Why Twitter is cooler than you think

I discovered Twitter about two years ago. The fledgling company was already making waves in the new social media pool. I entered into many discussions about the validity of their service.

-Communication in just 140 characters?
-Why do I need another way to tell the world my status?
-All my friends are already on Facebook!

Some of my friends wagered that Twitter would be dead in a year (by 2009), having fallen out of the nest without learning to fly.

I still defended Twitter, even though I had no interest in using the service myself. I saw the value in this service, even if they couldn't make any money.

My Twitter saga began nearly two months ago when I created an account as part of a project. I never intended to use the service continuously, or obtain much value from the Twitter community.

I was dead wrong.

Since my arrival on Twitter, I have interacted with individuals and even made some new friends.

-I have worked on a collaborative project with someone from LA
-I have found potential employers in San-Fran and Chicago
-I have interacted with employees of companies I might wish to work at someday
-I have received valuable information about travelling from someone in New Zealand
-I have helped others with their college search

All of the above and more are the result of actual conversations, I have also emailed and called many of these individuals.

Unlike "old school" social networking sites (Myspace, Facebook, etc.) Twitter is uninhibited by a creepiness factor inherent to other services. There is only one privacy control: Everyone can see everything, or they can't. Pretty simple.

I often feel completely comfortable reaching out to individuals around the world if I feel they can answer a question, or provide some value to my life.

I encourage everyone to give this game-changing service a try and see what you can get out of it.

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