Twitter. When it comes to creating a snapshot of this online zeitgeist, Sprint perhaps put it best recently, in their new ad dubbed ‘What’s Happening.’

“233,000 people just Twittered on Twitter,” the announcer reports. “26-percent of you viewing this have no idea what that means.”

Indeed, Twitter is a still-evolving phenomenon that has some staunch followers — CNN, Ashton Kutcher, and Oprah Winfrey among them — as well as some naysayers. But, most people out of the Twitter loop are merely stymied by this new, micro-blogging craze. The basic idea is to relay, or Tweet, what you’re doing in 140 characters or less. From a business and marketing stand-point, it’s a robust outlet for asking questions (and getting answers), promoting new work, and creating an overall dialogue within the Twittersphere.

The underlying theory behind Twitter is that we’re all more interesting than we think, and Tweeting something as simple as the new recipe you tried for dinner last night could lead to someone clicking over to your company’s Web site. From there, the rest is gravy.

Essentially, It’s all about seeking out, forging, and building relationships. Twitter opens one’s world to thousands, if not millions, of people they would otherwise never know, and speeds up word-of-mouth, ‘tell two friends’ advertising. As such, social media sites like Twitter can be powerful business tools that are also personally enriching.

It’s best to research ‘Twittequette’ before diving in, though – for a great primer on Twitter for business, check out Michael Gasses’ Fuel Lines blog.