Twitter, www.twitter.com

Features:
•    This is a micro-blogging tool that limits updates to 140 characters per post
•    Profile includes what the individual would like to list for name (based on availability), location, Web site and a bio
•    Currently, others may also view names and links to whom the individual is Following and who are the Followers of this individual
•    Profiles and Updates may be publicly viewed in limited timeframes, including via Google searches

Who: 19 million unique, global viewers
•    In March 2009, worldwide visitors increased 95% from 9.8 million to 19.1 million
•    Viewers does not equal users; April 2009 estimates indicate approximately 10 million users
•    2008 reports noted 6 million Twitter users or 3.8% of all Internet users
•    Only 8% of 18-34-year-olds use Twitter
•    7% of those ages 35-44 use it
•    4% of those ages 45-54
•    Only 1% of those ages 55+ use it
•    Men and women use Twitter at the same levels (5% each)

What: online network of microblogs
•    Two-way, active communication within the sphere of shared Followers, using messaging functionality
•    One-way, passive presentation of information within the larger sphere of Followers
•    One-way, passive observation within the larger sphere of relationships and news non-reciprocal sources that one follows
•    Two-way and group communication within organized groups and structured chats, typically identified through hashtags (such as #aia2009) for easy searching and interaction with a larger network beyond an individual’s Followers

When: 24/7
•    Twitter is a stream of information in time, rather than a destination
•    Users spend an average of 2.75 hours per day on Twitter

Where: Everywhere
•    9.3 million visitors in the U.S.
•    More than 60% of users “tweet” from work, 35% from home
•    Individuals post in whatever language they choose

How much: Free to join

Observations:
•    Organizations, publications and companies also are starting to set up their own Twitter profiles. Other than one’s own description, there is no obvious distinction between an individual and an organization.
•    For example, searching the term “architect” within Twitter, yields: 65 people using this term in their bio, a constant stream of updates, and a hashtag designated for the topic.

Feel free to “follow” me on Twitter at @heatherwestpr

Information for the above was gathered from the following sources:
http://blog.twitter.com/search/label/stats
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/half-of-americans-dont-use-twitter-myspace-facebook-8775/
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216500968&cid=RSSfeed_TechWeb
http://mashable.com/2009/04/22/twitter-attitudes/
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i4fc650632bff09ac3d10ff31c435ca0d
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/24/twitter-eats-world-global-visitors-shoot-up-to-19-million/

Filed under: So-Called Social Media