I've finally caught up to the rest of the 21st century and joined Twitter. You can follow me as 'jamesshore'. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like it so far; I already feel more connected to the community. I used to get that sense of connection by following mailing lists, but for the last few years there's been way too much traffic for me to keep up with.

Now that I'm tweeting, I'd like to know more about my audience. I know that I can tweet any way I like, but I'd like to hear about your preferences. When you follow someone, do you like to hear about personal aspects of their life ("Kids were cute today. I love working from home!") or would you rather just see tweets that are more impersonal? How often do you like to see tweets?

I could also use some tips on how you use Twitter. I'm currently using Twitteriffic on MacOS and moTwit on PalmOS. Which tools do you prefer? Are there any hidden gems or tricks that I should know about? Who do you follow that I shouldn't miss?

You can leave your advice in the comments. Thanks!