re: Explaining Twitter - One of Three Places for People

Update: Steve Buttry Information Content Conductor of Gazette Communications posted an excellent tip sheet: Leading your staff into the Twitterverse for a workshop he'll be leading for the American Society of Newpaper Editors. It's an great introduction to Twitter which covers linking, following, tools and ethics. I believe Steve's advice is just as valuable for neighborhood (Facebook) and workplace (Enterprise 2.0) microblogging. Steve writes:

Journalists need to use Twitter. Even if you don’t understand its value or usefulness immediately and even if some of the content is frivolous, journalists can use Twitter for a variety of uses:

• You can monitor the activities and discussions of people in your community or on your beat.
• You can connect with colleagues and share ideas with them.
• You can “crowdsource” stories by asking your followers for story ideas or information.
• You can quickly find people who witnessed or experienced an event.
• You can drive traffic to your content.
• You can improve your writing as you learn to make points directly in just 140 characters. (I tell my staff that if a lead doesn’t fit in a tweet, it’s probably too long. It really helps me write better leads on my blog and columns.)

For top editors, using Twitter has added value:

• It can help change your newsroom culture.
• You communicate to your staff that you are changing and trying new things.