Twitter and fb

[dulwichgirl2]

Are you on these? Is there any point to twitter for "normal people" who do not have a brand to build? Is there any use to fb other than for gap year students? Surely it is just a fun and slothful way to waste time?! Or maybe I misuse the medium? What do you think?

[GinaG3]

I use both, for promoting my blog and personal use.

Facebook I use to stay in touch and follow what various groups of friends are doing, from school and also from the south coast where I moved when I was 14. I also regularly post pictures of my daughter as all my family members use Facebook, including my grandparents!!! As most family are in Oxford, some in Northen Ireland and are on the coast its a good way of keeping everyone updated in picture form. I also use it to keep up to date with fashion trends, latest products, new companies, various news and events. I also generally use it to be nosey. Don't we all? I have a group page promoting my blog and keep people up to date with new blog posts that way and pictures also. I also give company feedback direct through Facebook.

Twitter I use but in a completely different way. I follow people, yes. Celebrities, yes. But don't ever read my feed so don't know why I bother. I use twitter as a competition addict. I enter hundreds of competitions a week online and a lot are entered via retweeting on twitter. Every little helps! I actually agree with you in the aspect that your average everyday person doesn't need the use of twitter. Facebook is fine. Twitter is the mother of all networking for businesses and new set ups. You can reach thousands of people from a few retweets in the right places. Within an instant your name starts spreading like wildfire. Whether it takes off is a different matter! I use twitter to promote my blog also but admit I have been less than successful, I have more followers on my personal twitter than I have on my 'blogging' twitter 100s of times over. I really don't keep up with it. I'm not fussed for it, so long as I have the power to retweet I'm happy.

For what it's worth, I'm 22. I've used social media since I was 13 maybe even 12. Back then even my friends didn't use social networks, or even have a computer. It was a lonely online world. I suppose I'm part of the social media generation. I love online, I love technology. Surgically attached to iPad and iPhone.

Your truly,

A 21st century gal

X

[veryseriousgirl]

I'm an American expat, so I mostly use facebook to keep up with friencs back home, since I only get to see them once or twice a year. On twitter, I mostly follow funny writers and witty regular people, so I read it when I need a bit of humour to see me through a trying day.

[Saffron]

I use FB for keeping up with family and friends. I don't use my real name on FB (or the EDF), b/c many years ago I had a stalker. Long story, rather tedious. I hope that makes me a little harder to find, unless you know for whom you're looking!

I've been to university in a few different countries (sounds more exciting than it was) and have friends who live and travel globally (lucky b*st*rds!). FB is great for keeping up with everyone. My in-laws in Norfolk have been on FB for years. My MIL regularly beats me at FB scrabble and the like, sigh. And sometimes we play FB scrabble together with my husband or other friends. It's fun b/c we don't see each other often, so it's a nice way to socialise from a distance, which is one of the great things about social media.

My parents are retired and live in the States. They only recently joined FB and still aren't too savvy about how to use social media. They like email, and also Skype. Video calls are great.

I opened a Twitter account but hardly ever use it. I don't work in marketing or branding, and I don't follow Personalities. I like to read news online but generally straight from the news websites themselves. I have a LinkedIn account too, but I haven't found it useful. The type of work that I do benefits from a lot of personal interaction, communicating directly with individuals rather than looking for networks. Maybe that will change, maybe not. I'm flexible.

I think whether or not you find social media useful and/or enjoyable depends on how it does (or doesn't) fit into your life.

[Sanne Panne]

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[Knomester]

I have a Facebook account that I rarely post anything on, but which I use to check how friends and family who are dotted all over the world are getting on. I used to post photos of my toddler on there occasionally, but recently got a bit scared about privacy and deleted all photos of him, so my account is a bit of an empty shell now.

I have various twitter accounts which are linked to my blogs. I don't use my real name on twitter or on my blogs and never have done. I think twitter is a good way to connect with people who have similar interests to you who you might not otherwise have chance to meet or get to know in the 'real' world. I have made some good friends and contacts and I also find it useful for keeping up with things that are going on locally by following local organisations, restaurants, shops, residents and the twitter accounts for the local parks for example.

Like Saffron, I don't follow celebrities and I don't work in an industry where social media is required or even desireable. It's solely for my own personal interests. It can be incredibly time consuming, but then similarly there are days and weeks when I never look at it. I guess you can make of it what you want to!

[standswithfist]

i use FB for friends and family overseas (NZ/Chile/States and Asia) other than that not much.

I LOVE twitter - on there everyday - use it as a tool for information (more up to date than the actual news), follow sports, a lot of mum/child blogs and i've made a lot of friends too. I've won a lot off twitter too.

It has been invaluable for advice on a toddler aswell as I don't have any family around me and have a lot of time just on my own with my daughter. i#ve been using it for about 3 years now but using it pretty much a lot over the last year.

[snowboarder]

I like fb for similar reasons to those already stated - keeping in touch and seeing friends photos etc. I'm on twitter but never really use it - was on fb first and unsure why would tweet rather than fb. Mostly I kind of find fb is a source of company when you only see small children all day!! It's like my link with the outside world!!

[katgod]

Fb was a no no til I got a smartphone. Am now addicted. Many of my old friends (who live a way away) post pretty much every day and it has replaced calls/texts as medium of communication. But my 2 opposite neighbours here in ED are on it too, so can't pretend it is for any useful keeping in touch purpose at all! Just like it. Just easy and addictive. Don't use twitter, don't suppose ever will.

[Saffron]

Forgot to say that I use FB for a lot of stuff locally too, arranging parties, picnics, etc with friends. I don't like talking on the telephone, never have liked it. I used to use email for this (and occasionally still do) but have found FB an easier way to organise small events like birthday parties or a night out with the girls.

Time waster? Hmm, depends on what else I could be doing... sock drawer wants orgnising? No thank you. Bring on the FB!!

[Ruth_Baldock]

Normal people, eh?

Well, I'm on both, but I love twitter. LOVE IT. I've made lots of friends and contacts on there, it's also good for local news, activities etc. It's also incredibly useful for small buisness' which don't have a huge advertising and marketing budget. I mainly follow people with similair interests to mine (parents, basically), local buisnesses/places of interest (Brockwell Lido, Peckham Rye Park, Brunswick Park...) and a few celebrities like...er...Tom Daley and Jodie Marsh. Don't judge me! Anyway, I definitely wouldn't have got through the first year of being a Mum to two babies under 2, PND, and general WOE and WAH without it.

Anyone reading this, feel free to follow me: @yasaikatsucurry.

I am going off Facebook a bit, mainly because of my family's incessent digs, sniping, bitching and p-a remarks.

[dulwichgirl2]

Just to clarify hastily, by "normal people" I just meant non celebrities!

Though god knows what these celebrity people do that is of interest to anyone and worth following.. That is another thread...

[Ruth_Baldock]

Following celebrities who my husband's company have worked with has proved excellent in terms of networking, we've found.

Some of the celebrities/famous people I follow are interesting, funny, retweet thought proviking things (Caitlin Moran, Sue Perkins...) some of them post photos of themselves in bikinis (Jodie Marsh) and some are exactly the same as most mums I know, really (Lily Allen...)

[Inkmaiden]

Ruth_Baldock Wrote:

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>

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> Some of the celebrities/famous people I follow are

> interesting, funny, retweet thought proviking

> things (Caitlin Moran, Sue Perkins...)

What, people are pro-Viking these days? I thought anti-Viking was still in vogue. Pah, not being on twitter means I am falling so behind in the trends.

[pebbles]

Oooo, so I'm on FB and love it for keeping in touch with friends/family who live far away and seeing people's pictures etc

Am not on twitter however having read what some of you use it for it sounds quite cool. Can anyone give me a dummy's guide to using twitter and how to find like minded people etc - I know nothing :)

Thanks

[dulwichgirl2]

Ruthbaldock, If people "follow" you, what does that mean and do I need a twitter account to do so? Then do you automatically see my postings? Or do you have to follow me too? Also if some weirdo tried to follow me could I disconnect him or her? Twit twoo.

[Ruth_Baldock]

DG2;

If you follow someone, it basically means you are subscribing to their feed/tweets, and whatever they tweet/retweet will show up in your timeline. If you have an open or public account, they can just click 'follow' and they will see whatever you write. However, if you have private or protected tweets, then a request will be sent to you to authorise them to follow you. You can block users who follow you who you want to naff off (I get a lot of thai prositutes following me, and also, stock exchange bots...)

I have an open account, which means if you didn't have a twitter account you could still search for my name and find me and see what I've been banging on about. I know of at least two people who do this, it makes me laff.

[Ruth_Baldock]

Pebbles; best thing to do would be to sign up, and start by finding local people/businesses, follow them, see who else follows them, add them. Search people's names, see if they are on there, follow them.

You have 140 characters to tweet things what are going on/ ask questions. If someone who you follow writes something and you think HEY I LIKE THIS! You can re-tweet it so your followers see it. They will see that you have chosen to retweet it, but it will come from it's origional source on your/their feed.

[Alec John Moore]

Interesting stuff. I find facebook great for keeping in touch with people I met at college who are now living in the far flung reaches of the planet. My family is a bit like that too and it's great to see what my nephews and nieces are up to. It can be quite funny too. One of my fb friends is Korean and she posts a lot - in Korean. The online translation is either quite funny or downright confusing. I use fb a bit to make direct contact with my family in Scotland when I go up for a visit. That's very handy. I've started using twitter more recently for work and that can be very helpful in picking up on reports on and developments in my sector. I also use twitter for informing me about my personal interest - local food production. I've got lots of information and connections on that with twitter. It can be time consuming and I try to use it carefully. I do like the discipline of saying what you want in 140 characters.

[pebbles]

OK I know this sounds silly and i know i can find the answer if i search but easier to ask you all :)

How do I go about finding people in the first place - obviously apart from the friends who i know their twitter names? How do i search for local stuff etc?

Thanks

[standswithfist]

there is a search function at the top of your twitter page so you can search specific things. There is also an option that is Discover - if you click on this the left hand side has stories/activity and who to follow - you can just have browse and start following whoever takes your fancy.

[pebbles]

thanks standswithfist - kids are in bed and i know what I'll be doing this lunch :)

[dulwichgirl2]

Many thanks Ruthbaldock.

All very interesting.

One last question - can I see who is looking at my twitterings?

I am tempted I must say after all this... I had thought it was purely to build a brand but learning about one's industry etc. makes it useful to everyone presumably.

[Ruth_Baldock]

DG2: If someone starts to follow you, then yes, you can see tyhat they;re reading your tweets. If you have an open profile where people can have a nosey without following you, then who knows who is reading what you're writing.