What is Twitter For? Part One of Two
By Cathy Yeatts
Twitter is the micro-blogging platform that is becoming the go-to communication tool for a rapidly expanding number of users. Currently more than 1 million have opened free accounts at Twitter.com for the purpose of sending and receiving short messages, called updates or tweets, that are limited to 140 characters each.
The tweets you compose are received by those who have added you to their friends list and are known as your followers, while you receive the updates from those you have chosen to follow. These updates are also posted publicly for anyone to search who is looking for topics of interest to them.
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What is Twitter For? Part One of Two[/caption]That's the basics. Still, many on the outside continue to ask, "What's the point?" In brief, the point is to communicate with a receptive audience the information you want to share, and to do so in a compelling way that elicits a positive response. Let's see if we can shed some light on this hot, hip, and helpful form of communication.
The updates you compose serve to answer the question, "What's Happening?" Your updates are also social interaction, even though a tweet is a very brief, one-sided conversation, initially. If this sounds a bit like blogging, it is similar. Thus the term, 'micro-blogging' refers to the short, concise postings via Twitter.
Those using Twitter to stay in touch with friends use Twitter to interact in various ways, perhaps by sending a personal update, an interesting occurrence, a question they need answers for, or an answer to someone else's query, a link they like, etc. The information types and topics cover the expanse of human communication, as users soon find out! Those tweets which supply quality and value get a greater response while the Twitter user develops a larger following.
In part two of 'What is Twitter For?", we will explore this question for business users.
Cathy Yeatts is a blogger and online entrepreneur. She has just completed a simple beginner Twitter tutorial guide.
If you feel clueless about Twitter, get a copy of What is Twittering?
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