So you finally switched from MySpace to Facebook. Maybe now you’re keeping a blog on LiveJournal or Blogger. You may think you’re hip, but in our fast-paced world where technology is constantly advancing, you’re always a step behind. The new social-networking site is Twitter.com and it’s gaining more users every day.

Twitter is a free social networking and “micro-blogging” service that allows users to send and read other users’ updates. The updates are usually, but not necessarily, a response to the question “What are you doing?” These updates, or “tweets,” are text posts up to 140 characters in length. Essentially, it’s like Facebook, if all you could do on Facebook was update your status.

If you look at it that way, now is the perfect time for a site like Twitter. Facebook has become overrun with applications, spammers, and (worst of all) parents and high-school students. Sometimes it can be an hour-long ordeal just to log on to Facebook, update your status, change something in your profile, write on someone’s wall, accept or reject a friend request, join a group, etc. There can be too much going on. So if you’re looking to uncomplicate your online life, Twitter might be right up your alley.

Twitter updates are displayed on your profile page and delivered to other users (“followers”) who have signed up to receive them. Users can receive updates via Twitter.com, instant messaging, text messages, RSS feeds, e-mail and even through Facebook. And for you lucky iPhone owners, there’s a great application called “Twinkle” that, despite its girly moniker, is a strong application for keeping in touch with your Twitter community. It even allows you to see who else is Twittering within a certain mile radius of where you are.

As of July, over 2,200,000 accounts were registered on Twitter. It’s tough to explain to non-users why the site is so popular. From a distance, it seems like a real waste of time, but once you jump in, it’s addictive. Not only can it be used for networking, but it’s also handy for marketing or receiving breaking news. For instance, many Twitterers (Tweeters?) found out that Barack Obama had selected Joe Biden as his running mate via Twitter even before they received their text message from Obama’s Web site.

And speaking of Barack Obama, you can “follow” him on Twitter and receive updates on his daily activities. A number of web celebrities and well-known bloggers are on Twitter, such as “Juno” scribe Diablo Cody and “PC Guy” John Hodgman. These users, followed by hundreds, are often referred to as “Twitterati,” according to Anthony Stevens’ blog “The Pursuit of a Life.”

Give Twitter a chance. It’s a fun way to keep up with friends and get to know new people. Tell us what you’re craving for dinner, how much homework you’ve got to do, how weird that guy on the bus was, or even your profound thoughts on life. The Twitter community wants to know, so get out there and tweet!