If you hang out on the ‘net at all, you’ve probably heard of this weird little website (well, maybe not so little- it’s got over one hundred seventy-five million users at the time of writing this) called Twitter, represented by a tiny bluebird. You’re not quite sure what to make of it. What’s it about? Why do people use it? And should you?

The answer to the last question is yes.

What Is Twitter?

Some of you might have been living under a rock for the past couple years, and might not have heard of Twitter.

Twitter embodies a new social media trend known as “microblogging.” Of course, that in and of itself doesn’t really explain a whole lot to you, does it? Microblogging’s easy to understand, though. Basically, it’s exactly what it sounds like. As with blogging, you’re sharing thoughts, links, opinions, or feelings…except condensed down like mad. The character limit for Twitter is only 140 characters.

Essentially, it’s the Facebook status update, except on its own website. And ‘tweets’ as they are called, are generally public.  Basically, it’s a means of sharing what’s on your mind in real time with everyone else in the world. It’s caught on like wildfire and has millions upon millions of users – no one’s quite clear on the numbers, but it’s big.

Now, for those of you for whom the service hasn’t caught on, the idea might sound a little stupid, right?  After all, why would anyone use a service like this? Why should anyone use a service like this?

You’d be surprised.

The Purpose Of Twitter

Microblogging is pretty much one of the most ‘in’ things in social networking right now. For some reason, everyone and his uncle has something to share with the world, and not always something worthwhile. Whether it’s a picture of a kitty shared for the purpose of laughs, or a play-by-play of what they’re eating for dinner, someone’s always got something to say. Everyone seems to have something to say on Twitter, and so more and more people are flocking to the website. Human beings it seems, are very public, social creatures when given the tools. A lot – and I mean a lot of people are flocking to the service.

And the thing is, the right people have noticed.

Bloggers (myself included) use Twitter to ply their craft. Most weblogs have a twitter feed designed for shameless self-promotion (if you haven’t already, you should follow PCmech). And, most importantly, pretty much every big name in technology and politics has their own twitter feed.

You’re starting to see why Twitter’s important now, aren’t you?

Who Should Use It?

Would you believe me if I simply responded with “everyone”? Want to keep up with the latest in celebrity gossip? If your celeb of choice doesn’t have a feed, you can bet good money that there’ll be blogs talking about them. Want to know what’s what in the tech industry? Do a search. Follow the big names. That goes triple for you if you’re a blogger of any kind. I honestly can’t count the number of viable stories and breaking news I’ve been made aware of simply by watching my feed. Plus, there’s always cool links to see and cool news to hear about if you know the right folks to follow.

Oh, you can use it for job hunting, too. A lot of businesses and recruiters will post their listings to their twitter feed before going to any job boards.

Of course, there’s something there for those of you who simply aren’t interested in gathering information or job hunting, as well. While many may disagree, I’m throwing in my lot with those who say that social media is the future of advertising. Got a blog? Make a twitter account to promote it. Learn to use hashtags. Be active in the community.

If you post interesting, appealing content, and interact with people the followers will come and you’ll realize that there are few greater tools for shameless self promotions.

So, yeah. Use Twitter. You don’t know what you’re missing.

Want A Twitter Manual?

The owner of PCMech wrote a short (and free) little report you can download: Free Twitter Manual.

Image Credits: Scotclans, Nirmal.com

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