August

Social media websites are abundant and targeted to audiences from the general public to every specific demographic under the sun. Two of the biggest kids on the block are Facebook and Twitter (because who over 13 still uses MySpace?). I have actively used both services for more than a year and both have changed during that time, either in form, or function. It took me quite sometime to figure out what the purpose of each service was and why I might want to participate. Then came the question of why I might keep both accounts.

Facebook is very obviously different from Twitter. Facebook has photo galleries, a place friends can leave messages, tons of applications, games, and interactions with other companies, services, groups, etc. You can use it to send emails to your friends when you may not have their email address (like that old friends from elementary school you just met up with again online). You can share just about any part of your life on Facebook. Obviously, its services are much more robust than those of Twitter. So, why have Twitter at all? And why use both services?

True, Twitter only lets you type 140 characters. That’s it. But it is that simplicity that makes Twitter work. Yes, you can “update your status” on both sites, but Twitter even differs from Facebook here. Any company or group can create a page on Facebook, you can become a “fan” of their page, and then get their updates. But many companies and groups don’t need all the options that Facebook allows. They don’t need a picture page or a wall or applications. All they want is a simple way to send out a short message or a link to something useful. This is where Twitter comes in.

Over time, I realized that, unconsciously, I was using Facebook and Twitter differently. Once I recognized this, I did it purposefully and really benefited from having both services. So what is the difference in how I use them? It’s simple: If I know you personally, we are / were friends face-to-face, or I have come to know you very well online, then I will add you as a friend on Facebook. You will not get added if I knew your brother at school or we went to church together 20 years ago but never had any interaction. For me, Facebook is about personal relationships. I have five or fewer friends on Facebook that I have not met in person.

Twitter is the opposite. While I follow my friends on Twitter, I follow far more people that I have never met and never will meet. I use Twitter to follow people (or companies) that I share similar interests with. @johndobbs and @Tykerman1 (now a celebrity) are people I met on Twitter and, after many chats, became friends with. They are both also friends on Facebook. Tyler is another Facebook friend that I met online through his website, Building Camelot. We are now also friends on Twitter, and I have recently become a guest author on his website.

Email used to be the fastest way to get news. Now I get 90% of my news from Twitter by following news outlets. I get coupons from some photography companies I like. (@BHPhotoVideo, @AdoramaPix, @PopPhoto). I get TONS of links to photography articles and tips from photography websites I follow on Twitter. I have seen some amazing photographs from links I posted by people such as @FotoZine , @NatGeoSociety, @AmazingPics, and @ReutersPictures.

I get weather (however reliable), local information, humor, and sports updates. I follow people on Twitter that I have something in common with, have met through my other Twitter followers, or found from any number of places. These are just people I don’t know personally. And just for fun, I even follow a couple of celebrities (Punky Brewster, Ashton Kutcher)

Much is possible within the scope of 140 characters. It’s not about letting people know when you are going to bed, eating soup, or eating cereal (unless you are @treymorgan). In fact, those are the exact kinds of updates that will PREVENT people from following you. I use Twitter as an information source and connecting with people that I might not know otherwise. Many of the people I follow are Christians and they use their Twitter updates to encourage one another and help keep each other focused on what’s important in this life.

Twitter can be what you make of it. There are many articles on the web about how to use Twitter and “guides for newbies”. To be honest, I’m not sure how everyone else uses Twitter. I have followed and unfollowed many people depending on what value I get from following them. Some rarely post anything, and some get dumped because they “overtweet”. But over the last year, I have found a good mix of followers that keep me informed and entertained.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, get one and try it out for awhile. Fridays are great for finding people to follow because of #FollowFriday. This is where people recommend others for you to follow. So get online, look up your friends, make some new ones, subscribe to some new sources, and maybe even you favorite web sites and bloggers, and see if you can’t find a niche of useful information.

Later this week I will work on what NOT to do on Twitter if you want to get the most out of it.