SOCIAL networking and social NETWORKING

I think there has been a stigma created around social media that has lead people to believe that these websites and apps are more SOCIAL networking than social NETWORKING. As a young person who has used Facebook and Twitter (although I can thankfully say I have not used either site in over two years), I know how often they can be used to look at attractive members of the opposite sex (or stalk them), flirt using “pokes”, and the wonderful feeling of confidentiality of a direct message. But what I often forget about is that while these websites are used as an electronic society, they were also created so that business-types could network and quickly have access to other business related topics.

My point is, although I apparently can’t find one, is simply that there is a misconception that these particular websites are only time wasters, when in reality, they can be more helpful than we ever imagined them to be.

What I enjoyed most about Franklin’s piece is how she mentions the access and audience as major contributors to her use of Twitter. As a writer, I too, have been frustrated by the use of Blogger; after writing what I felt was an exceptional short story, I posted it only to find out weeks later the only people who had viewed it was myself — and most of that was to find out how many people had looked at my post.

Twitter has created an environment that is based around gaining an audience and information at the click of a mouse. By using Twitter, writers are able to advertise about new projects FOR FREE while also being able to connect with peers instantly and receive feedback just the same. This has evolved for every business as well, as almost every company now has a Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page.

We are finding that people not only want to learn a new language in digital literacy, but they are becoming fluent by using posts to connect to other users and to join together with other companies with pages that will help promote their brand.

This brand digitizing is making it even easier for some people to get their point across, advertise and even connect directly with their customers and clients, more so than print-media had ever been. While print will never go away (as some people just prefer to work that way) the ability to use the internet to help your brand is even more important.