Twitter introduces 'Fast Follow' using SMS

Twitter has added a few new features to make Twitter even more useful with SMS. The new feature called “Fast Follow” lets you follow people without ever having to sign up, just by sending an SMS “follow xxx” to 40404. Fast Following without creating an account is currently available only in the US, but Twitter is working with carriers to bring it to other countries.

Fast Follow. Anyone in the US can receive Tweets on their phone even if they haven’t signed up for Twitter. This is a simple way for people to get information they care about in real-time. For example, let’s say you want to get Tweets from New York City’s office of emergency management (@NotifyNYC). Just text ‘follow NotifyNYC’ to 40404 in the US.

Try it out the next time you see a Twitter @username at a restaurant or store, on a billboard or on TV, or if you hear one mentioned on the radio. If you want to appear in a user’s followers list or start to get followers, you’ll need to create a Twitter account. You can SMS by texting ‘signup’ to Twitter.

More information about other SMS tips are available from Twitter blog.