Twitter is an online service that enables you to broadcast short messages to your friends or “followers.” It also lets you specify which Twitter users you want to follow so you can read their messages in one place.
Twitter is designed to work on a mobile phone as well as on a computer. All Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters, so each message can be sent as a single SMS alert. You can’t say much in 140 characters. That’s part of Twitter’s charm.
This is like blogging. But the real challenge is the 140 characters limit per post. You need to be “short and sweet” and still engaging enough for folks to want to follow along. Of course for me this will be a real challenge. Since I already have a hard time writing to my blog in a consistent manner.
Keeping up with my “Tweets” (short name for twitter posts). Will be easier for me at least at work. I have just found a add-on for Firefox called “Post to Twitter”. With this easy add-on all you have to do is a quick install to Firefox. Make sure your logged into Twitter then you type text into the drop down Search Engine box.
A hugely popular mashup use of this is TwitterVision, which is a Twitter and Google Map integration where you can view Twitter posts popping out all over the world in bubbles form. It is incredible mesmerizing!
As you can see below talk of Twitter is really on the rise in recent months out there in the Blogosphere. At first folks were calling it a passing fad. As we can see by all the folks who are using it and following it that it may be more popular than all that. I know that what I may post to it day to day may not be all that interesting. Though I will try. Popular Webizens like Leo Laporte and Robert Scoble certainly have a large following.
Lifehacker looks at 5 Ways to Use Twitter for Good. Their list includes:
1. Quick Human Answers
2. Conference / News Briefings
3. Friendsourcing
4. Micro-Attention-Sharing
5. Direct People to Good Causes
Sources of additional info on Twitter:
* Twitter.com
* Newbie’s Guide to Twitter
* TwitterVision
* Twitterholic
* Twitter Fan Wiki – anything to do with Twitter (sites, widgets, etc.) – a must for Twitter fans!
* Musings on Twitter – a blogger categorizes Twitter users and more
* Why I Hate Twitter – something to think about if, like me, you are not too keen on posting updates’ “noise”
* The Asymptotic Twitter Curve – more analysis of the Twitter effect
