Friday, March 25, 2011

2 Different Atmospheres: Twitter and Facebook

Last week, my agent, Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Agency, wrote an eye-opening blog post about Twitter and Facebook, Taking Advantage of the Times: Marketing. She shared the following statistics:

The Huffington Post reported these statistics on Twitter for 2010:

•Twitter now has 105,779,710 registered users.
•New users are signing up at the rate of 300,000 per day.
•180 million unique visitors come to the site every month.
•Twitter users are, in total, tweeting an average of 55 million tweets per day.
•Twitter’s search engine receives around 600 million search queries per day.
To view the original blog post (with more stats), click here: http://huff.to/huffington-twitter-stats

Here are some Facebook statistics taken from Facebook’s page:

•More than 500 million active users.
•50% of active users log onto Facebook in any given day.
•Average user has 130 friends.
•People spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

Rachel went on to give smart tips about how authors can use Twitter and Facebook to promote their writing. My opinion? Easy to use, socially acceptable sites with hundreds of millions of users? Perfect places to network with readers and writers!

Obviously, I'm biased toward social media sites. I enjoy them. My main goal in blogging, Twitter, and Facebook is the same--to build relationships. I read and cherish every comment on my blog. When someone retweets my post or shouts my name out for Writer Wednesday or Follow Friday, I'm extremely grateful. I feel close to my friends when I read their Facebook status updates.

Twitter and Facebook have different atmospheres. You might feel more comfortable in one over the other, but give them both a try with the following in mind.

Facebook, for me, is like a family reunion. I learn about my friends' triumphs, their illnesses, the animals digging in their yard, how their workouts are going, and anything else going on in their lives. I sit and chat at the table with my first cousins and grandma (close friends), but that doesn't mean I ignore great aunt Sally or the third cousin walking up the drive (new friends).

Twitter is more like a relaxed party with my friends. We talk about writing, share virtual coffee and chocolate with each other, and discuss information. Since I love meeting new people, I regularly follow anyone who interests me on various hashtags such as #amwriting, #amrevising, and #writers. I also follow people who share similar interests, like my obsession with fluffy cats. The party isn't invitation only--we encourage new people to stop by. We'll throw a soda in your hand, shove a plate of brownies your way, and join you in conversation.

Bottom line: I enjoy the family reunion as much as I enjoy a relaxed party with my friends.

If you enjoy Facebook, Twitter, or both, do you think they have different atmospheres? Do you prefer one over the other?


Have a fantastic weekend!

36 comments:

  1. I like both of course, but facebook is where I get to be silly. So I guess I prefer that since I like being silly! I'm still learning twitter. I love when you post about it because it's extremely helpful! Thanks and have a great weekend.

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  2. This post is awesome.

    Have you seen Social Network? About the invention of FB?

    It gives you a totally different outlook on it. Doesn't make you love it any less, just a different way to view it.

    I like FB more than Twitter. Twitter is great, but I don't quite understand it yet.

    I'm getting there.

    Have a great weekend!

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  3. I use Facebook primarily with people that I know or have met in person. It's almost become a linked in for my guild and online calligraphy group friends.

    Twitter is like the cocktail party where you wander around, eavesdropping on conversations, and finding interesting people to chat with.

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  4. Facebook is what I use most. Mainly because I too am still going through a learning curve with Twitter. A relaxed party, a cocktail party, wandering around, eavesdropping, yeah that's what Twitter feels like. LOL Love these! :)

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  5. I think it's better to take that approach than keep saying, I've got to promote, I've got to promote and then wonder why they lose followers. :)

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  6. I always like me a good party with me friends. (Don't know why I sounded a little Irish there.)

    Have a great weekend!
    ~ Wendy

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  7. I agree that these have a different atmosphere, which I like. Facebook peeps more likely know me in real life while I'm more anonymous on Twitter.

    Happy Friday!

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  8. I prefer Facebook over Twitter but do both. They do have different feels to them and semi-different purposes. :O)

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  9. I have a Twitter account and I used it sporadically when I first got it. The truth is that I don't get it! I much prefer Facebook where I can interact with people more. In fact, I LOVE Facebook because it allows me to keep in touch with family and friends I might otherwise not.

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  10. Twitter's been on my mind, but I haven't quite figured out yet how to join in the conversations. I need to research that and join the party! I like brownies.

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  11. I have a Twitter account that I haven't looked at once since I set it up. It's the learning curve and the time suck that I fear. So for now, it's just fb for me. I do want to dive in one day.

    Your descriptions help put the social media options in perspective. Thannks!

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  12. Yep. You nailed it. That's exactly how Facebook and Twitter feel for me too. I love 'em both, but tend to use Twitter more. Not sure why.

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  13. so glad you included the virtual coffee parties! I LOVE THOSE! :)

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  14. I like those analogies--family reunion vs relaxed party with friends. I think I like Twitter more. I see Facebook as a tool for keeping in touch with people I already know, and Twitter as a way to meet people that have similar interests.

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  15. I enjoy them both, Jill. And I know they are vital to any aspiring writer. Facebook can be good, but it can be bad. My computer got a virus from facebook causing us to lose everything. It was a long time before I could go to fb again.

    There are so many social networking sites, I can keep up. I love to tweet, but haven't been tweeting as much as I'd like to. Great post, Jill. :)

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  16. I love them both. I probably spend more time on Twitter but I've no idea why.

    Great post!

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  17. I haven't tried Twitter yet. I am on Facebook, but I don't get to it as often as I could. I do enjoy seeing friends and relatives.

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  18. I opened up a Facebook account long before I began blogging and tweeting. Twitter is where it's at for writers (in my opinion). The news is fast, friendly, and wow, so much great information!

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  19. I just started using twitter about a month ago, and now I'm kicking myself I didn't start sooner. I love blogging, but the people I've met via blogging, I'm starting to meet now in Twitter, and it's a whole new level of personal friendship development (the networking is nice too). Have discovered #writersroad #writegoal and #1k1hr. Wonderful! Those are amazing statistics, thank you!

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  20. I use Twitter to connect with the writing world, and my personal FB page for family and friends (and well, 200 people I went to high school with!) *When* I publish my book, I will have a separate author page on Facebook, for professional marketing.

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  21. AAAACCCKKKK!! Blogger just ate my response to each of you!!

    Well, I'm just going to summarize what I wrote:

    I love that you're all using Facebook, Twitter, or both. Facebook will feel more natural to some and it's very personal. Twitter offers a fast-pace, information packed spot to connect with strangers who share your interests.

    Thank you SO much for stopping by!

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  22. I don't fb or tweet, but if I were to start one, I think I'd go for Twitter. I like the feel for it, from what I've seen so far. One of these days, I'll tweet :)

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  23. I'm still fairly new to FB, and haven't started tweeting yet, though will add that to my "to do" list eventually. I think I will feel more comfortable with FB because of the more personal approach.

    This was a wonderful post, Jill!

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  24. Great post!

    I love fb. Twitter is definitely in the near future for me.

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  25. What amazing statistics! I didn't realize that twitter was exploding. I love twitter. I'm not so good at keeping up with facebook and I don't know why. I must figure out how to rectify this.

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  26. I am a facebook fan! I love catching up there. I use Twitter but not as often.

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  27. I'm very much like you. I like both for very different reasons. I'm not shocked, but I'm still amazed to read the actual statistics.

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  28. Jill:
    When I first heard about Twitter, a gentleman writer said he did it on his cellphone. My cellphone at that time wasn't set up for texting. I chose not to go to a texting phone when I got a new one.
    I like Facebook, I can keep up with some relatives who live away from us. I have writer friends and several from church, and from a site dedicated to those with invisible chronic illnesses.

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  29. I use both and would have a hard time choosing one over the other. Each of them offers a valuable experience and way to connect with people, both those I know as well as those I meet.

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  30. I finally joined Twitter, but I don't see the need to add Facebook too. One's enough! and I do find myself liking Twitter; it's fun!

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  31. Hi Jill -

    Those statistics are mind-boggling!

    I'm on Facebook and blog, but have yet to Twitter. I'd love to see a how-to post about this social media, including a glossary of terms.

    Also, I do not have texting on my cell phone and can't afford the expense. Can I still be on Twitter without texting?

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  32. Ha! Twitter reminds me of trying to hang out with the "cool" kids in jr. high. They spoke a language all their own, and if you weren't in the "in" crowed, you were out of the loop!
    FB, on the other hand, has enabled me to connect with friends I haven't seen in years, to maintain friendships with missionaries overseas, and more. Love it! I tweet occasionally, but it's certainly not my favorite social media!

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  33. Twitter reminds me of trying to hang out with the cool kids in jr. high. I never quite feel like I "fit." FB, however, has enabled me to reconnect with friends and family I haven't seen in years.

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  34. Thank you for the informative post. I'm planning to start with Facebook for getting involved with the writing community. It

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  35. Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and chiming in. I've loved reading your comments!

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  36. Susan JR: Great idea--I'll come up with a post about Twitter basics. And no, you don't have to be able to text to use Twitter. I have a dinosaur pay-as-you-go phone, so don't feel bad!

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