It started so out so simple and innocent. I think it was a few of my writer friends from Absolute Write that introduced me to Twitter. Then I eventually joined Facebook. Now I can’t keep my hands off social media.
The biggest thing I love about it is that I can interact with so many different people. There are so many viewpoints and you can have a well rounded conversation with all sides of a topic being addressed. I know I can throw out something I’m having issues with and get a ton of good ideas in return.
And now that businesses are really stepping up their game, I get all the benefits there. From special offers and bonus coupons to well-targeted customer service, companies that manage to hit the mark in the social media market are going to be well ahead of the rest of the game.
All the methods of social media provide an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends I rarely see. Now, my personal preference is to keep close family and friends on Facebook and loads of other people on Twitter and in the writing forums I belong to. This is just how I segregate the really personal stuff from the not-so-personal stuff.
The various social places I hit up include:
Absolute Write Water Cooler – This is an internet forum and while forums aren’t a modern form of a social network, I would consider them one of the first. There are people from all walks of life here and everyone shares advice, information, and support unconditionally. It’s a labor of love for everyone involved and one of my favorite places on the internet.
Twitter – The primary reason that I got an iPhone was so that I could tweet any time, any place. Seriously. I love Twitter. Most of the people I connect with on Twitter are big into writing, social media or the weather. And speaking of weather, Twitter is my go-to spot if the power goes out and I need updates because our Tri-state area does a fantastic job of keeping up with real-time updates of what’s going with the weather.
Facebook – Mostly I connect with my family and friends that I know in real life on Facebook. I talk a lot about my children, sharing frustrations, joys, concerns, photos and video. It’s not the stuff I really want everyone to see, so it’s more private. I don’t friend people I don’t know.
Social media provides a means to connect people who might otherwise never meet up and I think that’s a very important thing. It’s really broadened my perspective to talk to people I would never have known of if it weren’t for the internet.
It’s why I love it so.
Kids, Coffee, & Chaos 