What is Twitter?

Micro-Blogging with Twitter

Twitter is a new form of social networking which is sometimes referred to as micro-blogging. As you noticed, Twitter users can make short posts about what is going on right that minute in their lives. People tend to post what they're working on, comment about a TV show they're watching, what they are cooking for dinner, complain about being stuck in traffic, and all sorts of other innane topics. As people send in comments via the web, email, mobile phone text messages, or instant messaging, they are posted to the Twitter website, and also
broadcast to all the poster's friends.

When you create a free Twitter account, you can post a comment (a "tweet") about what you're doing, then search for friends who are using Twitter, in order to have convenient access to their tweets. You can view all of a user's comments by checking their Twitter page, or via an RSS feed. But for real-time Twitter updates, you can subscribe to get updates via text messages or your instant messenger client.

The system has specific text codes for the UK, Canada and the USA, and although Twitter is free, regular fees for inbound and outbound texting from your cell phone will apply. There's also a Windows desktop application called Twitteroo for posting without the need to fire up your web browser, IM client or email program.

Twittering seems to be very popular with the TXT and IM crowd, as it is a way to stay connected with friends and what they are doing every moment of the day. Cell phone users can get updates when they subscribe to certain people's feeds, getting instant information on what their friends are doing. Twitter even sends reminders if you've gone a while without reporting what's going on.

Interesting? Sure. Useful? That's arguable. How many times a day would you be interested in being interrupted by the news of what six friends had for lunch, how they dislike the guy in the next office, or what they're watching on TV? The usefulness factor of Twitter is still being assessed, and must be weighed against the information overload component.

I can see how this might be attractive for people who want some form of a personal blog, without any setup hassle, or even the need for a computer when posting updates. And maybe some people think of it as a personal journal or diary. Others are using it as a way to game the search engines, by posting URLs in their tweets, thus creating inbound links.

Twitter Add-Ons and Spin-Offs

• Twitterrific - This is an application designed for Mac users that sits on the desktop, ready to take your message to the Twitter community, so you don't have to go to the site or log in. It acts a lot like Twitteroo, though obviously limited to Mac users.
• TwitterVision - A map with little popups showing when someone posts to Twitter. You'll see geographically where these people are located. It's interesting to see what random people all over the world are thinking at any given moment.
• TwitterMap - This is an assistant that will help you find out where a Twitter buddy is located on a map. You can search for a Twitter screen name, zoom in on a certain place in the world. TwitterMap is a good example of a Web 2.0 mashup, combining data from Twitter with the Google Maps interface.
• TwitterSearch - A bit like TwitterMap and actually made by the same people. Another mash up but this time it allows you to search for Twitterers using a keyword term. For example, if you want to find other Harry Potter fans, you would type in Harry Potter and it would find people who posted about Harry Potter recently.

Twitter could be the next Big Thing, or it could fade away in a month when some other butterfly flutters by. These micro-blogging services are competing for attention and users with other social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. And there's also Jaiku and Pownce, which are similar services that may end up eclipsing Twitter, or growing alongside it. Anyone want to make a prediction? Post your thoughts about Twitter and/or micro-blogging below.