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You really need to figure out what you want to get out of Social Media before you jump right into it. It can be very all consuming. It can suck your time, your energy and your focus away from other mportant things in your life.
That sounds scary, doesn't it? Almost as if Social Media is something evil. It truly isn't. But, because Social Media is so much fun at the same time that it is also so useful it is a time consuming activity.
The point I'm trying to make is that it doesn't have to be "all consuming". What you need to do is choose wisely on the Social Media activities you are going to participate in. You need to figure out which of these activities deserve your time and energy.
You need to first ask yourself, "What do I want to get out of Social Media?" and then go from there. Not all Social Media activities are the same or should be treated the same.
For example, If you are looking to meet other women in the Detroit area who have a passion for painting…. using Social Media is the perfect way to locate women with the same passion. However, using video sharing (a social media activity) would not be the best method to do this. Below, I have listed some ways to help determine which Social Media Activity is what you should spend your time participating in.
Note: I am only discussing the methods to use Social Media activities in a personal way. There are so many ways to use these same Social Media activities in a professional way, but we are not discussing that at this time.
Ways to use Social Media Activities
Blogging
A blog is an online journal or web-log. Because of the commenting section it is a way of having a conversation between the author and readers.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Create a journal or a diary
- Writing is your hobby
- A way to communicate with others regarding your blogging topic
Instant Message
This is a conversation that happens between at least one other person, happening in real time.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- communicate online with people in a text fashion
- have instant communication instead of delayed online communication such
as emails.
Forums & Message Boards
Forums and message boards are one of the first forms of Social Media. Message boards are a great way to leave a question for someone to answer or make comments, suggestions and tips on someone else's question or concern.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Ask questions & get answers
- Looking for Suggestions
- Offer tips
- Help others
- Be part of Discussion Threads
MicroBlogging
This is like blogging (see above), but it is done usually within 140 characters. Write short bursts of information. It is very much like texting, if you were texting multiple people at once.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Participate in Fun Chit Chat
- Keep in Contact with Friends & Family
- Keep up with sales and discounts at your favorite places by following them
on Twitter. - Twitter has been used effectively during natural disasters to communicate
as to safe roads, unsafe roads and so family could keep tabs on loved ones.
Photo Sharing
This is a method of connecting and sharing with people online through photographs.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Share photos with friends and family
- Back-up your photos online so that they cannot be damaged or destroyed by environment, accidents or natural disasters
- Join groups based on photographs where you can discuss and/or comment. Such as babies, children, sports, planes, motorcycle, mountains for example.
- Put your photographs on there so that other people can use them on their sites and blogs.
Video Sharing
This is a method of connecting and sharing with people online through videos.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Keep family & friends in the "know" as to what is going on in your life.
- Again, these communities have groups. So, this is a good way to communicate and connect w/ people who have the same interest.
- Find humorous videos
- Find "how-to" videos.
Social News Sites
These sites are a great way to keep up with what, is going on in the world…. whether it is politics, entertainment, business, hobbies, or many other topics. Social news sites are a way to submit news you find fascinating, comment and discuss other submissions with others and vote whether the submissions are worthy or not.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Share fascinating happenings with others.
- Search for and keep up with what's new in a certain area of interest.
Social Bookmarking
This type of bookmarking is very similar to the way you bookmark your favorite sites on your computer, but social bookmarking is a way to save your bookmarked sites and web pages online so that others may check them out. And, you too can check out other people's favorite bookmarked web pages.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to…
- Connect with people who have the same interests
- Be able to share favorite sites with people with that same interests.
- Locate new sites you that other people have made favorites that have the same interests as you.
- Increase your Search Capabilities by searching Social Bookmarking sites that humans said were great (not just bots like Google bots, Yahoo, bots and other major search engine bots).
- Bookmark movies, travel plans, restaurant ideas and other unique things.
Social Networking
This is a way of connecting with people who have a common ground through online communities.
Use this Social Media activity if you are looking to find…
- Friends – MySpace, Facebook, Friends Abroad
- Relationships – Crazy Blind Date
- Animal Communities – DoggySpace, Animal Internet, Petster
- Enjoy Virtual Communities – Playdo, Habbo, Whyville
- Family / Parenting Communities – Got Kids Network, BabyChums, Parenting
- People with the same Hobbies – Sports, Music, Reading, Car Enthusiasts
Again, I am just giving you a taste of what you can do via Social Media activities. I only discussed how you can use Social Media activities in a personal method. There is so much you can do professional via these same Social Media activities. I will touch on that on my next post.
Social Media is a lot of fun and so incredibly useful. I'm thrilled to have conversation online….. it has added so much more to the World Wide Web. Just make sure you are spending your time wisely on the Social Media activities that best fit your needs.
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Shana Albert is a Social Media Specialist. She writes on all things Social Media and Web 2.0 on her blog – Social Desire. Subscribe to hear more of his ramblings.
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