Do You Tweet? Link In? Do Facebook?

I've always tried to be up on the latest in technology stuff. I've blogged for a while, built web sites for longer, been using the Web since almost the beginning, and was on the Internet before there was a Web. (Yes, children, you could do that.)

I've been a little slow on the uptake, though, when it comes to some of the Web 2.0 stuff. I've finally gotten on Facebook, and since I've gotten an iPhone I'm using the FB app quite a bit. I signed up for Linked-In, but just haven't gotten as much value out of that tool.

Twitter? I just didn't get it. If you use Facebook, especially on your phone so you can update it whenever you want, why use another tool to do the same thing? "What are you doing right now?" It just seemed to me like a duplicate technology.

After seeing a number of fellow workers get involved with it, though, I decided to take another look. The idea that clinched it for me was the idea of "micro-blogging." Unlike Facebook, where all friend links are two-way, you can choose to "follow" someone on Twitter without forcing your items back on them ... and vice versa. Basically, you can build an audience, and they can re-share your items if they think they are worthy.

I'm still getting into Twitter, including learning all the lingo. Unlike Facebook, which seems fairly easy to understand, I'm beginning to want some good user manuals for Twitter, both so I use it well and so I don't do something stupid. It's like early bulletin-board culture, where you needed to learn the etiquette before you started posting.

All of that said -- you can follow me on Twitter at BruceWriter. Let me know if you find me there, and sign up to follow. And if I do something stupid, drop me a note and tell me.