Marketing

What is all this buzz about Twitter? Here's an understandable introduction from John Jantsch, a leading marketing and digital technology coach based in Kansas City, Mo. ([email protected]).

What is it? In simplest terms, Twitter is a free service that allows anyone to say almost anything to anybody in 140 characters or less. It's the "What are you doing right now?" kind of microblogging that is permeating online social communication.

Is that all? Well, no, not exactly. While people are using Twitter to tell no one in particular what they had for lunch, millions are leaning on it pretty hard to network and communicate with contacts new and old.

How do I use it? First thing, sign up for an account at https://twitter.com/signup. Your next stop should be to the Twitter help guide at http://help.twitter.com/portal. This is where you get all your basic how-to questions answered. Read it; it will save you some time and anguish.

Once you create an account, you will be given a home page and a profile page. My profile page can be found at http://twifter .com/ducttape. (So my handle is @ducttape.) From these pages, you can find other Twitter streams to follow, post your own messages, and even watch the entire public stream of comments flow by. (I don't recommend that unless you are really, really bored.)

Why would I use Twitter? Now, that is the real question, isn't it? Many people look at Twitter on the surface and conclude that it's just one big waste of time. I can't say I disagree completely but, like all social media and marketing...