Twitter: A Few Things I Like About It

1. It is simple. It doesn't impose much on you. It provides a layer of social network / public IM on top of what you already use. Unlike Facebook, it doesn't try to replace a lot of the tool you already use; it doesn't try to be the your only destination to do everything online.
2. It is public. Most of what is going on on Twitter is entirely public. It isn't siloed; it isn't made available to circle of friends you choose. The fact that every twit is public, archived, and searchable keeps people honest.
   
3. 140 characters forces all us to be concise, to go directly to the point.
4. It is open: you can access or post on Twitter from a number of different software and devices. Use text messages, www.twitter.com from your desktop browser, m.twitter.com from the browser on your phone, or an application like Twitterrific (native on the Mac) or Twirl (AIR).
   
5. You only see twits from people you decide to follow. People can direct message you (send you a private twit), but only if you follow them. This keeps spam out of the system.