Not all social media is created equal. In fact, attempts at categorizing the different types of media out there have yielded up to 23 different categories. Whether you are blogging, interacting on social networks like Facebook, microblogging on Twitter, or sharing video and photos, you need to know how to communicate effectively on your medium of choice. The same message most often cannot be shared in the exact same way on Twitter as it is on Facebook, a blog, or in a video.
Facebook has friends who “like” things on pages or groups. Twitter has elements like @replies, hastags, follow Friday and Travel Tuesdays. Blogs deal with comments and RSS feeds. It can all get a bit overwhelming if you’ve never encountered these things before!
So before launching yourself at full speed into the world of social media, take a moment to observe interaction in your chosen medium to get a lay of the land. Use things like site searches to find conversations that relate to your topic and take a look at how people are talking about it. Try to learn the basics before making your first comment, then start inserting yourself into the discussion once you are ready to give it a try.
Wondering where you can go to get a head start? Here are a few suggestions for some of the more popular mediums…
- Twitter Glossary
Contains lingo and vocabulary used frequently to talk about Twitter features & aspects. - Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time
Joel Comm USA Purchases– Canadian Purchases
Facebook
- Facebook 101 for Business
A great intro to getting started on Facebook from the Social Media Examiner. - Profile, Group or Facebook page…Which One Do I Need?
One of my posts about the difference between the three and which is best for travel businesses. - Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day
Chris Treadaway & Mari Smith USA Purchases- Canadian Purchases
