However, what is the purpose of the @ that people use in Twitter and Facebook when they send messages?

[tej]

I'm trying to come out of the dark ages. Presently, I am using Facebook to communicate more easily with my friends. However, I notice that people often use the @ before a persons name.

What is the meaning of this? Does this allow for quicker communication?

[poohbear]

for twitter : if you put the "@" before someone's username (ex. @123) it directly sends them a message .

for facebook : the "@" doesn't mean anything . most likely it's short for at , or they've linked their twitter with facebook . Which means whenever a person updates their twitter , it will automatically update their facebook too .