Last month, I blogged about how Twittermania is sweeping the nation and making its way into just about everything from politics, sports, entertainment and government.

After several interesting Twitter experiences and a spate of news stories about the micro-blogging service, I felt compelled to post again with an update.

First, on the personal side, I’ve seen firsthand how companies are effectively using Twitter to connect with customers on a personal basis. Just today, I (after reading the PRWeek story mentioned below) decided to contact @comcastcares about my HD signal problems. Within the hour, Frank Eliason – Comcast Director of Digital Care Email and manager of @comcastcares – had replied to me asking if he could check the problem. That’s the kind of responsiveness that helps turn my opinion of a company in a more positive direction.

While in Breckenridge skiing on March 26, I tweeted about the new snow on the mountain. Just 23 minutes later, I received a reply message from @breckenridgemtn wishing me well for a good day of skiing. That’s the kind of response that makes me think this big resort really does want to know what their customers are saying and that they are enjoying their experience.

Sometimes companies don’t choose to engage, but they decide to follow (ie, more closely monitor) you after posting a tweet. After a tweet about watching the 2004 Ironman World Championships replay on Universal Sports HD, @universalsports began following me. Realtors in Breckenridge began following because I posted regularly about the town/resort (one did reply to one of my grumbling tweets about the spotty cell coverage with some advice). And, probably one of the most unusual Twitter followers I’ve gained was @restorehair, who appears to be a purveyor of Rogaine and began following me presumably based on the lack of hair in my profile photo (which I happen to like and am not interested in “restoring” my hair to look like, say, a certain Vice President). @restorehair’s tweets are limited and are simple cut and paste numbers used over and over again. Not the way to engage potential customers, in my view.

In the news today are two interesting stories about Twitter and its impact on the world of public relations and business. First, “How Twitter Saved Public Relations from PR” is a piece by PRWeek examining how the service is helping companies drop the techno-speak and is making them seem more human again. I couldn’t agree more with the notion that press releases that run through a long chain of lawyers, marketers and other pr practicioners before reaching final approval often end up as a mish-mash of utterly useless jargon. Those releases make the company seeking attention appear robotic and detached from the reality of how real people communicate. (Hat tip for tweeting out the story link goes to @michaelturk.)

The second story comes from The New York Times. In “Finding Utility in the Jumble of Tweets,” reporter Claire Cain Miller (@clairecm) examines how people are using Twitter to enrich their lives. There are many practical applications (the one automating tweets every time an unborn baby kicks is a bit unusual) noted in the piece – from companies listening to customer feedback to improve products to doctors sharing information in real time about a surgery. It also notes the coming search box in Twitter, which will make finding new information even more efficient. (Hat tip for sharing this story on Facebook goes to John Chirapurath.)

How are you using Twitter?