Micro blogging is a relatively new idea, the benefits of microblogging are very vast.
When twitter first surfaced it was many used by technology ‘geeks’ as a way to communicate with others who had an interest in technology. It quickly became adopted by bloggers who also wanted to communicate and share ideas or thoughts with other bloggers.
Twitter allows users to build up an extensive network of people in a relatively short amount of time. Your twitter contacts can be seen as an extensive network of people to share knowledge or ideas with. By being part of the twitter network you are able to share your knowledge with others, as well as calling on the expertise of other people in your network to answer questions or solve problems.
The barrier to entry to use twitter is very low with only 3 boxes needing to be filled out (username, password and e-mail adrdress) before you can start using the product
Twitter is used currently used by 3 main groups of people, but it is currently growing in popularity all the time
Bloggers and Tech Geeks – First started to use twitter as a way of communication ideas and small amounts of information with each other
Teens and Young Adults – Teens and young adults seem to primarily use twitter as an extension of Instant Messaging. Because users are able to see the conversation between all the people they follow this allows them to jump in and add value to conversations.
Celebrities - Celebrities are using twitter to communicate between themselves as well as enabling them to have a closer interaction and relationship between themselves and their “fans”.
Twitter can be used as a way to push information (such as hyperlinks to other electronic media (videos, pictures, music, blogposts) to a large number of people).
The demographics of twitter users can be seen here http://www.quantcast.com/twitter.com#demographics
Practical Uses of Twitter
Twitter can be used as a way to deliver news and product information to your followers
Twitter can be considered a word of mouth marketing tool for the digital age.
Twitter can bring your followers’ attention to particular topics.
To drive traffic to your website/blog. If you regularly update your website with content, it is important to let your audience know there is new content, it becomes even more powerful
Networking with others who share similar interests and be able to share information
Twitter can also be used as a tool to establish yourself as an authority on a particular subject. This can be done by generating conversation and posting relevant links on a niche topic.
Twitter has also started to give inanimate objects a voice. Allowing for these objects to communicate with humans. One such example is a project by Tom Armitage, which allows for Tower Bridge in London to post a message letting people know when it is opening, what vessel is passing and when it is closing again
Twitter provides a great way to get instant feedback on a thought or idea by asking your network of followers there opinions
Twitter can be used as a news feed by subscribing to people who post about an area you are interested in.
Twitter can be used as a way to store notes or ideas that you can comeback to later, to investigate deeper.
How to Create a Twitter Profile
