Why you should be using Twitter

Unless you haven’t turned on a computer for the past year, or you simply don’t visit any sites other than AOL, you will no doubt be familiar with Twitter. It’s been the center of all the buzz around the web for a while now and people are throwing out all sorts of terms such as “Micro blogging”. If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about and what Twitter can do for you, keep reading.

The concept is simple: you get a maximum of 140 characters to get your message across. You can post as many messages (called tweets in Twitter lingo) as you want and people can read your tweets and even “follow” you on Twitter so they get all of your tweets conveniently displayed for them. The point is to get the message across in a short and simple manner. Efficient and unobtrusive.

Tweets can be grouped into lists so that you can aggregate messages of a similar nature into groups. Tweets and profiles can be viewed directly on the Twitter website, but you can also use one of any number of applications (installed on your computer or mobile device) to enjoy the Twitter experience.

Here’s an example of a Twitter profile being viewed directly via the website:

Twitter can also be viewed on mobile devices using any number of Twitter mobile applications so you can enjoy the experience while on the move.

So what is the point of all of this? Why should you be using Twitter? The answer is that it can benefit you in several different ways, both as a broadcaster and as a consumer. We live in a digital age. We all need to embrace this, geeks or non geeks. If you want to be “with it” or simply to appear to be “with it”, you NEED to start using Twitter. Recruiters and employers use it on a regular basis to get a read on candidates and employees. Clients and business folk use it to get a good sense of who you are. Even celebrities (Ashton Kutcher is the most popular celebrity on Twitter to date) are using it to promote themselves, their products and their enterprises.

There’s more to Twitter though than just being “with it”. It’s an excellent tool for learning and staying up to date with the latest news and trends. By following industry leaders, entrepreneurs, entertainers and friends, you can easily scan the latest tweets and get a feel for what’s going on. One second you’re learning about technology and the next you’re discovering a new movie. It’s a fun and trendy approach to staying ahead of the curve.

There’s no question that Twitter is abused by some who like to shamelessly self-promote themselves, but if you avoid them and stick to the important and interesting people and companies on Twitter and you’ll be in great shape. Head on over to Twitter.com today and get started.