You've heard the hype about Twitter, maybe even wondered why your friends suddenly have an obsession with birds given all their talk about Tweeting. Welcome to the world of micro-blogging. We know you have questions and we'll let the folks at Twitter introduce themselves in their own words:

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Why Twitter?

Why? Because even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends, or colleagues -- especially when they're timely.

• Eating soup? Research shows that moms want to know.
• Running late to a meeting? Your co-workers might find that useful.
• Partying? Your friends may want to join you.

How do I Twitter?

With Twitter, you can stay hyper-connected to your friends and always know what they're doing. Or, you can stop following them any time. You can even set quiet times on Twitter so you're not interrupted.

Twitter puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload.

Still a little confused? Check out this video from Twitter to learn more.

Hop over to our Twitter page to learn more about following Boston.com on Twitter.