Most people on the Web are aware of blogs… but there are other avenues for conversations. I’ll even go out on a limb and say it’s far more immediate and relevant than blogs. This trend is called microblogging, defined by Wikipedia as:
a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually less than 200 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, MP3 or the web.
How to get started? Pick a site: I use Twitter, but there are alternatives such as Jaiku. Setup an account and start connecting to people — the power of microblogging is within its follower/following model. As you post updates, your followers will see the messages. As you follow others, you will see their comments.
Why is this useful? Two reasons: immediate updates on current news, trends and blogs and; the ability to spread a brand, product or service to an interested community. The other day I had someone ask about a good corporate law firm. I naturally responded my employer. Many other businesses send updates — within twitter, these are called tweets — to followers (i.e. customers).
Once you have the basics down, you can look at applications designed to increase use of this medium. Jeremiah Owyang has a great post on this subject called My Essential Twitter Tools. Check it out!
One last note: tf you decide to tweet, feel free to follow me: @time2simplify.
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