Consolidated Social media
Posted by eileenb on November 2, 2009
I was talking to a client today about social media options and going through various tools that she could use to extend her traditional marketing into Digital marketing, and going through the different tools that she could use to get going. I talked about Facebook and Twitter and ways to use each of these.
“Do I need to do both” she said? “They seem very different”
This reminded me of the post on the Twitip blog comparing the two
Facebook appeals to people looking to reconnect with old friends and family members or find new friends online whilst Twitter on the other hand, encourages you grab ideals in byte-size chunks and use your updates as jumping off points to other places or just let others know what you’re up to at any given moment.
On the surface, these seem to be completely different applications: one is for relationships, one is for news. Or is it? There are some great tag clouds here which give definitions of each service. Twitter definitely appeals to the moment, and facebook doesn’t. Or does it?
I think that Twitter can move from point in time status updates to relationships. Several folks who I’ve been having a conversation with entirely on Twitter, have over time moved to email, facebook and LinkedIn relationships. The Twitter notifier from Live Writer, announces each blog post, to Twitter and the facebook app for Twitter, updates facebook. so there’s synergy with my updates across totally different styles of applications. And the interaction from people from both applications suggest that each approach is valuable.
So it’s possible to have links between the immediacy of the Tweet, and the longer relationship from Facebook.
Is any one preferable to the other? Or should a more consolidated and co-ordinated approach be used? you decide 
Hannah Dee said
Hi Eileen,
I generally structure my online social networking through drink. Linkedin is for maintaining connections with people I meet through work or women-in-tech stuff – people I want to be connected to, but who I haven’t socialised with. Twitter is for anyone – my status is public and that’s fine, it’s good for fast interactions, but I haven’t really found a way of getting much depth out of it yet.
Facebook is for friends and family, and of course people move from the “colleagues” group to the “friends” over time, so I have instigated a 2 drink rule:-) If we’ve shared a couple of drinks, I’ll join you on Facebook. If we’ve not yet done that, then I’m happy to connect on Linkedin or Twitter.
I don’t use a tool for multiple posting, as the audiences are different – I also don’t do the “new blog post” updates automatically because I think it’s good practice to ensure you have some descriptive text when posting a link to twitter and I like to craft that myself. Maybe I’m being a bit of a control freak about that, but I’m not going to click on a shortened link without a decent indication of where it points, so I wouldn’t expect my readers to either.
Cheers,
H.
eileenb said
Hannah,
I love the 2 drink rule! what a great way to define levels of security access to your world. My Twitter strangers, through interaction, move to Facebook eventually and then onto text, face to face and the 2 drinks – so perhaps I have it in different order to you.
I share much more on Facebook that Twitter as my Facebook relationships are much better qualified than anything that Twitter can do.
But I share the most after the 2 drinks
Allister Frost said
I have a drinks rule too. I’ll add anyone to my Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn friends’ list if they buy me a drink.
If they buy me two I’ll even follow their updates.
However, if they buy me three, I generally forget we ever met.
eileenb said
Allister, you epitomise the very essence of a great social media guru. Generally found in the middle of groups – in bars – being very social.
I’ll look forward to our next Social Media meetup – and the drinks!