Darren recently sent me an article about Twitter (http://twitter.com/) which explains why we would want to use yet another Web 2.0 / social networking tool. The first part of the article can be found here and the author Jennifer Laycock makes a few interesting points.
The first good point isn't related to Twitter at all but may be the most relevant to you! The author of the article decides that she will try out Twitter for a month to see if it wins her over - that seems like a really good length of time to work out how to use a new web-based tool and see if it will benefit you (or if you enjoy using it!).
The rest of her article is an explanation of what Twitter is, and a guide to what it can do. Twitter has been known as a form of "micro blogging", although Jennifer suggests that it's more like an open chat room. You send out short messages (140 characters), and people who've opted to follow your account receive them. You can choose to follow other accounts, and you will receive the messages that they send out and can start a conversation. There are privacy options to allow you to control who can read your "tweets".
That's about it, except that you can choose how you receive the messages - either by logging into the website, or via your mobile phone (this could be an expensive option depending on your price plan), or via an Instant Messaging service.
Not convinced? I must admit I'm not really convinced myself, but Jennifer's article goes on in the second, third and fourth parts to suggest ways in which it could be useful for you, and for your business. And the fifth part is due to include ways in which Twitter can help your commute and help fight crime.
