Twitter. It was the early adopter technology de jour, famed for its popularity in Celebsville.
Initially it looked like the digital equivalent of a pair of lonely bookends: embraced by industry insiders and a clutch of high profile personalities, with not much going on in between.
So we were sceptical. Would Twitter catch on with a wider audience? Yes indeed. It's become something of a Web 2.0 success story never far from the headlines. If you haven't been won over yet, here are the top 10 reasons why you should Twitter...
10: don't be left behind
If it was arguably a niche communication platform before, it isn't now. By Twitter's own calculations, users have swelled by over 900 per cent in the last year. Pretty soon everyone will be tweeting and you don't want to miss out on the chat now, do you?
9: the joys of succinct soundbites
If blogging allows for long-winded excesses to slip through the editing net, the 140 characters made available to Twitterers will soon put a stop to self-indulgent wordy excesses. (This is not a green light to write 20 tweets at once though.)
8: simplicity is key in every way
No more excuses about not having enough time, blah blah blah. Twitter is the quickest and easiest way to share the cool stuff you've seen and done. And the interface is so easy to use, even our Gran is tweeting with the best of them. (Not really, but you get the point.)
7: you can do it on the move
Thanks to SMS and any number of smart tweeting solutions for your phone, you don't have to be statically chained to your computer to tweet. This means Twitter is crammed full of endless possibilities for you to share on the move.
6: celebrity access
We won't labour the point, but there's celebrities on there. At the time of writing this, Twitter King Stephen Fry has over 228,000 followers. Britney's assistant is doing it for her, Yoko Ono, Philip Schofield, a faux homage to David Bowie... the list is endless. Fans: get your fix here.
5: frontpage news
We've talked about it before: Twitter is speedy enough to beat the newsdesk for big breaking events, like when a plane took a dive into the Hudson River. Next time it could be you with the eye-witness tweet.
4: it's not just for fun
Twitter isn't just for telling your pals what you had for tea and sending photos of foreign signposts that made you snigger. With a bit of thought, it can be used in a professional capacity to network effectively.
3: education, education and er, education
Whether you're discovering a new technology that will help your work project, or reading Bjork's whimsical musings on music and bonkers stuff, Twitter is a veritable mine of information. So sign up and expand your mind.
2: see the world through tweety-eyes
Twitpic allows you to share your photos on your Twitter account. Often a picture tells a story so much better than words, so get snap-happy. Use Twist to search what words are causing a buzz on the network and check out the worldwide Twitter charts. It's habit-forming stuff, believe us.
1: instant gratification, long term satisfaction
Twitter is instantly enjoyable. Find friends already using it and you've got a ready-made network. Over time, make the effort to reach out to others and watch your network grow. It's fun, satisfying and enlightening.
Honestly, what more could you want? We suggest you give it a (T)whirl now.
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