A few more notes on the Twitter.

Remember my last post on this service? Well, I've got a few updates. First, the IM function appears to be working again, which means you can now post to your micro-blog from within AIM or YIM or Gmail chat. If you've got Twitter on your IM, you also receive updates on your IM.

My second item is a bit more interesting. Suppose you're surfing around on the net, and you find a Web site (or photo or video) you want yr pals to look at. A new service called TwitThis allows you to instantly create a Tiny URL and post the link to Twitter. Here's an example.  Your friends would receive the update on their IM service, or on their phone (if they so elect). You know how some people post links on Gchat? Well, this works in much the same way, except that it reaches other people who are on AIM or using their other service. You can read more here.

So why am I bothering you with this? Well, I think Twitter is interesting, because in the next few years, our phones are going to become a lot more useful. For some people, getting a link on their current phone might not make much sense. But if you've got a Sidekick or a SmartPhone (or an Apple iPhone), a tiny link can open a full-featured Web page. Twitter is awfully good for people with cutting edge phones. But Twitter works pretty well even if you never use it on your phone. That's because you can send messages to your pals without leaving your Gmail chat or AIM or whatever. Some of us already do this with our status updates on Gmail. Twitter does the same thing, but with more functionality and more reach.

Okay. That's it. You can find me here. Launchabomb, Brownlee, and Carrie, are on there too, but aren't too active.

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UPDATE: Courtesy of Lifehacker, here's a link to a simple Twitter "HowTo."