It seems like everyone is talking about Twitter lately. Even nightly news broadcasts are checking in with the conversations that happen on this site. If you are confused by all of this virtual buzz, rest assured that you are not alone. Most internet users don’t have a strong grasp upon the twittering world. In fact, many people that use this service are not sure what it does, or what it can do for them. Thankfully, there is a simple way to explain how this service works, and why it might be something that you should be using.
Simply put, Twitter is a kind of tool that allows random people to “follow” one another throughout the course of a day. In many ways, this is a social networking site. How does it work? As soon as you sign up for an account, you will be asked to state your current activities in one short blurb. For example, if you were writing a blog post you would post: “so and so is writing a blog post.” At this point, everyone that is part of your account will be alerted as to your newly updated status. The interesting thing about this site is that people you might not know may also be interested to see what you are doing.
Since Twitter will ask you a few basic questions about yourself (name, type of work, interests), those that share your line of work or interests will be able to view your public profile. This means that they may decide to “follow” you, and gain updates every time you post a new activity. For some, this service might seem rather creepy, but for others it can also be a great networking tool. If you happen to work in a field that many people find interesting, you may gain a great number of followers, and some of these followers may even want to hire you.
Clearly, there are goods parts and bad parts to the whole Twitter concept. If you aren’t sure whether or not you want a virtual community following your every move, simply give the site a try for a few weeks. You may just discover some great contacts, connections, and even a few job offers through this site. If not, at least you will be able to tell your friends and family exactly where you are and what you are doing at every hour of the day – are you being followed?
So, now you know about it, why not follow our Twitter account?