All the UK top Twitterati came together this week to talk about Twitter and The future of real time news, a day before it was announced by The Guardian that Twitter has overtaken sites as Linkedin, Digg and Bebo in popularity. Journalists, bloggers, social media advocates and publisher shared and discussed the effects and impact of twitter and other social media tools on mainstream media during Media140. On stage were the following women: Suw Charman-Anderson (suw.org.uk), social media consultant specialising in the use of blogs wikis, and other Web 2.0 tools in business, but better known as the driving force behind Ada Lovelace Day (findingada.com), an international day of blogging, drawing attention to women excelling in technology. And also, Web Development Editor (Business) for The Times, Joanna Geary, Laura Oliver, Senior Reporter, Journalism.co.uk and Joanne Jacobs, Social Media Consultant.

The 13 most important conclusions on Twitter are gladly aggregated by The NextWomen via the hashtag #media140:

1. Twitter is like a curve graph. It starts with cynicism and ends in addiction.
2. The use of Twitter can be: a. Alternative RSS, b. Live blogging tool, c. News monitor, d. Socialising public policy events.
3. Twitter will go from "what are you doing now?" to "what are you seeing with your own eyes?"
4. The 4 stages of Twitter users are curiosity, anxiety, engagement and addiction.
5. Twitter can be a technological partner and changes how a journalist broadcasts work.
6. Twitter causes ideas that people like, find their own momentum and spread without active promotion.
7. Because of Twitter, readers have become news editors.
8. Twitter is used by publishers as an "endless stream of stories" similar to a PA wire.
9. Important complementary tools for Twitter are Qik, Ustream + mob phones + how hashtags enable stream.
10. Once you get asymmetrical on Twitter (on ratio of followers to following), you risk broadcasting instead of conversing,
11. Twitter means that freelancers working alone in the field aren't alone any more.
12. Twittering can bring about democratic change.
13. Twitter can make local news international.