"The Social Media Big 6: Water Cooler, Working Lunch, or Dinner Party?"
I am a moderator of Social Media Strategy Community on Google+ and this morning a question was posted there:
What's the difference between Facebook, Twitter etc, do you use them the same, is one platform different to another or is it just a matter of personal preference?
So I typed a very quick response outlining the major differences.
And following the positive response it received, then promptly turned it into a blog post:
Twitter is the water cooler moment, brief quick chats with people you hardly/or don't know (yet)- great for making new contacts, developing new business relationships.
It's a great first stage contact, with those you get great connections with you can move communications to phone/Skype/email/meeting face to face.
Facebook- is a dinner party you know who the guests are (you've invited them) and you can have a more in depth (longer) discussion.
It's for showing your guests your holiday photos, "look at where I've been"...
Oh, and it's also for sharing pictures of kittens.
Google+ Facebook for geeks, nerd, techy minded Google fans. And increasingly for those of us who don't appreciate Facebooks continuing restriction on who sees which of our posts, and what we see in our newsfeeds.
Linked In is your online CV- groups are for discussing areas of your industry, network by adding value & showcasing your expertise. Get connected to people key to your business through introductions from your own network (6 degrees of separation).
Linked In is for professional networking, connecting with your peers, people you'd like to work with (including clients/ suppliers for those in business themselves)
Blog: This is your platform, you provide the content, you control the platform, you moderate the comments, you create the traffic.
A showcase for your business and expertise.
What's that? You don't have a blog you say? Oh...
YouTube often misunderstood- it's a valuable networking tool too- leave comments, subscribe to people etc.
Also (of course) superb for showing people visually how awesome you are :)
Or for flying kites wearing a cookie monster hat on Parliament Hill overlooking London on Christmas day.
Listen to free Social Media for Business Podcast by Claire Boyles
Claire Boyles and Adam Wilson discuss the basic success patterns, platforms, and strategies to follow when getting into social media. Is it really for everyone? How should you decided how much resource to dedicate to it? What results can you expect?
In this TBJ Podcast you'll learn, what platforms are suitable for your business, what kind of messages you should be posting to generate results.
Claire Boyles is a Business Consultant and Professional Speaker, she specialises in providing coaching and training those transitioning from Employee to Entrepreneur.
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