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We’ve all seen Twitter grow into the company that it is now, but what was it like when it first started — back when it was still called Odeo, and Twitter wasn’t in existence. As we know, Twitter was spun off from Evan William’s company Odeo, into what we know now as Twitter, the social networking service where you post short messages in 140 characters or less.

Dom Sagolla was one of the employees who worked at Odeo, transitioned to Twitter, and was subsequently laid off in the early days of the company. He recently wrote the book 140 Characters, which is mainly a style guide for the super-short form writing, and a concise field manual that will help you be more effective when communicating in small spaces, like on Twitter. The book also has a foreword from Twitter creator and Square CEO, Jack Dorsey. Sagolla is also using Square to sell his book on the go with his iPhone as well.

Sagolla is the founder of DollarApp, an iPhone development company that makes applications for $0.99. He is also the co-founder of iPhoneDevCamp, an international iPhone development conference which is coming up on it’s fourth conference this year.

What’s interesting about the book is that it comes with a companion iPhone application developed by Sagolla’s company, DollarApp. [iTunes link] The application lets you read the book on your iPhone, as well as a comment on the book via Twitter.

I’ve read the book now, and I have to say — it’s a really interesting read. It goes in depth about different styles on Twitter, and how different styles really affect the way we read tweets. For example, different styles go from comedy tweets that entertain, all the way to drama and poetry. For instance, @TheEllenShow is known for her one-liners.  These different styles reflect on how different users tweet, and distinguish themselves from others.

Oh, and I found out one of my tweets is quoted in the book! You can get on the app on the App Store today, and buy the book on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Borders and of course, online.

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Continue Reading: An Inside Look At A Twitter Style Guide: 140 Characters

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