What is Twitter all about?

Twitter Logos

According to Twitter.com, Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called "Tweets." It's an easy way to discover the latest news related to subjects you care about.

According to Webopedia.com, Twitter is a free social messaging tool that lets people stay connected through brief text message updates up to 140 characters in length. Twitter is based on you answering the question "What are you doing?" You then post thoughts, observations, and goings-on during the day. Your update is posted on your Twitter profile page through SMS text messaging, the Twitter Web site, instant messaging, RSS, e-mail, or through other social applications and sites, such as Facebook.

Twitter Terms to Understand (Webopedia.com):
Following - following someone on Twitter means you subscribe to their Tweets as a follower, and their updates will appear on your Twitter page.  In addition, the person you are following is able to send you direct messages.

Hashtag - hash tag or hashtag is a way of organizing your Tweets for Twitter search engines. Users simply prefix a message with a community driven hash tag to enable others to discover relevant posts. One commonly used hash tag on twitter is #followfriday where users network by providing the names of their favorite people to follow on Twitter.

Interesting Twitter Reading:  The Official Twitter Blog

New Users:  Twitter 101: Getting Started with Twitter

Frequently Asked Questions of New Twitter Users: