Preface: This was written for my English Composition I class and submitted August 29, 2010.
Twitter vs. FaceBook: A Social Media Showdown
The new sign of the times is everything online. Personal, professional, and anything in between is driven by the online experience. Lately, my free time has been divided between FaceBook and Twitter with them having their own purposes and reasons for being successful, but also being very different at the same time.
Twitter allows you to communicate by sending out “tweets” that consist of up to 140 characters at a time, which is not always an easy task. You can “follow” someone (like being a “friend” on other sites) but they do not have to give permission for you to “follow” them, nor do they have any obligation to reciprocate the same. Anything you post, like most sites, can be shared by a “re-tweet” (also known as “RT”) and the better your tweets are, the more likely you are to be “RT’d”, or re-tweeted. The tweets of those you follow all feed into a “timeline,” a compilation of all of their tweets appearing chronologically for you to peruse. Dialogue can happen through a private “direct message” to one person or by posting to your public timeline with their Twitter screen name in your post. However, if the person is not following you, then a direct message cannot be sent. You will be notified of “mentions” (any time someone tweets with your Twitter screen name in their message) and “direct messages”, to respond to or handle at your own convenience. Twitter etiquette (thanking for “RT’s”) is a must, in my opinion.
FaceBook is the ultimate share-stop of all things you can imagine. You can be “friends” with people, who also become your friend by accepting your request. You have the ability “share” things with just one person, a select few people, friends, family, or everyone as you choose for each posting. There are applications you can link to your “profile” such as games, quizzes, your horoscope, and an unlimited amount of random time-wasting things. Any company, person, group or product can have a “page” (similar to a profile) that you can “Like” by the click of a button and it will be shared with all your friends, as well. In most cases, you also have the choice to not share what you are doing, or liking, on the site. Anything that your friends post, share, like or do on other sites (i.e. Twitter, FourSquare, YouTube) that they have “linked” to FaceBook will post in a timeline. You can sort the timeline by “Most Recent” (a true chronological representation) or “Top News” (sorted by the post with the highest activity irrelevant of time). Communication can be achieved through direct emails to someone (or a few people), posting on their profile “Wall”, or a public message that everyone can see by including the “@” symbol before the person’s screen name. There are more things FaceBook can do, I just have not ventured into all the areas it offers just yet; there are just too many!
The character limitations of the Twitter application demand for and have created a huge lingo only other “tweeters” would know that is very hard to jump into without a fellow tweeter to help guide you. However, the clique that the lingo creates and the lack of rambling that the limitations result in are quite refreshing and enjoyable. I have almost 1,000 followers on Twitter (and follow almost 2,000 people), tweet on a daily basis, and have succumbed to the desire for Twitter popularity. FaceBook is similar to a combination of MySpace for adults and a less clique-driven, lingo restricted Twitter. The site is very straight forward, but can be an information overload depending on how “connected” you are. On FaceBook, I have almost 600 friends and spend a lot of time enjoying friends, and the things that we all share…together.
My Twitter is linked to my FaceBook account so that everything I share on one is posted on the other, which is the happiest medium I have found to satisfy the people on both spectrums. Both serve their purposes in life, depending on personal preference of how to communicate with acquaintances, family and friends. For now, I choose both, but FaceBook is leading the race!
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2010 Copyright by Shannon Peace
Excellent comparison. My own two cents: I use both services as outlets for what I call brain farts....those explosions of thought that happen to one from time to time. I like Twittter because it's very straight-forward qnd it forces brevity on you. FBnis more varied...on one acct Ive stxrted 3 groups Now I do have censorship concerns on both, but thats another issue. You are a good writer, Ms. Peace....keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thanks! I do like what Twitter "forces" upon the "tweeps," however I appreciate the inclusivity of FaceBook. Twitter can be a "one-trick Dog, kind of.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you should like twitter cause it gives away to man information and can lead to someone stocking you. Unlike twitter, Facebook can 'unfriend' someone who can be stocking you. Twitter is also irritating cause you type EVERYTHING that you are doing.
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