what is twitter?

Well, imagine this:

A genie comes and gives you a three by five card from the world of Harry Potter. You look at it when you’re waiting for your coffee, and it shows you short updates from five or six people. One is interesting to you, and the rest are not, and you stick the card back in your pocket, slightly more informed than before.

Later, you glance at it again. Different people, nothing interesting. put it back.

Then you look at it over lunch and you see a blog post that is *really* interesting, and helps you solve a problem. You also discover that somebody just got hired by somewhere, and you learn that your competitor has just signed a huge client in your town. Oh, and you read something that gives you a knot in your stomach, and you call your broker and sell some stock that’s been bugging you anyway, because you just know something is going down.

And wait. He’s playing golf with them? Does this mean there’s a deal brewing?

That afternoon, you find out about the Japan earthquake before it hits the news, and you find out because you read an update that says “This is really intense. The ground has been shaking for like 5 minutes!” and another that says “Oh, this looks bad,” both from Tokyo. You have friends just outside Tokyo. You worry, glad that you have a news stream in your pocket. You send them a quick message, and wait for a reply.

Lastly, you read a tweet from your own employee, at a client you’re particularly invested in / worried about, that indicates that things are really going extra-well. You check concern off your list, without having made time for an extra half-hour call, and knowing your info wasn’t filtered the way it sometimes is when you call and ask for a report, because you’re — you know — important.

Meanwhile, someone else is reading your stream. Because Twitter is designed to help folks connect just the people they find most interesting, they’re thinking how they appreciate the interesting stuff you share, and how you cheer them up sometimes when they need it, and you seem pretty smart. They’re thinking how it sure would be cool to work with you. They watch for job postings, or call you up to talk about a business problem, already feeling like they know and like and trust you.

We need other people to work, to create, to make money, to play. Twitter helps us connect with people.