This is a common question asked by users when they first hear about the service. Twitter by definition is a micro-blogging service, that allows users to tweet (post) 140 character messages to the world. The hard limit of 140 characters is put in place because this limit has been determined to be the optimal length for sending status updates, via services like SMS (Simple Text Message) on mobile devices.

Each Twitter user has a set of people they follow and a set of people that follow them. The reason to follow someone is because you find them interesting and want to see everything they tweet. If someone is not following you, your voice can still be heard. As long as your profile is set to public people can still search for and see what you are tweeting about.

Now since we’ve gone over the basics your probably still asking, “why should I be interested? Nobody cares what I’m doing?”. Good point. In Twitter there are two kinds of user’s: Individuals and Organizations. Individuals tweet about a wide variety of things from what they are doing to what funny thing their cat just did. Organizations on the other hand, tweet to self promote and to connect to their customer base.

This second group is where the real magic of Twitter comes in. An organization can setup a Twitter account and instantly be able to converse and receive feedback from their customers. This is great for the consumer because they can receive instant feedback from the organization, by means of replies and tweets. The organization no longer appears as a big inhuman entity.

Are BIG Organizations using it?

Yes they are! Microsoft, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Google and many others all have Twitter accounts with people actively posting and replying directly to their customers. Tweeting anything from reporting defects, to directing praise.

Hopefully this post has helped to shed some light on Twitter and its useful implications. If you are interested in signing up for Twitter visit http://twitter.com and be sure to stop by our page http://twitter.com/compassconsult and follow us and we will follow you back.