I mean, I knew what it was but I avoided it like the plague for the longest time. I was under the assumption that it was just a place to do status updates. I thought that was kind of lame because that’s what I have facebook for, and anyone interested in what was going on in my life was on facebook.

Now you’ll notice I have a new section in my little side column to the right. Status updates…via Twitter. So what changed? I realized Twitter was much more useful than just posting your status. It lets you be friends and communicate with people you don’t “know” and wouldn’t normally add as a friend on facebook. This can be useful for a few reasons. Say you’re into photography and are trying to figure out some lighting technique or have a question about your camera…on Twitter you can search for people with similar interests and hobbies and connect with them. Post your question about photography and any number of people in the same field can connect with you and tell you personally if they’ve had the problem and what worked for them. Similar to forums you could find online, but you get instant feedback.

Sticking with the photography theme, when you find people with the same interest, you can follow their posts and learn what interesting things they’re doing. Have they tried some new camera, what are their thoughts on it? Have they posted a link to a new project they just finished, how can that inspire you to create something similar? Have they had a bad experience with some product, ask them why you should avoid it too.

You can also follow celebrities, if you’re into that sort of thing. I can say that I’m not, I don’t really care what Ryan Seacrest or Nathan Fillion are doing. Well maybe Nathan, but, haha. If you like a particular musician or author you can find out when their next appearance might be or what project they’re currently working on.

So I’m pretty much converted. I’m in no way denying it can be a GIANT time waster though :) I blame bumberchute wedding design.