Do Twitter Users Really Want To Make Phone Calls?Do Twitter Users Really Want To Make Phone Calls?

Today Twitter is rolling out a new beta service that will allow users to call one another. Calls will be limited to just two minutes, and users need to follow each other. Celebrities beware?Twitter can be a useful tool. I use it as an alternate RSS feed and chat room all rolled into one. In the nearly two years that I've been on board, I've seen many news stories spread through Twitter long before mainstream media outlets take notice. For that reason, I find it valuable. Each user probably has their own reason or reasons to value what Twitter offers.

Twitter has always been mobile. It encourages people to post updates from their phones, rather than from behind a PC. Now, Twitter is looking to move the conversation offline.

A new service will allow Twitter users to call one another (really a two-way voice chat) through Twitter, without the need for telephones. The service is being powered by Jajah. Both parties attempting to complete a call have to follow each other on Twitter, and have Jajah accounts.

The service will be free to use, and will work on any device that can run Twitter, be it a desktop, laptop or smartphone.

If you're thinking this is your big change to start talking directly to celebrities on Twitter, think again.

The voice chats won't require anyone to exchange phone numbers, allowing people to maintain some sort of privacy. One person places the call request, and the other has to accept it before it is put through. If that person is not online or logged in, the call won't be completed.

Twitter is going to keep conversations short. Don't expect to be able to chat all day long. Two minutes is all you're going to get.

I can't say that I really need to connect this way to my Twitter friends. I already know the bulk of them in real life and have access to their contact info anyway. Still, I am sure plenty of people will relish the new-found conversational powers offered here.