It has been called at the same time a frivolous toy and the most powerful tool on the Internet. Twitter is responsible for revolutions, both political and social, and responsible for blurring the line between public and private like never before.

For those in the “Twitterverse,” it’s bringing about a new way for people to meet IRL (in real life). This meeting is called a “tweetup,” and it lets people who may spend hours a day together over Twitter finally meet, face to face.

One such tweetup was held June 1 at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, bringing Twitter friends and fans of the Tacoma Rainiers together for an evening of drinks, food and fun.

Limiting users to 140 characters at a time in their messages, Twitter is a worldwide message board, personal text message site and instant messaging service rolled into one compact package. Users can find like-minded people by following their favorite sports team, searching for “tweets” (messages) with their city or town in them, or by following a Twitter tool called hashtags, which allow people to view a stream of tweets on a particular topic.

Unlike Facebook, where you “friend” someone or “like” a page, Twitter is about following. A user follows people and profiles they like, and in turn, users develop their own group of followers. While this practice has led critics of Twitter to call it a narcissistic venture, many Twitter users see only the ability to connect with anyone around the world.

Kate Hudson (@katehudson1017), a Federal Way resident, tweeted about what drew her to Twitter.

“It allows me to meet new people, share/gain new ideas and connect with people from all over,” Hudson wrote. (Spelling has been corrected)

For user @lilyjaquith, a 17-year-old high school student in Edmonds, Twitter is a chance to communicate with those who would typically fall outside of her social world.

“It’s a great way to connect with people I normally wouldn’t,” she wrote. “And it’s a great place to rant.”

Federal Way’s Aimee Jordan (@aimeethegeek) packed as much as she could into the 140 characters she was given when asked how Twitter appealed to her.

“The true reach, interaction, wealth of information, meeting extraordinary people, community, immediate gratification and fun!” she wrote.

Back at the Hotel Murano, it felt like a high school dance for part of the evening, as people tried to recognize faces from pictures that are often only seen as a tiny icon on a phone. Once people hashed out that they knew who were they talking to, they quickly dropped into easy banter — most of the conversations revolving around managing Facebook pages and Twitter profiles. As the conversation flowed, people would quickly duck their heads, constantly checking their phones, whipping their attention back to whomever they were speaking with after they made sure there were no replies on Twitter or notifications on Facebook.

The Rainiers’ Rhubarb the Reindeer wandered through the crowd, adding a touch of surreality to a night brought together by virtual reality. Old and young alike mixed and mingled, exchanging their Twitter handles, following and friending each other. Drinks quaffed and food consumed, the patrons of this tweetup left Hotel Murano smiling and happy, their cyber friendships now cemented into real friendships.

Whatever Twitter is, toy or tool, mundane or profound, angel or devil, it is here to stay.