Social Cache.
A Nemo blog. Dealing with uncommon cents.

Image from Blog of Mr Tweet.

Recently on the blog known as MrTweet a question was posed – “How are you using Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter differently?”

If I had been asked I would have responded as follows: Those three networking platforms can be grouped into a historical context – Facebook past, Linkedin future/present, and Twitter future.

Facebook is the past. I have been a member of Facebook for what seems like an eternity but in fact it has been a little under two years. I have 1,472 “friends” as of writing and it’s fair to say that I only know about 15% of these “friends” very well. As a minor music celebrity I have attracted a lot of musicians, bands and labels. As Director, Insights & Digital Media at Nemo and as someone who speaks regularly at conferences on social media as well as online music issues, I have attracted those cohorts too. Just this past week my sister and brother who still reside in the UK joined Facebook and brought along with them various nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts and uncles. I now have no excuse for not being in touch with my family more regularly – technology shortens the distance between us. On Facebook that is not necessarily a good thing.

Facebook is historical white noise to me. I am constantly tagged in pictures and videos and more often than not in an unflattering light. There I am at a wedding in 1987 clearly drunk, and there I am in some unnamed establishment sitting next to some old girlfriend who is probably mortified to see that photo in such a public forum after all these years. [Insert landscape and memory essay here.] I have spent many hours un-tagging myself in photos and videos just to have someone tag them right back after I’ve moved along. One day soon I fully expect to find a video of myself dancing naked on a table at a party. And that’s what is wrong with Facebook for me; the complete lack of control of message, my message.

Facebook really is for college students who want to catalogue images and videos of their crazy drunken selves for all the world to see; images they will live to regret when applying for a job. Closing your account is the only means of control on FB.

For the more mature types on Facebook [apparently there has been a surge of new members in the 40+ demographic] there is the shock of discovering that all those folks in high school or college -the ones that you had left behind and wiped from memory – are now waiting in your email inbox as “friend” requests. There was of course a reason for leaving all that behind. I could go on. Clearly Facebook is best left to the young who actually seem to enjoy being stalked across social networks.

Linkedin is Future/Present. Linkedin I term as future/present because I use it to store current details about my career activities [present]. I have built a decent network of like-minded business people with whom I can share job opportunities and details of event activities and/or my role within Nemo [future client work.] There are useful forums where I can post a topical question and via the crowdsourcing effect of Linkedin I often receive a lot of very intelligent answers [I wouldn't try this on Facebook for e.g.]

Linkedin is a dry world whereas Facebook is a week at the beach in Mexico during Spring Break. Linkedin is quiet time in the study where you get things done. It really is all business.

This brings me to Twitter. Although millions of users are on the Twitter platform its audience is in the low millions compared to FB and LI. Many of my peers who open a Twitter account leave me a message soon after joining that invariably includes the phrase “I don’t get it…” Fair enough, but hey everyone what is it you want to get? If you want to have a tool that is the perfect blend of Facebook [without Spring Break] and Linkedin [without retiring to the study] then Twitter is for you.

Twitter put simply is micro-blogging. Used wisely Twitter gives your followers a real-time window into your social, business and working world down to the minute. Use it unwisely you will find yourself in a lonely corner of Twitter twittering to yourself with a dunces hat on. I put Twitter in the future column even though other social media types put it in the present because I believe that when it is used purposefully it has a transcendental power and therefore we will see it being used much more widely in future.

And by purposefully I mean by intent which then leads to a question – what are your goals when using social media? Remember, we have to put technology to one side, this is not about technology it is about doing something that comes very naturally to all human beings [sociopaths excepted,] – it’s called socializing. Technology has shortened the distance between us but it hasn’t changed why we socialize. It is worth noting that Twitter is arguably more successful than any other social network platform for helping to get offline groups organized around conferences and such – they are known as Tweetups. And for e.g., I know of someone tweeting upon arrival at PDX airport asking for a ride downtown who within minutes was picked up and given a ride from a fellow tweeter – Twitter can be that hyper-local.

On a grander global and political scale, Wikipedia notes: Twitter has been used as a “social justice tool” to connect groups of people in critical situations. On April 10 2008, James Buck, a graduate journalism student at UC Berkeley, and his translator, Mohammed Maree, were arrested in Egypt for photographing an anti-government protest. On his way to the police station Buck used his mobile phone to send the message “Arrested” to his 48 “followers” on Twitter. Those followers contacted UC Berkeley, the US Embassy in Cairo, and a number of press organizations on his behalf. Buck was able to send updates about his condition to his “followers” while being detained. He was released the next day from the Mahalla jail after the college hired a lawyer for him.

Should you be arrested or simply lost just remember Twitter is always at your fingertips – text 40404.

So what’s different about Twitter vs Facebook?

Here’s an answer to that question based on my own use – I see Facebook as a vessel that contains your past – landscape and memory again. FB informs you of your friends’ activities via your email inbox when they change their status. One then links back to FB [unless you happen to always be on your FB account constantly refreshing your browser window,] logs in and reads the status or message. In other words many actions are required to keep in touch with your friends. On the other hand Twitter is a constant feed of information from those that you have chosen to follow. There is an important distinction here – on FB I choose to accept a “friend request” and your request is at the mercy of my keystroke, yes or no? If I key yes then we are “friends” and in my case that decision is made on a whim – I may or may not know you but we’ll see how it goes [sounds like a one night stand in college, right?]

With Twitter “friending” permission is not required – you can follow me if you like, I can follow you if I like. The decision to be or remain followed or un-followed is out of my hands or your hands. The content of our messages or tweets is all that makes us worthy [Think dunce Twittering in the corner..] and Twitter restricts those Tweets to 140 characters. And best of all, if I don’t check in for a day or two I miss the conversation and that’s fine – I am not obliged to be responding to some request ala FB. Nor do I get poked or bitten by a vampire and no one sends me Valentine bear requests. I mean, c’mon!

Twitter profiles are simple too. They consist of 160 character bios and links to the person’s web site. Twitter protocol suggests that having an avatar is more pro than not having one and being anonymous on Twitter creates suspicion.

Twitter has some user practices that are carefully followed unlike other social networking platforms. There is an etiquette in place that may have provided an atmosphere of decorum in what looks at first blush like a frenzied space. Here are some Twitter basics:

If you tweet using a company name, i.e @NemoHQ, don’t tweet only about Nemo – you have an obligation to tweet informative posts that have nothing to do with your company. You should share the sharing. You will gain more respect from your followers that way. Also your tweets will not be considered spam.

To reply to a Tweet that you like just reply to the persons address e.g. @pampelmoose This can keep the conversation moving as other people can look up that users profile to find the thread.

Re-Tweeting – Add the letters RT to the front of the original tweeter’s address and include the original message. For e.g. if it was a message from me that you are RT’ing you would put RT: @pampelmoose Again this keeps a conversation moving. By Re-Tweeting you are getting the conversation in front of your followers and they in turn can RT to their followers creating an exponential audience.

If you want to contact someone directly through Twitter you can Direct Message them as long as they are following you. At Twitter.com you add D in front of the username to message people directly – D @pampelmoose

When someone follows you on Twitter it is good practice to DM them and say thanks for the follow.

It’s ok to ask your followers to spread the word for you by re-tweeting. If they like your tweet content they will, if they don’t they won’t.

By using the # sign you can create search terms that other users can access. For example if I were to write about Nemo I would type #NemoHQ then users can click through to all of the conversations on Twitter that include #NemoHQ You can also monitor what the most popular conversations are by using the Twitter search link.

I recommend reading Guy Kawasaki’s blog as he has great insights into using social network platforms wisely including Twitter.

As this post was inspired by Mr Tweet’s questions we can now come full circle back to his blog and two comments on this subject that he highlighted:

Featured Comment by Heather Rasley

They’re vastly different platforms with vastly different goals. Here’s how I use each:

Facebook: Have been on it since undergrad, and have a large network. It was once more important to me, but now I don’t check in too often and don’t take it seriously.

Sometimes I’ll have wall exchanges with friends, which are almost exclusively based on inside jokes. Status updates are rarely related to anything I’m actually doing. I’ll add someone new when I meet them, if only to feel more “connected.”

Sometimes I’ll send messages to folks I don’t have other contact info for. It’s great for rekindling old/lost connections. I don’t share anything there (or anywhere) that I would be ashamed of.

LinkedIn: Purely professional, and not used often. Very rarely send messages or take part in other social activity, aside from adding new coworkers / associates / friends to my network and replying to any requests sent to me. Any actions I take there are explicitly toward the end of building my professional persona / furthering my career. To me, it feels cold. Interactions there typically aren’t very rich.

Twitter: Used for a blend of personal/social and professional use. I’m highly aware of the public and repostable nature of my tweets.

Content posted varies from where I am at the moment, to work-related links, to tweets about personal projects, to quotes and other links that I personally enjoy. I like it because it’s malleable.

I think people tend to understand that what they’re seeing is a glimpse of me as an entire person. @s and DMs are effective for quick, asynchronous communication between acquaintances.

I’ve met lots of new people in the real world through Twitter (”Oh, you like that, too? Let’s meet.” “Oh, you’re there, too? Let’s meet.”)

Featured Comment By Dean Kakridas

Here is how I currently utlize the ‘Big 3′:

Facebook: ‘rekindling and repurposing the past’.

Primarily used with close friends, family and colleagues I interface or have interfaced with in the physical world.

Twitter: ‘present day by day social stimulus for personal and professional betterment.’

Here, I am actively looking for key inputs to drive my lifestyle design while reciprocating the same with friends and followers.

LinkedIn: ‘all about future interactions with people and parts unknown‘.

This is the shiny and professional looking profile that stays consistent and concrete–hopefully a buoy and beacon for perpetual professional good standing and hope for financial prosperity.

So past, present and future aspects of my life are well served by these three bastions of digital social connectedness.

Although Twitter has been around since March 2006 it has recently erupted in popularity and is covered in the media almost daily. In other words Twitter has become the buzz word du jour and with that comes scorn and derision as well as support. Those that don’t get it dismiss it is a gimmick, and those that do, use it as a very useful business tool.

The social media arena is fast-moving and ever-evolving but the one constant is people. Without people there is no such thing as social media. As the Philippines-based web site Mindanao Examiner points out: …social media today is a pure mess: it has become a collection of countless features, tools, and applications fighting for a piece of the pie. and goes on to say We’re moving away from “users,” “customers,” and “shoppers”: social media is bringing back the human element to all digital interaction. People now deliberately seek meaningful connection, self-expression, and a relevant and receptive community.

That sounds a lot like Twitter to me.

Here’s a few stories I found on Twitter about Twitter in the media on February 21 2009:

Politico – Conversion of a Twitter Skeptic
The Oregonian – Portland Twitter’s the Oscars
Forbes – Travel Portland Creates Nation’s first Twisitor Center
COED Magazine – 406 Bands Who Twitter
Guy Kawasaki – How To Get ReTweeted
San Francisco Examiner – Twitter Helps You Make Friends With Shaq
Idaho Statesman – Visit Idaho Now on Twitter
The Orlando Sentinel – Twitter and NASCAR Go Together Like Kyle Busch and Auto Club Speedway
San Francisco Chronicle – Mayor Gavin Newsom has a Twitter Account

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More essays from Dave Allen – Thoughts On Social Media

Tags: Facebook, Forbes, Gavin Newsom, Guy Kawasaki, LinkedIn, Mr Tweet, NASCAR, Nemo, NemoHQ, Oregonian, Past Present Future, Politico, Portland, social media, Social Networking, Travel Idaho, Travel Portland, Twitter, Twitter rules

This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Blogging, Nemo Design, PR 2.0, Web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.