It’s really hard to describe exactly what Twitter is: part IM, part blogging, part social networking, part voyeur, part exhibition. 140 characters at a time. Why so limited? Because Twitter can operate entirely over SMS, though it also offers web access, IM access, RSS feeds, third-party applications like Twitterriffic or Twitteroo, and the possibility to extend via an open API. It has been a huge hit with a certain segment of the geek crowd.
Not everyone likes it. Folks like Pat Phelan find it too intrusive. Not everyone sees the point. Some people like Giacomo Vacca are just starting to dabble in it.
Personally, I like it because it allows me to stay connected with everyone. I can ask my followers a question, quickly, from anywhere. And because you can follow people in multiple ways, you can follow some people real closely–”follow” them and get their updates instantly via SMS or IM. You can subscribe to someone Twitter feed. You can use a tool like Twitteriffic to get your friends updates. While that’s not immediate updates, you get a sense of what they’re doing. I do this, for instance, with the Twitter Confessional feed, if only because it’s an amusing read.
It will be interesting to see how they monetize this service. The latest Net @ Nite podcast interviewed Obvious Corp founder Evan Williams. (Obvious is Twitter’s parent). That question was answered, they provided some answers, but nothing’s in stone yet.
Anyway, if you want to see what I’m twittering about, have a look at http://twitter.com/PhoneBoy
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