Hey Twitter, I ain't no quitter!

So Oprah joins twitter and millions of people sign up for an account. Really she was just acting on the hype she heard and doesn't understand it any better than her viewers.

People hear about Twitter, join it and then forget about it because they don't understand it. It's not your Facebook status (though you CAN use it that way, but you're really limiting yourself). I think the whole "what are you doing" line on the homepage is misleading to newbies.

Twitter is networking with anyone about anything you want, in real time. Today, I read an article by a developer in Argentina, replied to his tweet and within seconds we are having a really intriguing dialogue about Google.

I have WAY too many interests... First of all I follow anyone trend-setting in the technology world - I also follow anyone that tweets subjects relevant to my work.
I've also discovered awesome kindred spirits in terms of sci fi, belly dance, Joss Whedon, music and oh so much more.

Can it be a time suck? YOU BET - especially once you become a power-tweeter and discover a nifty tool like TweetDeck.

Can it be trivial and silly? Of course if you follow those types of people. Your twitter content is entirely controlled BY YOU. If it's boring, follow more people. Use Twitter search to find subjects that interest you. What's your niche? I'm following my favorite dancers, musicians, bloggers, friends, tech gurus, news sources, etc... and all my info comes in one glorious real-time stream.

Do I really care that Imogen Heap is preparing pancakes or that Hugh Jackman is on a plane somewhere? Actually yeah, I think it's pretty damn cool!

My advice if you truly want to get into twitter? FOLLOW MORE - add more people you follow every day and in turn, a quarter of them will follow you back. When you feel like hanging out at the computer, put on some music, pour a glass of wine and check out who I follow. You might be surprised at some of the tweeple (twizzles :) you find.

Also utilize all the tools available like following these:

http://twitter.com/factsandtools

http://twitter.com/TruthTweet

http://twitter.com/Twitter_Tips

http://twitter.com/twitter

http://twitter.com/twitscoop

Here's some related and helpful articles too:

The really really simple guide to using Twitter

Twitter Quitters Just Don't Get It

Don't worry Twitter, I get it. And I'm here to help others get it too :)