Facebook vs. Twitter:
The age old question, which is better? Facebook, or Twitter? Many swear by one, and others another, but which is truly the king of social networking? Like apples and oranges, sharks and bears, Facebook and Twitter are hard to compare because of their parallelity. Facebook, the king of status updates, boasts a large and expansive playground for it’s users to work with, while Twitter is just as proud flashing a streamlined and small interface for its subscribers.
The basic idea behind Facebook is its one stop shop-yness. (That’s a phrase, right?) It mixes together people’s words, pictures, videos, messages, notes, and anything else social into one great big blue website.
It’s large and easily related message makes Facebook a great platform for people jumping on the social network bandwagon. It’s easy to learn and we know why we use it: To connect with people.
Facebook is unique in the sense that it’s social aspect is limited to the people closest to you. You request a friendship, and someone can confirm and deny you as a friend. Thus, we create more personal connections with the people in our world. Sorry, but you probably won’t be friends with LaQuisha from theNetherlands
Facebook’s expansiveness creates a vast land in which people, including myself, can get sucked into for extended periods of time. I mean, who hasn’t looked through hundreds of pictures of so-and-so’s vacations? Willingly too! Remember when it was a chore to have to sit with someone and have them flip through their latest photo album ofCancun ? Not anymore, thanks to FB.
Twitter on the other hand, is Facebook’s cousin. He’s the kind of guy who wants to stay in touch, but wants just the bullet points, when it’s convenient for him. He’s not being a jerk, don’t worry. Twitter’s just got a lot on his plate, but still wants to be a part of everyone’s lives.
Twitter is, at its very core, pure communication. You get your information, and get out of there. Back to the real world.
It’s easily mistaken as shallow, but think of Twitter as more of a micro-blog. Twitter is a soapbox for the common man who just wants to get his voice out there. Even if his voice is just saying “Going to lunch.” -- Well that’s fantastic.
The idea behind Twitter, “following” other people to see what they tweet about, makes an opportunity for you to reach out far past your circle of friends into something much deeper. On Twitter, you really can follow and connect with LaQuisha from theNetherlands
Problems do arise with your followers on Twitter, though. Getting a higher number of followers seems to be a majority of people’s goals - through whatever means. It’s a silent competition that will undoubtedly rage on through Twitter’s lifespan. And tweets like, “100 followers!!!” Don’t help the cause.
Twitter is a bit of a smaller vessel than Facebook, mainly due to the fact that it’s not as immediately appealing as Facebook. People get Facebook, and Facebook gets them. It’s a mutual relationship that works. Twitter, however, is the woman you have to work for. It can be viewed as a bit of an insiders club and its perceived exclusivity can drive many away. But the many who look past that, and get through the learning curve, (Believe me, there is a learning curve) find that Twitter is just what they want in a social network: pure connectivity, no frills.
Twitter definitely feels more like a community. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re tweeting, you get the feeling that we’re all in this together. Many tweeters have described this as, “The old fashioned water cooler, where people can gather to shoot the breeze on whatever topic is on their minds.”
If you don’t “get” Twitter, the problem may be that you’re treating it like a second Facebook. Believe me, this is a whole new machine. You may have to re-learn a few things if you want to make the switch. But for a great majority, it’s worth it.
If you want to compare the two, think of about this analogy:
“Let’s say you go to a wedding or other social gathering where lots of people know each other. The style and tone of communication there will be more like using Facebook; you chat with old friends and acquaintances, mixing and mingling in an intimate manner. In this setting, people tend to feel more relaxed and ‘in their element’. Conversations are familiar and center on shared experiences and connections.
Now, when you go to a party where you don’t know most of the people in attendance, you will use a very different style of communication, more like Twitter; you want to meet people and somehow make yourself known, stand out from the crowd, make an impression, self promote and make new connections.”
Facebook is a tool. It’s used to communicate with those in your life. On the other hand, Twitter is a stage. You either speak what you want out loud or fall back into the crowd.
Hopefully, my unnecessarily long explanation helped you see what separates the two social networking giants. They are both great at what they do, and they aren’t changing for anyone. In a battle like this, there is no winner. Both sides bring something different to the table, and in that sense, neither can win. Facebook and Twitter will just continue to do what they do best - separately. Now, it’s up for you to choose, Facebook, Twitter, or both?
The age old question, which is better? Facebook, or Twitter? Many swear by one, and others another, but which is truly the king of social networking? Like apples and oranges, sharks and bears, Facebook and Twitter are hard to compare because of their parallelity. Facebook, the king of status updates, boasts a large and expansive playground for it’s users to work with, while Twitter is just as proud flashing a streamlined and small interface for its subscribers.
The basic idea behind Facebook is its one stop shop-yness. (That’s a phrase, right?) It mixes together people’s words, pictures, videos, messages, notes, and anything else social into one great big blue website.
It’s large and easily related message makes Facebook a great platform for people jumping on the social network bandwagon. It’s easy to learn and we know why we use it: To connect with people.
Facebook is unique in the sense that it’s social aspect is limited to the people closest to you. You request a friendship, and someone can confirm and deny you as a friend. Thus, we create more personal connections with the people in our world. Sorry, but you probably won’t be friends with LaQuisha from the
Facebook’s expansiveness creates a vast land in which people, including myself, can get sucked into for extended periods of time. I mean, who hasn’t looked through hundreds of pictures of so-and-so’s vacations? Willingly too! Remember when it was a chore to have to sit with someone and have them flip through their latest photo album of
Twitter on the other hand, is Facebook’s cousin. He’s the kind of guy who wants to stay in touch, but wants just the bullet points, when it’s convenient for him. He’s not being a jerk, don’t worry. Twitter’s just got a lot on his plate, but still wants to be a part of everyone’s lives.
Twitter is, at its very core, pure communication. You get your information, and get out of there. Back to the real world.
It’s easily mistaken as shallow, but think of Twitter as more of a micro-blog. Twitter is a soapbox for the common man who just wants to get his voice out there. Even if his voice is just saying “Going to lunch.” -- Well that’s fantastic.
The idea behind Twitter, “following” other people to see what they tweet about, makes an opportunity for you to reach out far past your circle of friends into something much deeper. On Twitter, you really can follow and connect with LaQuisha from the
Problems do arise with your followers on Twitter, though. Getting a higher number of followers seems to be a majority of people’s goals - through whatever means. It’s a silent competition that will undoubtedly rage on through Twitter’s lifespan. And tweets like, “100 followers!!!” Don’t help the cause.
Twitter is a bit of a smaller vessel than Facebook, mainly due to the fact that it’s not as immediately appealing as Facebook. People get Facebook, and Facebook gets them. It’s a mutual relationship that works. Twitter, however, is the woman you have to work for. It can be viewed as a bit of an insiders club and its perceived exclusivity can drive many away. But the many who look past that, and get through the learning curve, (Believe me, there is a learning curve) find that Twitter is just what they want in a social network: pure connectivity, no frills.
Twitter definitely feels more like a community. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re tweeting, you get the feeling that we’re all in this together. Many tweeters have described this as, “The old fashioned water cooler, where people can gather to shoot the breeze on whatever topic is on their minds.”
If you don’t “get” Twitter, the problem may be that you’re treating it like a second Facebook. Believe me, this is a whole new machine. You may have to re-learn a few things if you want to make the switch. But for a great majority, it’s worth it.
If you want to compare the two, think of about this analogy:
“Let’s say you go to a wedding or other social gathering where lots of people know each other. The style and tone of communication there will be more like using Facebook; you chat with old friends and acquaintances, mixing and mingling in an intimate manner. In this setting, people tend to feel more relaxed and ‘in their element’. Conversations are familiar and center on shared experiences and connections.
Now, when you go to a party where you don’t know most of the people in attendance, you will use a very different style of communication, more like Twitter; you want to meet people and somehow make yourself known, stand out from the crowd, make an impression, self promote and make new connections.”
Facebook is a tool. It’s used to communicate with those in your life. On the other hand, Twitter is a stage. You either speak what you want out loud or fall back into the crowd.
Hopefully, my unnecessarily long explanation helped you see what separates the two social networking giants. They are both great at what they do, and they aren’t changing for anyone. In a battle like this, there is no winner. Both sides bring something different to the table, and in that sense, neither can win. Facebook and Twitter will just continue to do what they do best - separately. Now, it’s up for you to choose, Facebook, Twitter, or both?
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