The current darling of the media industry, media pundits everywhere are mulling over the attributes of Twitter at the moment. Some are confused and others critical although most are converted to the social networking craze - but whatever their stance, they're writing about it. Its commercial prospects, reporting possibilities, political potential and communicative advantages are all under scrutiny.

Currently without a business model, Twitter isn't a profit-making machine. Yet. It has just received its third round of funding, a reported $35 million. Co-founder Biz Stone has explained that the extra capital will enable the company to further develop the site and create "revenue-generating products". On the other side of the fence, companies are increasingly using Twitter as a form of advertising and marketing - not always in line with 'Twitter etiquette', but that's a whole different argument. The site is particularly favoured by newspapers and other such publications.

In an article on her blog, regular Twitterer Sarah Hartley explains why the platform is essential for journalists by answering the top 5 excuses they have for not using it - to "I don't have anything to say that would interest anyone else," she responds "Are you in the right job?". Guardian writer and very active Twitter user Jemima Kiss today bit back at references to Twitter as a one-way publishing tool and described it as "a constructive, two-way medium that allows individuals to share ideas and make connections". New York Times writer David Pogue is now a complete convert, despite initial reluctance, and urges others to give it a go - "Don't knock it till you've tried it".

As a political tool Twitter is increasingly embraced, both by politicians looking to communicate with the public, and by citizens wanting an outlet for their opinions. Barack Obama helped kick start the Twitter trend with his constant use of the site during his election campaign and around his inauguration, and London Mayor Boris Johnson is also a regular user. With regard to political causes, the most talked about topic on Twitter at the moment is the '#blackout' campaign about New Zealand copyright laws. Stephen Fry (second only to President Obama in terms of Twitter followers) leant his support and encouraged his followers to do the same, by blacking out their profile pictures. The publicity and support for the campaign has spiralled since being picked up on by Twitterers.

These are just three uses of Twitter that fall within a much wider spectrum, and new methods for harnessing the benefits are appearing daily. The search.Twitter page allows users to follow one specific topic rather than all their followers, the increasing number of applications give more scope to tailor Twitter to your information needs. However Twitter is still a fairly basic model; 140 characters describing what you're doing. This is at once both part of its charm and its limitation, and whether or not this should or will change is up for debate. Writing about Twitter is somewhat of a media trend at the moment, and whilst undeniably a ground-breaking tool it is always important not to believe all the hype. As David Pogue points out in his article, "Twitter is precisely what you want it to be".

Source: Paid Content, The Hartley Blog, The Guardian, New York Times