Press, who installs satellite TVs for DISH Network, follows 103 users, mostly news outlets that include CNN and The New York Times. He also follows individual reporters and commentators, such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who updated his Twitter feed from Haiti before going on air giving his users first-hand accounts of the events in the earthquake-ravaged nation. Press uses an application on his Blackberry to check his Twitter account regularly, but rarely updates his own feed.

Fitness consultant Susan Kasper started using Twitter for fun about a year ago, but she quickly turned the Web site into a business tool for a writing career. “I love what I do and I love the fact that it’s out there for the using,” said Kasper, who is also a group exercise writer for Examiner.com and posts links to her articles on her Twitter feed.

Kasper said she hasn’t directly benefiting from using Twitter, but said, “I think in seeing that the [number of] people who are following me has gone up is an intrinsic benefit,” she said. “I think that in order for me to develop a cache within in the industry it has benefited me.”

Unlike Press, Kasper only follows a handful of users, from the White House to WomensHealth.gov. She said that like the mail that comes to your house, most Twitter feeds are junk and include unimportant information.

Long Beach real estate agent Leah Rosenberg also uses Twitter for business. “It’s just a great way to be out there,” said Rosenberg, an agent for Weissman Realty. “It’s a way for me to reach buyers and sellers from everywhere.”

Rosenberg jumped on the bandwagon less than a year ago when she began diving into social media to expand her business. She tweets often, posting messages every time she sells or closes on a property. She also includes recent listings and inspirational messages.

Her clients will often post positive feedback on her feed, which she said helps her reputation as an agent. “When they’re following success that’s who [future clients] want to work with,” she said.

Tweeting afforded her a chance to write an article about Long Beach cooperative apartments for the Sunday edition of The Times. “Would I have gotten that article [without Twitter]?” she said. “I don’t know.”