Who would have thought that a spandex suit and a cape will end you up in the Technology section of The Wall Street Journal?

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When 25-year-old Justin Rockwell was laid off from his job as a Web developer last fall, he began scrounging for freelance gigs. He also found himself spending a lot of time on Twitter, answering Web development problems for fellow Twitterers.

Eventually, Mr. Rockwell realized there was a market for his services on Twitter. Now he spends his days trolling the site for people with Web coding problems, offering to help for a fee.

He’s not making a lot of money yet. But he is a pioneer for what Twitter could become — a forum for real-time answers. Already, journalists such as CNN’s Rick Sanchez are asking their Twitter followers to suggest interview questions, and many companies such as such as Comcast Corp. are providing customer service on Twitter.

Still, Twitter is evolving and has yet to figure out its business model. “I haven’t heard of this particular guy, but, in general, I’d say we’re fine with this sort of experiment so long as it’s done with good intent,” says Twitter cofounder Biz Stone.

For Mr. Rockwell, like most people, Twitter started a personal branding opportunity: “What sparked the idea was just that I wanted to become well known for what I do well.” Mr. Rockwell’s expertise is in a method of building Web pages called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

So he set up his account in February — Twitter.com/ThatCSSGuy, which shows a picture of a superhero wearing a cape. He figured he would just swoop in and fix people’s development problems.

He finds clients by searching Twitter for keywords related to CSS issues. Once he finds a person tweeting about a Web coding difficulty, he sends out a tweet: Need a hand?

If the tweeter is interested, Mr. Rockwell directs him or her to his Web site which displays a slider with prices ranging from $35 (”Fixed within 3 days!”) to $135 (”Hot damn give me two hours!). “People like to choose their price,” he says.

On his first day in business, he made two sales. In his first week, he made $500. This past month, he raked in $1,400 — all from Twitter referrals.

Mr. Rockwell still relies on additional freelance work to pay the bills, but has been pleased with the results on Twitter. “I fell into this niche,” he says. “Because of the economy, people are trying to do things themselves, but they need a little extra advice to get it done. “

Julia Angwin
Senior Technology Editor, WSJ.com
The Wall Street Journal
@JuliaAngwin