..to see the point of Twitter until you get into it. I know it has its critics but I like it a lot, mainly for the diversity of stuff that crops up and the ongoing sense that you're connected to a group of like minds. There are lists of Word bloggers on there which you can tap into when the mood takes you, and you can create your own lists for the professional stuff. Dive in Wheaty, it's great.

I work in a University, I was told by someone working in publicity/communication that the general assumption in their line of work is that people over 30 are more likely to try/use twitter and dislike Facebook. Those under 30 are much more likely to only use Facebook and dislike Twitter.

it's like Facebook, I don't need it.

I have with Twitter is that I could see it eating my life. I don't tweet but I follow a lot of very clever and funny people, many of them regulars here, and I know that if I wanted to match their intelligence and wit I'd have to take hours out of my working day to come up with stuff. And more hours checking back for responses. At its best it's great but it's got real Class A potential.

At its worst it's wretched. I don't understand why anyone would want to know what music I'm listening to every three minutes, or what train stations I'm passing through, or what's on my plate. At least with the pub bore you can nip to the toilet and not go back.

which always worry me.

Even those without a twitter account can see the posts of any twitter user, see who is following them, and see who they are following. Now I wouldn't particularly want anyone, be they complete strangers or friends or colleagues, to be able to poke their nose into my life in even that limited way.

And that way keep real life and alter-ego's separate.

Twitter is a mixed bag, some real dross, and some great wit and comment. For me comes into it's own when watching events live on TV. As Captain says above, I can see how it could become very addictive and hugely time consuming; I can't find time for much more than a tweet or two a week and maybe 10 minutes each day scanning what others have been saying. But it is easy to dip in and out of.

I'm @fortuneightuk btw.

if I don't get a response I feel defeated and as it is the medium for fleeting comments I found it wasn't for me. And that's fine, you know.

I'm new to it too, actually just been on for the past few days, and I trying to just use it as hobby commenting on music and movies. I try not to take it so seriously if no one responds or it feels like whatever I say goes nowhere.

Like someone above said earlier, it's a good way to be in touch with favorite writers, bloggers and websites.

for promotional/commercial purposes, and found it annoying because I felt obliged to 'follow' people for promotional/commercial reasons. This means I had to wade through lots of 'Just having a Bagel..LOL!'...'Mmmmm....first Coffee of the Day' etc. and no end of inane drivel.

I've since started a personal account and I'm very selective about who I follow. I use it mainly to keep in touch with some Massive Minglers, and I also find it useful for finding out what's going on in the local live music scene...and particularly useful for gig information like what time are the bands on, who is the support band etc.
It is what it is. Like Facebook I dip in and out when the mood takes me but I don't find it addictive and I can easily go for days without checking in. I can see it might be more addictive if you have lots of people following you and responding to your tweets...I'm resisting getting more involved really.

..but only for a page aimed at bands and music fans from Liverpool. The Myspace, Twitter and Facebook are all linked - but its a bugger keeping track if someone posts on a Twitter post as I rarely use that.

Unfortunately, it's completely impossible to explain why. I follow a few choice slebs, but the vast majority of my enjoyment comes from the fact that it's just a big silly conversation between friends.

It took me *ages* to get started. I think I was on it about a year before I really got it. It was the hashtag games that really got me.

140 characters is a very good thing for wordy bastards like me, too. Forces me to be less boring, which can only be positive.

There's a big bit about twitter that I don't understand. I know how to follow the easy to find usual subjects such as Danny B, David H and Stephen F, but I'm at a loss as to how people track down less well known people. Where for instance is the list of Word Bloggers alluded to above? I certainly wouldn't want to have another 100 or so contacts blocking up my whatsits but the ability to switch them on and off would be handy.

I've also heard tale of twitter conversations. How does that work then? I'm beginning to think that there is a conspiracy to keep this kind of information away from the over 50's. This is how Logan's run started you know!

I posted a very similar post a few months back. I'll confess that twitter wasn't exactly what i thought it would be and its an odd environment when you first join.

A number of The Massive were exceedingly helpful in aiding my navigation through it in the early days.

To me its a combination of what RSS feeds should have been. I.e. a place where you can follow new releases, blog posts, articles, etc. from a wide range of people and organisations. And a lot of random chatter amongst friends.

I can certainly see a need for two accounts. One for having benign conversations and spouting comments about nothing in general and one for work.

I'm yet to set up a second account and can't figure out which part of my current account should be migrated.

although, as Captain U says above, it could quite easily. It's not for everyone, but I like it because it's frequently funny, occasionally rude, often informative and regularly stupid.

I work from home, on my own, a fair bit at the moment. It's a great way to keep me in touch with the outside world and stops me talking to the cats too much.

but I follow/read quite a few people, mainly journalists just by bookmarking their tweet page. That way I don't have to register, don't have any privacy issues and I don't get bothered by my conversations getting interrupted every five minutes by some inane tweet. What I do get is the chance to pick up on anything interesting they might want to link to or have to say.

I recently enlisted Fraser in changing my Massive handle to a non-real name one to sharpen this up. Everyone should be aware that the first thing potential employers (or current ones if they need to) do is google you and your Twitter and Facebook streams show up at the top of any list. Unless you're called John Brown.

I have a professional Twitter account in my real name and only tweet about work and culture. I also manage the company twitterfeed which has about four colleagues also contributing. The whole point of Twitter is it's public, seems to me. As regards reading twitter, the social media type @documentally put his finger on it when he said regard it as a river carrying lots of interesting things past you. You can walk away and come back for a dip in anytime. When your followers stream gets big lists enable you to (say) just catch up with 'professional colleagues' or 'local agencies' for example.

Silly youtube clips, photos of children etc go on Facebook personal profile which only friends can see (which is the point of Facebook).

Twitter friends are anyone and everyone who wants to follow me and doesn't spam or post (see above) inappropriate content.

I signed up earlier this year as I needed to study a contemporary example of asynchronous computer mediated communication for an essay. With all the wit and erudition available around here I chose to follow a few of the Massive, BBC News, and some bands plus latterly Danny Baker as my solitary sleb.

Although I've had limited time since joining I can see its worth as a news medium, as a diary and as a bit of fun. However, having strayed away into less interesting threads I can confirm there is some utter garbage being spouted which I really wish to be no part of.

I may ramp up my involvement if I ever succumb to the mobile internet. We'll see.

A point not quite raised clearly enough here is that the official Twitter website is more or less the worst way of experience Twitter. There are any number of apps that unlock what's good far quicker than twitter.com (Seesmic etc). I use Tweetdeck - so good Twitter actually bought it as it has a number of crucial functions:
eg

You can see a number of twitter usernames timelines in columns on one screen.

You can send one update from one, two or however many usernames you have.

You can have a column following a particular hashtag or user

etc etc.

All the major ones have desktop and mobile versions.

It can really eat into your life (says a man of around 11,000 tweets)

I post #nowlistening tweets.*
I have led some into feeling guilty.
I am a total disgrace.
Please unfollow.

Now off to chastise myself and get seriously fuc*ed up.

* Will never happen again.

I will not bother.

Twitter seems to be an ideal time-passer, when travelling on public transport / waiting armed with smartphone.
Since I travel only a short distance in the car each day, and never have 'down time' in my working day, I can't see how I'd fit it in. I'd have to stop reading / posting here, which (of course) I don't want to do.
I tried Twitter for a bit, and found it slightly baffling. Anything I could discover there was discoverable in a more readable format elsewhere (I'm talking news, etc.) As for keeping up with actual friends (rather than virtual ones) no one I know can be arsed with it.

If you like it, and find uses for it, then good for you.

what fun big events are on Twitter. I've watched the tv coverage of big events including the election, the royal wedding and even eurovision with one eye on the twitter coverage. A lot of insight and fun to be had.

I've looked. I've dabbled. I've thought about it. Too little time, too many temptations, too much to do. When it's a toss-up between L Law and S Fry, the dirty dentist and many others of his fellows (and lady-fellows) among the august company on this site win hands down when it comes to valued tips and time-wasting.

I thought I'd explained why Twitter wasn't for me. Let me clarify. Tried it - but have too little time, too many temptations, too much to do, to dedicate to getting the most of it.

Sex, on the other hand (hello, again, Lenny), never has and (God and, should the time come, Viagra willing) never will be, written off.

By the way, I'm assuming that what I've taken as a somewhat patronising tone is down to the "lost in translation" nature of keyboard conversation. :-)

for example #nowlistening...I don't get how that works, could someone please let me know - thanks very much.