Go Web Young Man

Many of my non-techie (and techie) friends have been asking me about Twitter, the micro-blogging service that always has you answering the question, “What are you doing?” So, rather than continually sending the same links and posting the same videos, I’m writing this post to compile my favorite resources for explaining what it is. If I’m missing one of your favorite resources, please let me know in the comments. If you don’t know what Twitter is and the links and the video in this post still leave you with questions, let me know, and I’ll update this with more answers and links.

Video: Twitter in Plain English
The following video is a good place to start your quest for Twitter insight:

Helpful Twitter Explanations

• Beginner’s Quick Start Guide and Tutorial to Using Twitter - The folks over at Zappos.com, the online shoe store, have really taken a liking to Twitter, and their guide is a good introduction.
• Knoxville Twitterers: Using the Web to Go Local - A story about my introduction to Twitter.
• Why We Use Twitter - I recently participated in a little online presentation where myself and several other Twitterers “tweeted” about why we use Twitter.

Why I Use Twitter
Surprisingly, although Twitter is an online service, it has given me some tangible connections with my local community. Since I started using it a little over a month ago, I’ve attended two “Tweet-Ups” which have allowed me to meet a lot of cool Knoxvillians I might have otherwise never met. While I’m in the office, I share and receive tips, humor, news, links and more from my fellow Twitterers. Getting connected with people in my city is what keeps me using Twitter.

At times it can be distracting. However, if that’s the case, then all I have to do is take a break from it. At other times, it is a great way to quickly get feedback on an idea or something I’m working on.

Currently, a lot of the people I know on Twitter are at least moderately technically inclined. However, there is plenty of room for anyone who wants to join. My contacts on Twitter include newspaper editors, web developers, bloggers, moms, dads and college students.

Start Twittering
If this post has you interested, go to Twitter and create a profile. Then invite your friends to join you, and find some other Twitter users in your area via TwitterLocal. Plus, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.