Random musings on random stuff.
This is a reply, basepost
It's quickly replacing instant messaging as a social sideband while working. An IM conversation (socially) demands a lot of attention at the moment, but people twittering into the aether allows one to dip in and out as desired.
As for what it offers, not what it's not: it's social contact when otherwise isolated at the computer; it's quickly turning into the internet's watercooler; it's a social attention service, whether those be viral videos, interesting news, or intriguing APIs.
As for why I participate: it's great for getting quick feedback on ideas, having loosely-coupled conversations, commiserating with rants/things lost/things missed, and entertaining people. For me, though, it really does perform the purpose of a microblog: it's a reminder to my future self (and google) of things that were noteworthy in the moment.
Concretely, it's the (mutually) cheapest, quickest way of getting a hold of me whilst abroad: a direct message can be free from the web, but shows up on my mobile wherever I go.
—@atl