Twitter launches Earlybird account for special discounts

Twitter has launched the new @earlybird account, dedicated to announcing special deals and discounts to followers. Maybe this new angle will turn out to make the social networking site some actual money. Or maybe not.

According to CNN International, the time-sensitive deals will revolve around tech, travel, entertainment and fashion. Anyone who wanted to advertise a discount would need to pay.

Actually, a lot of businesses have set up their own Twitter accounts and do this already. Just yesterday, Virgin America announced a deal for $33 airfares for one day only on its Twitter account ahead of the mass e-mail. The immense traffic crashed the site, and it remained slow for hours after it went back online. Yet, unlike VA, not all of those businesses are "verified accounts," so at least this way you'd know the deal is legit.

This actually seems like a good way to advertise things, so long as you can condense the main idea into 140 characters (including a link). I've often heard a lot of naysayers say, "Oh, what's the point of Twitter? It seems stupid." Yes, at times it can be juvenile, but it is a great place to find specials on airfares, clothing and links to news articles that might get lost in the shuffle elsewhere. The @earlybird account probably won't be enough to finance Twitter alone for years to come, but it's a decent start.

Will you follow @earlybird for news on special deals? Or is Twitter really just for twits?