Twitter is an interesting and practical real-time messaging system for groups and friends.

Twitter is an online service that enables any agent to broadcast short messages to your friends (prospects) or "followers." It also lets you specify which Twitter users you want to follow so you can read their messages in one place.

A popular Twitterer (Credit: socialmarketingexpert.org)

Twitter is designed to work on a cell phone as well as on a cPC. All Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters, so each message can be sent as a single SMS alert. You can't say much in 140 characters you say? Wel...that's part of Twitter's charm.

Twitter is useful for close-knit groups (although there also are some fairly large mobs on Twitter). If you follow your friends, and they follow each other, you can quickly communicate group-related items, such as "I'm going to the Fridays on Fourth Street, come on along."

If you enter items into Twitter, they can be private if you so desire, so only friends you've authorized can see them. Items can also be made public, which means anyone who knows your Twitter ID can read and subscribe to them.

Best of all Twitter is free.

Reason #1 - Update your customers/(prospcts) members on what's new with your bizz- it can be done via RSS. Keep 'em in the loop  (http://twitter.com/SocialMtgExpert)