Twitter
I've been playing around with Twitter for the last day or so. I'm not yet sure what it represents, or how I'll use it, but I can already see how it can become addictive.
I've added a feed for my most recent Twitter updates in the right-hand sidebar, just for giggles.
I don't really buy the argument that Twitter is a publication (via Jack Lail), although some news organizations are beginning to leverage it as an alternative, stripped-down means of publishing their RSS feeds (the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the New York Times, and CNN are already doing it, as just three examples). Originally envisioned as a simple "What I'm doing right now" tool, it's quickly morphed into something else: an individualized blend of soapbox, diary, and performance art.
It has the potential to go beyond merely personal publishing or instant messaging. I can see how it could be an invaluable tool in building collaborative communities. For example, imagine how it might be used by emergency response workers in the field. Rather than try to relay radio communications between fire, police, and rescue workers over incompatible systems, Twitter could be used as a means of blasting updates to the mobile phones of all those workers in the event of an emergency.
Human rights workers could use it in the field to coordinate efforts where voice and Internet traffic are monitored and censored. Twitter's SMS text messaging capacity could easily circumvent those barriers, while providing effective anonymity for workers on the scene.
Of course, it's also perfectly suited for its original purpose: "I'm going to get a Coke. Back in a few."