige, first dibs on various assets and bragging rights.”

Wait, I’ve heard of this network before: It’s Melin Mann’s award-winning startup concept, “FlockdUP” — the maverick network for thought-leaders.

Okay, Seth. I’ll play along. Since I would purchase your book anyway, I’m also signing up for your maverick network for marketing thought-leaders — the receipt for my pre-order is in the e-mail.