SHORT MESSAGES, BIG IMPACT: A CONVERSATION WITH THE FOUNDERS OF TWITTER

In July 2006, Evan Williams and Biz Stone, along with Jack Dorsey, launched a tech company called Twitter.  Twitter started as a social networking and microblogging service, but has recently been described as a source for web search, news, and realtime information.  Twitter's origins lie in a "daylong brainstorming session" that was held by board members of the podcasting company Odeo. During the meeting, Dorsey introduced the idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group.  Basically, the idea was a SMS text message not for one person, but for the masses.

Dorsey said, "We came across the word 'twitter,' and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds.' And that’s exactly what the product was."  The service allows users to send and read other user messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page.  All users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, external applications, or by Short Message Service (SMS) available in certain countries. 

If you'd like to see Twitter in action, we suggest visiting these user pages for real world examples:

@skollieaspen  /  @biz  /  @ev  /  @jack  /  @aspeninstitute

Watch the video of the conversation with Williams and Stone at the Aspen Ideas Festival below.

ADDITION: QUOTES FROM THE 2010 ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL