Microblogging

So I have been wondering about microblogging. I have heard the term a few times, but never really understood what it is all about.

I suppose the Wikipedia page definition is best, which basically says that microblogging is the act of writing down a small news snippet and publishing it either for public or private view.

This is something that baffles me! In my mind, it would seem as though this system would be a great way to learn a lot of things in very little time. However, citizen journalism doesn't always contain useful, or accurate, information. As such, I don't think that I'd find such a service anything other than time consuming, and, while it would be thought-provoking, it most likely wouldn't be as educational as I'd like it to be.

Google just bought Jaiku, which is a rival of Twitter. I think this site covers the story well: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9793722-7.html.

I supposed there is entertainment value included in a site like Jaiku or Twitter, however I don't believe I receive as much social utility from it as others do.