To Tweet or not to Tweet, that is the question.
I tweeted for a while and gave it up. My problem was that I followed a bunch of famous people, some of which who tweeted every day, several times a day. So I would open up my Twitter account and have ENDLESS tweets from people I don't know. I admire them, but I found myself just not caring about their activity updates.
Just had the best coffee ever.
Meeting with Smith right now.
What a glorious sunrise.
The best tacos are in my town.
Seriously? Do I care?
But I look at Facebook and it is basically the same thing, right? Little details about our lives that really aren't that important. Right?
The difference is on Facebook, I find myself getting to know folks. I read their posts and I truly enjoy the details. Why is that? Is it because they are not super famous? Is it because I personally KNOW most of my FB friends?
I read an article today that said I should start tweeting to build up my online presence as an author. But what I don't understand is what Twitter will do for me that Facebook won't do. Can anyone explain this to me?
I just don't get it.
9 comments:
I don't give a tweet about tweets. Even my kids are not enthused about it, to put it mildly, and they are part of the digital generation according to teacher trainings. Too much can be too much, like the anti-google ads on tv. Seriously, are publishers or readers following EVERYONE on twitter?
EXACTLY Lynn! But the article I read was written by the CEO of a major publishing company. I appreciate your thoughts. :0)
I haven't taken up twitter yet either, Robbie. I just don't want to have another thing to try to keep up with.
I'm not sure why some of the powers that be think twitter is so important. I know it's seen as crucial to getting your name/message out there. Maybe it has a further reach than Facebook because it's the newest thing & people re-tweet things they hear, etc?? I'm not sure either...
Cheryl, you get me. :0) I am in complete sinc with what you said. But I am open if someone can give me a viable reason to have Twitter AND Facebook.
Now, you know I'll be putting my two cents in here. I have both and I use my Twitter to update my Facebook. It's really easy. Tweet and it updates both. And I don't have the same people on both either. A lot of the same but not all.
Don't follow famous people - unless you know them. Yes, there are effervescent Tweeters that get carried away. So just unfollow them.
I used to get all my Tweets on my phone as well but that was just too much information. It overloaded me.
I would love to talk to you more on this in person. I am biased. But I'd like to see you on Twitter too.
But, to be honest, I interact on Facebook more.
I don't get on twitter or facebook (or my blog, for that matter) very often. I try for once or twice a week. It can so easily get out of hand. I basically do them a little bit simply because you are "supposed" to and who knows when it might be of value down the road. The key, in my opinion, is moderation.
I think of it this way - unless someone lives out of town, I do a whole lot more for the relationship by actually seeing my friends and connecting in person than I ever will in a tweet. Online social media does not TRULY build community. I'd rather do a little tweeting, then save the bulk of my time and energy to truly invest in people. Just my thoughts. I'll hop off the soap box now!
I found Twitter to be cold, sterile, and boring.
On FB when there is a conversation everyone who is involved can follow along. It's friendlier.
I don't care what CEO's say, myself. People on Twitter aren't on there because they want to know what I have to say. They're on there because they want people to know what they have to say.
Once you are a well known author, it might pay to be on there. But as an unknown, I don't think there's any benefit.
Jan, Dianne and Kay, thank you for your thoughts. I'm going to continue my Twitter-free world. :0)
The new tweetdeck really helps me to filter the signal to noise. I am grateful for some of the signal and I have connected with a few people and got some good info. And being remote, it is one way to stay connected.
But lately, I done twitter fasts, because I have been getting burned out and - like watching too much TV - twitter can keep me from doing important tasks that should not be neglected.
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