In another installment of ‘getting to know Jess’ and after many great Twitter conversations created around @rachelreuben‘s conference Tweeting, I’m attaching links to a few choice publications that I authored in my previous position. I think they are still relevant in the conversation of ‘is social media worth it’, especially for low income families.
How College Access Marketing Campaigns Can Utilize Social Networking Web Sites
Creating a Strategy for Community Engagement
Ah, and here we are again: people complaining about how Facebook has changed its layout yet again. Think about it: did you end your account last time? No. You probably used it more.
As for the suggestion that FB wants to be the ‘new’ Twitter, its impossible. People who Twitter do not equal those who FB. Even though to some they seem interchangeable, they are in no way such.
Yes, I agree, the new home page for your FB account does seem a bit Twitter-esque but at the same time is a baby step towards Twitter for those who are social media newbies. Maybe it will facilitate more people understanding Twitter, but wont take the place of.
Not sure about you, but I enjoy Twitter for its compactness. Its simplicity. Its sole purpose. I dont have to follow all convo’s if I dont want to. I am not inundated with apps and chain letters. If you do something rivaling that, I simply unfollow you. Case closed.
Twitter for me is immediate. Its taken the place of blogging, FB’ing – except for keeping up with people who do not Twitter -, and reading my RSS feeds. I get everything in one quick stop. I find new people more easily. I respond much quicker.
Has the new FB affected you? Do you think it rivals Twitter in any way?
With all of the recent Tweets regarding who to follow, how to follow and why to follow its made me think a lot about what Twitter means to me. There have also been just as many, if not more, posts about Facebook: what content to feed to your wall, privacy settings for business contacts, etc. Which leads me to: whats the big deal?
I’ve found that people respond to the fact that I have constant content additions from a number of places. Even those who do not live and breathe social media find some information useful, funny or thought provoking and tell me so with a message. Past business acquaintances comment on my new dog or family members post follow ups to Friendfeed items posted for work from Google Reader. Isnt the cross pollination what social media is all about? The greater spread of information in a quicker format?
Further, I dont know if I subscribe to many of the ‘gain tons of followers’ or ‘get the most out of Twitter/Facebook’ posts that I’ve seen. I feel its much more organic. “If you use it they will come”, if you will. Just like losing weight, I dont believe there is a quick fix or magic equation.
As I said in my previous post, I find that I learn more from people that I dont necessarily have a common bond with than those that I do. I’ve learned more about myself by disagreeing and having a thoughtful discourse than by engaging in ‘yup’ comments tirelessly. Its made me carve out what social media, or anything, really means to me. Having more followers than I can probably handle makes this even clearer: I find that what I’m drawn to may not be what I originally thought I would be. The need I feel to comment on something is much stronger that the feeling that I have to comment.
How often do you disagree with people? Do you follow/friend those much different from yourself or stick with those who are like minded/of the same industry?
