As with most innovations, adoption takes time, depending on how useful people find it.

So by now everyone has heard of and possibly used Twitter, so I’m not going to explain all the in’s and out’s of it (look here for some clarity). If you have kept an ear to the ground you would probably have noticed a lot more people you know talking about Twitter as well as formulating opinions on its usefulness or in some cases uselessness. Irrespective of your stance is on Twitter, there is growing majority of people that are taking it seriously and are using it to communicate not only in the Twittersphere but are making it part of their everyday life.

Some that I have found quite interesting have to do with people twittering in emergency situations. An unconfirmed picture posted on Mashable shows an emergency procedure in the case of a fire. The thing that makes it different from the usual fire action boards is that it instructs the reader to NOT use Twitter.

Arnold Schwarzenegger makes regular use of Twitter and has himself used it to inform the public of an emergency situation. Arnie’s personal jet had to make an emergency landing when the cockpit mysteriously filled with smoke. He tweeted about the experience when he was safely out on the runway.

Although Arnie has a huge reputation, the story that brought most attention to the fact that people were considering Twitter as a way to inform others of their emergency was the case of James Buck. James was arrested in Mahalla, Egypt, whilst covering an anti-government protest. He whipped out his phone on the way to the police station and tweeted “arrested”, which his friends picked up on and informed contacts that he was being detained. He was even able to update while at the police station, keeping everyone updated on his situation.

Whatever your thoughts are on Twitter, it has shown its value not only as a social network but also as a tool for everyday life. I don’t personally condone using twitter when you are in a pinch, but it cant hurt to tell as many people as possible when you need help.