I’ve caught the Twitter bug lately and I’ve started using it to update my website as well as my Facebook status (yeah, I said Facebook.) A few people, including Shannon who I’m trying to get to use it, have asked “Just what the heck is Twitter and why would I want to use it?”

Well, Twitter is a free service that is based on the sending and receiving of text/SMS messages. You sign up, add some of your friends (via your email contact lists or through invites,) and start texting about yourself. You tell people what you’re thinking, where you’re at, where you’ll be, etc. Friends who have added you (aka following you, according to Twitter) will receive any updates you make as text messages on their phones. So basically it’s a way to let your personal circle know what you’re up to in your life.

The catch is that each message has to be under 140 characters, forcing you to make small updates. I’ve added a plugin to my Wordpress installation which also updates my blog each time I ‘Twitter.’

There’s also a Google-owned service called Dodgeball that would be very useful for those living in large cities (where it is solely available so far.)  You text message Dodgeball with your location. It tells your friends where you’re at and (somehow) lets you know where any friends of friends are within 10 blocks of you so you can meet up with them. I haven’t figured out how that works, but it does I guess, in 22 cities so far.

Here’s an article about why Twitter is good: http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-07/st_thompson

You can also “track” certain words and/or phrases and get all updates from Twitter with those in them. Like 37signals, who uses this to help improve their products by listening to what people say about their services: http://blog.twitter.com/2008/01/37signals-likes-twitter-for-business.html

Here’s an interesting way a professor used Twitter in his class to bring his students closer together as a small community: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2699/a-professors-tips-for-using-twitter-in-the-classroom

I basically use it because I like to hear what people are doing, because it gives me something to do when I’m waiting for something or bored and want to fiddle with my phone. And it allows for instant communication between my friends. Are you my friend? Then you should sign up for it!

There’s a few internet services out there that are changing the way people interact (dare I say…LIVE?) with each other. Most of these work best in big cities where there’s tons of people crammed all together and on top of each other (and where everyone’s bound to have a Blackberry or Sidekick or some other sort of ‘texting’ apparatus.) Let’s take a look-see, shall we?

Dodgeball
Perhaps the most popular of the three I’ll be talking about, Dodgeball (owned by Google, btw) is a service that lets you ‘check in’ with your friends and let them know where you’re at or where you’re going to be at. You send a text to Dodgeball saying “@Hunt Club,” and Dodgeball will text all your friends (that you’ve already signed up on their website) saying “Joe (that’s you) is at the Hunt Club, why not stop by and say hello?” You can even be notified if anyone in your group (or friends of friends in your group, or people you have a crush on) are in your general vicinity. Its quite crazy.

Loopnote
Loopnote is a little service that allows you to create your own little group or club or obsession and organize the people in it by sending them messages wherever they may be (provided they have a little electronic device attached to them at the time.) You add people to your ‘loop,’ and then send out a message and Loopnote sends it to your loop. You can start your own loop to say, notify your movie lub that the next showing of this month’s movie will be Friday at 8pm at the Michigan Theater. Or you can go to the website and look for interesting loops to join. More of a glorified mailing list than anything else.

Twitter
This isn’t much but an easier way to do what MySpace and Facebook people like to do, update their status every minute of the day. Text in a message to Twitter saying “In class zoning out” (probably the most popular message) and people on your friend list will be updated with your status. Fun, huh? And completely vital to survival as well? Of course! What else are you supposed to do to pass the time in that boring Biology class?

Crazy stuff, huh. I certainly hope all those parents out there are buying their kids cell phone plans with unlimited text messaging. Otherwise those dimes will start to add up. Well, that’s it for today. I guess I better update my Twitter status with “Just completed blog post,” let my loop know that I’ll be late for class tomorrow, and throw a dodgeball to my peepz to hit me up at the comic book store on Wednesday. Gotta love technology.

Yeah, not really to those last three things. Well, ok the comic book store thing might be true…