Baelnic is correct.
If I just want to message one person I'll text a message to them directly. If I want to get intouch with the podcasters at the convention, twitter is faster then using the radios, that staff are given, Less annoying too.
I don't have Internet access on my phone. To send a tweet, I use twitter's #.
Plus over the year I have had a twitter account I sometime find authors (Neil Gainman and John Scalzi, are just 2 of the writers I follow) cats (Ghlaghghee, see John Scalzi's blog Whatever) and even a lost sock (Mozart the Lost Sock) to follow. As for news, it wonderful if you want to learn what is happening faster then it's getting reported by the news channels. During the Mumbai Attacks, I found a couple eye witnesses who were updating from their homes withing viewing distance to the Hotels.
Most major news organizations now use twitter as well as reporters and even cameraman that does a lot of work for NBC, I know from Balticon. sometimes I'm lucky to see a tweet from him about a shoot he is going to. Reminds me of being in a AOL chatroom for Neverwinter Nights, the evening of the Atlanta Bombing and a reporter for NBC told us he just got a call that work was sending over a taxi, so he could fly down.
Todays tweets from Moldova shows one of it's best uses, bring folk together wither it's to try out the latest Ale at the local brewery or protest an election.
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In the place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Morn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair! -ElneClare
This Post is written in Elnese, If it was an actual Post, it would make sense.