Franklin Connection

Why People Love Facebook

Facebook appeals to social animals and can be very addicting to people who have an insatiable appetite to stay connected with friends and make new acquaintances. In fact, some people report they rarely use email or IM tools anymore in their online social communications anymore, relying almost entirely on Facebook for email, chat, image and video sharing.

Facebook addicts prefer the social portal model versus having to log into AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Gmail, Hotmail, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace, etc. Instead, Facebook gives them a single alternative to all these applications, with one login and interface to manage their online social interaction needs. This largely explains the explosive growth Facebook continues to experience and why the company reportedly invested $200 million in data center upgrades last year to keep up with demand!

And Now About Twitter -The Changer

Why People Love Twitter

The usefulness of Twitter is not readily as obvious to some people as Facebook; although it may be more addictive once you get the hang of Tweeting; you get more immediate responses and it seems to live somewhere between the worlds of email, instant messaging and blogging. Twitter encourages constant “linking out” to anywhere and, in that respect, is more analogous to a pure search engine; another way to find people and content all over the Net.

Twitter has quickly built brand awareness and a loyal following, especially among the technically adept; bloggers, online marketers, evangelists, basically anyone with something to promote seem to find Twitter extremely valuable.

When asked why they love Twitter, users say like “I can ask a question and get an instantaneous response”. They crave the ability to “tap into the collective consciousness” of others on the network, bouncing ideas off others with whom they would otherwise have no means of connecting. Twitter addicts claim it’s like the old fashioned water cooler, where people can gather to shoot the breeze on whatever topic is on their minds. Twitter is like a communications stream you dive into for an invigorating swim.

Different Communication Styles for Different Social Settings

Let’s say you go to a wedding or other social gathering where lots of people know each other. The style and tone of communication there will be more like using Facebook; you chat with old friends and acquaintances, mixing and mingling in an intimate manner. In this setting, people tend to feel more relaxed and “in their element”. Conversations are familiar and center on shared experiences and connections.

Now, when you go to a large party or social event where you don’t know most of the people in attendance, you will use a very different style of communication, more like Twitter; you want to meet people and somehow make yourself known, stand out from the crowd, make an impression, self promote and make new connections. Twitter is like getting the podium and not everyone feels comfortable or knows how to stand comfortably in the spotlight.

In fact, almost all of us, when first approaching Twitter, tend to use it to post useless updates like “Going to lunch”, thinking of it as a another tool to communicate with friends, when in fact, it is more like stepping on to a stage, where you are communicating with an audience and quickly find that you need to find a voice and say something useful and interesting or quickly lose the attention of your audience. People refer to Twitter as a mini or micro blogging platform.

So Which Social Network is the Best?

While zealots will immediately point to either twitter or Facebook as being superior, the truth is that each has its advantages and disadvantages and will tend to appeal more to different types of people and for different reasons. Each can have great or little value to anyone; it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish in a given situation. Consider some of the pros and cons of each network:

READ ALL ABOUT TWITTER HERE => http://www.twittercommunity.blogspot.com/

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I’ve actually toggled that switch at on at least 3 different occasions, and then reverted back to Public maybe a day later.

And Now About Twitter -The Changer

Public tweets are visible to the world, indexed by Google, and make it easy to nanoblog (something that can be encapsulated in 140 characters or less, which might not otherwise be blogworthy).

The problem is that the public/protected flag is a global setting for an account. Either all of your tweets are public or they’re all protected.

A common type of tweet (of which I am probably more guilty than others) is the rant/vent. Bitching about meetings. Letting off some steam in little 140 character puffs. Probably not something that should be indexed by The Goog. To be really honest, probably the kind of thing that shouldn’t be online in the first place, but that’s probably another post.

If a twitter account is set to be “protected” then it becomes a bit more safe to open up a bit more (too much?). The pub conversation becomes more intimate and real.

Why set an account to be “public”? It makes it easy for people to follow you.

It’s just physically impossible for me to reciprocate. Am I missing out? Possibly. But anything important will trickle through various conversations and I’ll see enough to make sense of it. And anything really important will likely exist outside of Twitter.

And I doubt anyone would really miss anything by being unable to follow my tweets.

To me, twitter isn’t a publishing platform. It’s an informal hangout. If I want to publish anything, I’ll put it on my blog, or as a comment on someone else’s.

READ ALL ABOUT TWITTER HERE => http://www.twittercommunity.blogspot.com/

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Twitter has quickly become part of our vocabulary. While it’s a relatively new application, Twitter has taken the world by storm.

Developed in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, the idea behind Twitter was that friends and family could keep in touch with each other through short (less than 140 character) posts to their Twitter page. Anyone who “follows” you will see your updates and posts, also called “tweets”.

While it started with a simple premise, Twitter has grown exponentially since its inception. users can “tweet” from their cell phones or from a page that also helps them watch their friend’s Facebook and MySpace pages. Some people simply log into their Twitter account, add their updates and comment on others peoples’ updates. It’s social networking but with a unique twist.

Twitter initially brought interest from people who are active in social networking, but very quickly businesses and others discovered the power of using Twitter. Thanks to its relative ease of use and its emphasis on short, snappy commenting, even the busiest of people can find a way to use Twitter to their advantage.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, now-President Obama’s campaign used the power of Twitter to let followers know where the candidate would be that day and to encourage people to come out and support him. The entertainer Diddy is known to keep an active page (his Twitter user name is Iamdiddy), in which he encourages followers to take charge of their lives and sometimes give more detail about his personal life than others might like.

Because Twitter will not release the number of active accounts at any one time, the real user numbers are unknown, but Forrester Research Group estimated in late 2008 that the number of active accounts was in the range of 5 million.

But in April 2009, actor Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to a follower challenge. He promised a large donation to a charity if he could get 1 million followers before CNN. Though CNN got into the act by actively campaigning for new followers, Kutcher ended up winning the contest. The news coverage of the challenge brought Twitter to the attention of the previously uninitiated Oprah Winfrey, who now twitters regularly.

It’s been suggested that Kutcher’s scheme actually helped Twitter gain many new users.

Finally, Twitter has become a go-to promotional tool for many businesses, which enjoy the free link on the user’s home page, and the ability to post about sales, promotions and new products. Web owners have discovered that using widgets can increase page views. The new tweetthissite widget found at www.tweetthissite.com, for example, can instantly provide a link to a web page on a user’s update page.

The popularity of Twitter could be at its peak, though it’s hard to tell. The possibilities are endless. What we do know is that its popularity has grown faster than likely even Dorsey could have imagined.

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Social networking isn’t for everybody, but all around the world people are having fun with this vehicle.  Work at home moms and dads, work away from home moms and dads, kids and young adults…all walks of life are using it to make new friends or get re-acquainted with old high school cronies.  However, the main reason these social bookmarking websites are growing so rapidly is that Affiliate Marketers hope to put their internet business on the first page of google.

Important tips to help you make money and have a good time:

1.  Start small by signing up with just a few social networking sites and immediately complete your “Profile.”  This will help you brand yourself.  Branding yourself and your business is a key factor in helping you be successful in the internet world.  I suggest that you join Facebook and Twitter as they are taking the world by storm. 

Be friendly and develop relationships.  It’s critical that you don’t immediately start pushing your products.   Take the time to get to know people, share your beliefs and values.  People like doing business with like-minded, friendly people.

2.   A helpful tip to use before you start networking is to take some time and write down a few items you would like to share about yourself.  Include your dreams, passions, and anything want to share about your family life. Save these well thought out descriptions to a file on your computer and call it “Profile.”  Then, when you sign up with a social networking site, simply copy and paste.

Most social bookmarking sites ask for a screen name or user name.  Be prepared.  Consider if you wish to brand yourself or your business.  If you decide to brand yourself, then use your own name.  If not,  use a name that best describes your business.

Another very significant item to keep in your  “Profile” file is a photo of yourself that you would like the world to see.  Nearly all social networking sites encourage you to include a photo.  Keep in mind, your goal is to have your Profile be interesting enough that it motivates people to want to get to know you and visit your business website. 

3.  Post to your social bookmarking sites at least once or twice per day.  You may even think about starting your own “group” on Facebook.  Facebook allows others to join your group. This helps  keep your name in the forefront of  your fans and google, while also permitting you to concentrate on promoting the items that are dear to your heart. 

For instance, if you want to assist people who are living with HIV/Aids, you might start a group called ‘Let’s Help Win the Battle Against HIV/AIDS’ or if you would like to keep Michael Jackson’s memory alive, you may start a group called ‘Michael Jackson Lives On in Our Hearts.’  If your focus is on losing weight, why not start a ‘Bust Your Gut Weight Loss‘ group?

You’ll be amazed at the huge number of followers, fans, and members you have as a result. Some of these people will click on your website just to see what you have to offer.  They may browse some of your articles and end up buying your products because they believe in you and your values.  Conversely, you may take a look at their websites for the same reasons.

So, what are you waiting for?  Get on track today.  Connect with social networking groups, have fun and flourish.

Margie Franklin is the owner and webmaster of Live The Dream With Faith Home Business Opportunities. She also is a firm believer in giving back to the community. You too can join her efforts to help fund non-profit organizations and change the world by shopping online.