What is Twitter?

It’s designed to work using mobile phones or your computer so you can update your twitter stream throughout the day. It’s similar to the status update feature on Facebook where you can say things like “Ian is on the train going to work now”.

How does Twitter work?

The whole point of Twitter is that you can set your twitter account to follow others and let others follow you. By following the ‘twits’ posted by your friends, businesses, or even the Prime Minister, you can see what they’re up to at that point in time. For example, Kevin Rudd’s last few twits are:

• “Just tossed the coin for the PM's XI game. Ozzies won the toss. Good omen I hope.” 10:20 AM yesterday from web
• “Looking forward to watching the PM’s XI take on NZ. We’ve played them 4 times and lost. Hope Justin Langer can lead the team to victory.” 8:53 AM yesterday from web
• “I'm off to have a pre-match drink with the PM’s XI before they take on New Zealand tomorrow. Wish them luck!” 6:02 PM Jan 28th from web

Who uses Twitter?

Twitter isn’t for everyone, but it does make a useful tool for those who want to keep up-to-date and let others know what they’re doing minute by minute. A recent Twitter claim to fame came when it beat major news outlets in reporting that there had been a plane crash into the Hudson.

Although it’s not all that big in Australia yet, Twitter is taking much of the rest of the world by storm and is expected to play a much larger role in Australia soon.  Its ability to communicate and update thousands of people instantaneously makes it a great tool for businesses and politicians as well as individuals.