The main use of a semicolon is to separate two complete sentences when the second sentence adds more information to the first. The sentences should have a close relationship, like in the title of this post. If I had written "Semicolons are tricky; my favorite punctuation is the colon" these sentences are not related closely enough to warrant using a semicolon. Thus, the semicolon here is a cop-out, just stuck in between because the writer didn't know what else to do or wanted to show off and did it poorly. Examples of good semicolon usage are as follows:
Amy couldn't wait for the weekend; she desperately needed to chill out after working so hard.
The dinner party was a complete disaster; no one felt well after eating the turducken.
Semicolons use this same pattern when two sentences are combined with words like however, moreover, therefore, consequently, and for example.
The house was close to foreclosure; however, a relative paid off the mortgage at the last minute.
Doctors have sloppy handwriting; consequently, their written prescriptions are hard to decipher.
For another use of the semicolon that is less common, see my post on punctuating long lists.
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