Twitter (!)... Can someone tell me what it is about and what people are looking for there?

[just "JR"]

I am developing a complex site that needs to access various social networks.
For this, I have to register with a great majority of these and find out how they work.
Not being a social network addict, I can't understand what people are looking for in these, but I am learning!
I am now analysing Twitter, and I really can't make head or tail of it!
I go to my page, and find a people "I follow", just to see multiple, irrelevant entries that have no meaning (except an obvious advertising trend).
So...
If you have a twitter account "well developed", I would like to follow you, to find out WHY I should "follow you"!
On the other hand, I would like to know what is your experience when you go on Twitter, and how does your "page" looks like!
If you are good enough with it, please, grab a screen image of what you are looking at and send it to me: I'll set-up an upload on http://www.jrcw3.com this afternoon.
Your comments on WHY and HOW you are using twitter would also be an invaluable feedback!
(I have seen so many questions here about twitter that I am REALLY puzzled!)

[modulo_function]

I like Twitter. It's usefullness for me is all in the people or groups that I follow.

I follow

Paul Krugman at NYT
a couple of different NASA sites, especially the APOD, Astronomy Picture of the day
SFExaminer, the newspaper here in SF
Stever Martin, the comedian
JimmyFallon
Roger Ebert
Many science, economics, and social commentary sites like Mother Jones, Salon, Slate,
...Scientific American, Gizmodo, Cnet....


Various government and commercial sites that I'm interested in.

I log on and look through the tweets to see if anyone has posted anything that I might be interested in. If so then I click it to read it.

Two local transit systems I follow: BART and CalTrain.

Following me won't do you much good since I don't really have anyting to say. However, if you follow me then you get to see a list of who I follow and can, if you want, follow them too.

For me, it reminds me of a teletype in a news room that's bringing in news.

My recommendation:
It usefulness is all in who you follow. Use the search feature and search for things like
'aviation', 'flying', 'Nasa', 'science', etc....Then follow some.

It's easy to follow and 'unfollow' someone so start following and you can winnow your list down anytime. Also, when you follow someone Twitter shows you who you both follow and also suggests others that you might want to follow.

[Benedikt]

i am NOT on twitter,neither face book or any other sites that are apparently and supposedly 'in' and if you do not belong to any one of them you are 'out' .
but i am a member, long before Facebook and twitter were here, that is tailored to the needs and wants of the members, not the other way around. one only. and if you maybe count YC as a 'social' network..
the rest want to much of my privacy, are in my opinion 'vain' networks. and in my job ((CHEF) and my age, twitter and face book can do nothing for me if i might look for a job.