A Crash Course in Social Media
Last month, we talked about connecting with your network on Facebook and this week, we’re diving further into the world of social media by breaking down how you can use it and other social networks.
Facebook remains the most widespread and common social network in all of our lives–it’s virtually inescapable. The popular site can essentially act as a central hub for everything you do online. Post status updates or pictures of your grandkids, share interesting and informative articles you find online, even debate about politics! While you can find nearly anything (and everyone) on Facebook, the downfall is that it can also feel like a veritable minefield of arguments, over-sharing and fake news at times. So, be discerning about what you read on Facebook, but remember that there are also plenty of great ways to share information and stay in touch with the important people in your life.
Use it for: a central hub for all your online activity
Twitter keeps things short and sweet by limiting your posts, known as “tweets,” to 140 characters. Like other social networks, you choose whom to follow–from friends and news organizations to brands and celebrities–and tweets are presented on your feed in chronological order. Twitter is particularly useful for staying up-to-date on current events and news, as many news organizations turn to their Twitter accounts to share breaking updates with their followers.
Use it for: following breaking news in real time
Instagram is the most popular photo-sharing app on the Internet and its premise is pretty simple: take a picture or video, post it, and add a caption (and maybe a few hashtags). You can view, comment and Like other people’s posts on instagram.com but you can only post your own photos using the smartphone app. Don’t worry about articles, fake news, long rants or status updates–Instagram is for photos only!
Use it for: sharing photos and videos
Snapchat
It’s easiest to understand Snapchat’s purpose if you think of disappearing messages. You can send pictures and videos to your friends and family for up to 10 seconds, but anything you send will disappear after the other person sees it. The app also has a chat feature, but the best part of Snapchat is easily the plethora of hilarious filters you can take pictures and videos with. Seriously, try it out for yourself!
Use it for: spur of the moment, disappearing messages, pictures and videos
No matter the social network you choose to use, always remember one thing: the purpose of social media is to connect with friends and family! So don’t stress too much and be willing to give a new social network a try. Which form of social media will you give a shot?
Written By : Glenn Rowley
