Concise, on-the-run blogging

Many social sites let you express your thoughts and creativity, but none compresses that expression with quite the style of Twitter. Sometimes referred to as a live blog, Twitter asks you to share what you're doing right now and makes you do it in 140 characters or less. That's about 25-30 words. Some people just don't get the concept; others love it. No single entry ("gotta grab a latte before the big meeting") tells friends very much, but over time, Twitter logs reveal quite a bit about real life. The fact that users can send messages via mobile phones and arrange meetings on the run makes Twitter even more appealing to folks who like to be in continuous "live" mode online, connected to their friends whatever they're doing. It has become a very popular site this year.

Twitter is just one of the most recent social sites to catch fire. Some fizzle, but many others debut and grow every week. We hope you enjoy exploring the Social Web and find one or two sites that catch your imagination. Tell us about it.