Posted 02/23/2009 at 03:27:02pm

Twitter is many things to many people but is definitely worth your time, no matter your age or interests.  I thought the entire concept was completely absurd until some of my favorite gaming podcasters lost their jobs, and the only way to "continue the conversation" was to follow them on Twitter.  Despite believing that most Web 2.0 solutions are utter rubbish, I've really grown to appreciate the service.

Even though I almost exclusively follow gamers and a few tech people, there is a striking immediacy -- a focus on the present -- that is quite revolutionary.  For example, MaximumPC's own @willsmith passed along THE striking cell-phone photo of the downed plane in the Hudson within (at most) three hours after the accident, and the pic wasn't seen on CNN.com until the next morning.  If you find a group of people to follow that have common interests, you will be surprised how entertaining, informative and even educational Twitter can be.

The basic functions of the web interface are simple, but a few weeks of exploration are necessary to start understanding the culture, etiquette and to find your own "little corner of the internet".  Twitter's help is a little lacking, but you'll get a lot of information about Twitter through Twitter.  The web interface is your training wheel set, and once you've gotten your balance, look at some of the clients above.

I currently use twirl at home and TwitterFox at work.  TweetDeck is definitely the most sophisticated app that I've used, but, with my presently focused feed, some features are unnecessary and twirl is fine.  At work, I have vendors and sales people dropping in unexpectedly, so I use TwitterFox for its low profile.  Bottom line, there are many ways to control your access to Twitter, and each seems to be free, so just experiment!

Twitter is bite-sized life in motion.  Sample, snack or gorge as you will.

@NT_