The "Where" and "When of using Twitter...

This is very simple.

When:   This is where the growing pains come in.  You'd probably think that I'd say "anytime!" without a caveat, but be aware that Twitter is experiencing some growing pains, frequently displaying its page, "Twitter is over capacity.  Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again."...  I'm sure that this will become less and less frequent, but it is a minor issue now.

Where:   Anywhere.  Twitter makes it easy to post from your computer, via standard webrowser, or via mobile posts via just about every kind of web-enabled cell phone.

A great example of this comes from two TFolks that I follow:  chobson (Christine) and Kimioko (Rosa).   Christine is a Structural Engineer in between jobs, and she frequents the outdoors around West Haven, CT, and snaps photos from her Blackberry and immediately uploads them in her Tweets... pictures of views from high places, etc.  Pretty neat.   She is very open about her frustrations with finding new employment as I learned that she has been published in her industry and has worked on the development of 50+ buildings.  I happen to click on my "Nearby" button using my iPhone app, Tweetie, and found her close my Fairfield, CT location.  As it turns out, I happen to know someone in her industry, and I read her blog a little more, liked her writing style ("personality" online), and arranged for her to have an informational interview with my friend, who runs a large department in a major hospital system.  How's that for a reason to be out there posting tweets?!

Rosa is 21 (tomorrow! she posts) and married and makes no apologies for it! (as she states in her blog)...  She is from the Rockville, MD area and posts several times a day.  She is very tuned in, utilizing videos and "channels" to put out her message.  But, on Twitter, she posts photos directly from her iPhone (I also have an iPhone and I still can't figure it out.  I'll have to tweet her to ask!)... 

Christine and Rosa are two examples of how Twitter is interesting.  In the age of popular reality television topping the ratings, this is a way to tune into the comings and goings of individuals who may be very different from you, or maybe similar and you can connect with...   In any case, it does break us out of our own microcosms in life, and helps us (I know it helps me) to think in new ways.  And, in this amazingly changing technoworld, I embrace that and find it pretty exciting.

Now, more on the why...  Why should people use Twitter?...