“What are you doing?”
This simple question is what a trendy social networking Web site, Twitter, aims to answer.
Through Twitter, friends and family are updated immediately about the daily lives of users. While both MySpace and Facebook have status update functions, a Twitter is altogether different from these Web sites.
Many who have never been acquainted with Twitter wonder how the site works. A Twitter page is an online profile where users answer the question “What are you doing?” throughout the day. Each time a user answers, the profile updates to display the person’s current actions in large letters.
A button on the Twitter homepage invites new users to “Get Started!” It then proceeds to ask for information including full name, e-mail address and username.
While most of the personal information submitted may be updated at a later date, the username ? which is also the URL of the profile ? remains the same while a user stays registered with the site. As such, people should be careful to choose a username they will be satisfied with for as long as they use Twitter.
Next, users can answer the question. However, they should be mindful of what they post on the Internet. If they would not want their grandmother to read the update, then they probably shouldn’t post it on Twitter.
A Twitter update is always limited to 140 characters, which equates to about one or two sentences. Twitter updates are similar to text messages, in that they tend to be concise and to the point. Twitter is also similar to e-mail because it allows people to send off messages quickly through the Internet or an Internet-capable cell phone.
Users can update their status via text messages from their mobile phones or through the actual online profile. To update via text message, type a new message and add recipient 40404. Some update Twitter as many as a hundred times each day, while others take a more laid-back approach and update Twitter only a few times each week.
Twitter users can even opt to receive Twitter updates on their cell phones via text messages when all or a set of particular friends update their status and create “@replies,” which are updates directed specifically at another user. Direct messages are private notes between two users which are not visible to other followers.
The next step is to add friends and family on Twitter so they can follow the updates. A search bar on the top of the home page allows users to find other people and follow them, which is analogous to adding them as friends on Facebook.
Once they are signed in, users also can personalize their profiles with background colors and photos. The easy, logical layout of all Twitter pages creates a user-friendly interface.
Twitter is a great, simple way to keep in touch with people and see what others are doing throughout the day.
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