When you access your Twitter account, do you ever think that one of the tweets to come from a car? A recent New York Times blog examines the possibilities of AJ, a new 2011 Ford Fiesta with a personality. The test car for company engineers who are exploring the boundaries of possibilities when a car is connected to the Internet – and Twitter.

In May, AJ was driven by a team of Ford engineers from Ann Arbor, Michigan to San Mateo, California to take part in the Makers Faire. On the road, AJ went about sending out Twitter messages. While most of the messages were about mundane things, such as “time to put the headlights on,” readers described the tweets as “joyful.”

AJ actually sends the messages on its own, programmed to interact with the social networking site. The software driving the app is known as the “Auto”matic Blog. The app taps into the available data on the car, such as telemetry information. The app will also grab information from the windshield wipers, steering input, GPS data and correlates the information with live information pulled from the Internet.

As a result, AJ’s software can combine real-time traffic notices regarding the congestion of its current situation and weather forecasts. The message sent to Twitter might be something like, “Stuck in traffic; not looking forward to next 50 miles, either.”

This Twitter app is one of many different connected software options Ford engineers tested. The group also ran the location-based Foursquare (News - Alert) app that allowed the car to automatically check the team in at restaurants and tourist locations, as well as send pictures. A program developed by the University of Michigan called Caravan Track was also tested. This app allows a group of followers to be notified of friends’ locations and conditions that may be in their path.

Of course, some wonder why anyone would use such apps, especially when you can already gain the access you need on a smartphone. Plus, Ford has announced that it will enable phone apps to connect to its cars, like third-party programs to use a vehicle’s built-in controls on connected Android (News - Alert) phones.

Will AJ act much like the Subarau set to offer WiFi? There are applications for this social networking technology, but will it be accepted into the mainstream? While many of us would love to be checked into our destination before we arrive, will we invest in a car that will do it for us?