In a nutshell, Twitter is a social network that allows you to post out short 140-character messages. This message (a.k.a. tweet) will be displayed to the people following you and those searching for keywords that appear in the tweet. This type of online communication is known as “micro blogging” and has grown in popularity partly because it is a relatively easy way of post messages and links out and participating in conversations.

Once you have signed up for Twitter, you can customise you profile and add a picture and few lines about yourself. You will then be able to follow other profiles, view tweets from other people and send and receive public or private messages.

Why is Twitter so Popular?

As well as posting out message and links, Twitter can be used to converse directly
with other users both privately and publicly. This is often used as an opportunity to create connections and network.

The 140 character tweets have evolved beyond irrelevant personal  status updates and are used to post links to interesting and informative content, videos and images. The most important factor is that tweets are posted in real-time by real people. A combination of Twitter apps, smart phones and hand held devices and the simplicity of posting a tweet make it very easy for people to log what is happening around them via Twitter. There have been numerous cases of people in the midst of newsworthy situations who are able to post information, images and videos of what is happening around them.

Brand giants such as O2 and Virgin Media use the real-time element of Twitter to provide customer service. They will respond to complaints and queries using dedicated Twitter profiles.