Don't Get Twitter? Learn by doing...

At the same time as Twitter is going mainstream (okay - maybe not as mainstream as Facebook - but it still has a faster adoption rate than blogging did), I hear from people all the time that they just don't 'get' it.

So - let's break it down. Twitter is a ubiquitous micro-blogging application that allows people to publish messages of 140 characters or less - from their mobile phones or the web. Twitter currently has a worldwide audience of over 6 million unique visitors a month and provides unparalleled access to thought leaders and celebrities. Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways of using Twitter to drive traffic, and mainstream media outlets like CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk, The New York Times @nytimes, and the BBC @BBCClick have a wide reach with hundreds of thousands of followers.

Mostly, I hear that people just don't understand how to use this broadcasting system that is very different than Facebook. How do I create my own personal 'voice' on Twitter?

Julia Angwin of The Wall Street Journal wrote a great story on how to use Twitter. It's a great place to start if you're not familiar.

I personally love Twitter because I learn something new all the time. People provide information and links to things I never would have come across on my own. I'm introduced to people that I never would have met otherwise. And, I'm learning about whole new ways of raising money and networking in the social media environment. It's constant evolution.

I'm still working on finding (or re-discovering?) my own voice for Twitter... I'll write more about that process at a later date.

In the meanwhile, if you don't GET Twitter - just sign up and 'lurk' for a while... getting started is pretty easy - and the best way to learn is often by doing.

And you can follow me, Tara Mahady, on Twitter too!