Using Twitter to connect

So going off of my last post about local Ning communities, I am going to give a brief Twitter tutorial for the Sanford community.

At its heart, Twitter is a social network that connects you to people, ideas and information.You might have heard of it more recently, as mainstream media sources like CNN’s Rick Sanchez have started using the service during their broadcasts to get reader comments.

Signing up is easy. The bigger question most people have is why they should use Twitter. Essentially it lets you post comments, share stories/links and have conversations of up to 140 characters per post. It’s known as “micro-blogging.” The nice thing about the 140-character limit is it forces you to be succinct in your comments/arguments.

It took me a while (about a month) to really get into Twitter. You can search for people to “follow” based on geography, interests or just about anything else. You can also “follow” news sources like Reuters, the New York Times or the News & Observer to see a live stream as they update their Web sites each day.

The main reason I like Twitter is because it connects me to people and ideas that I might not otherwise come across. It’s like gaining collective wisdom from an unlimited amount of people. I like Twitter to keep up with people in the journalism industry, so I can get ideas about how to be a better reporter and blogger. It’s also a good way for me to read headlines and see what’s going on news-wise as the day unfolds.

I would love to see some more Sanford folks on the Twittersphere. I’m more than happy to share tips and people who might be of interest to follow. So, if you’re interested, find me on Twitter at twitter.com/zureick and request to follow me.

In the meantime, here are some more tips on using Twitter:

• Twitter Tips
• Twitter Fail
• A beginner’s guide

Plus, a Twitter-use video: