It’s hard to believe, but email is starting to become a thing of the past. Social networks continue to dominate online communication. Why spend time attaching a photo to an email when you could just post it on your Facebook page? Why have an email address when you can have your own personal URL? Why email a customer about your company’s promotions when you can count on thousands at once? Because? Because? and more Why? The list goes on and when you think a lot you might start wondering … I dare say … Why use email? While this question may be overkill now, it may soon be a question you will ask others. Statistics show that Facebook is by far the most popular service for sharing content online. 24% of all shared content is through Facebook. This easily surpasses 11.1% of emails. Even Twitter, which started just 3 years ago, is as popular on a sharing service as Email.
What I mean is, if you’re not on the circuit, come in! You may wonder, am I too late? or am i too old to start sharing on social platforms? or is the whole world constantly tracking me? The answer is no. Social media can be used by all age groups and you can personally choose what you want to share and who you want to share it with. Below is a list of the top 10 social media sites I suggest using and why.
Who? Facebook
Because? With over 250 million users, Facebook can connect you to just about anyone or anything. Use Facebook to get in touch with friends from around the world and stay up to date on their lives. Plus, promote your business and brand by using Facebook Pages to engage with “fans” and display feature updates on your wall. If you already know Facebook, I suggest delving into many of the advanced features and functions that Facebook offers, as they can certainly help you gain an even greater presence for you or your business. Get started with Facebook Essentials and check out these tips on Facebook fan pages.
Who? Twitter
Because? “Nice to tweet you!” It is becoming a common phrase these days. Twitter has absorbed almost 10% of all content shared online. Using Twitter to engage with others and provide frequent updates about your life and business can be extremely beneficial. For example, let customers know via Twitter that you just opened a new office or discount product and even share a new home for sale. But don’t forget to interact with other people … this is not a one way communication tool. If used correctly, Twitter can network you with large numbers of people … quickly! For more information, see great tips on creating Twitter followers or read about using Twitter to grow your business.
Who? Stumbleupon
Because? Best known for its “Stumble Toolbar”, which takes you across the web, StumbleUpon is great for discovering sites and sharing them among the community. Use StumbleUpon to find sites you never knew existed that might be useful to you. Also use stumble to add and promote web pages that the community can rate and review as they stumble across the web. The more rankings a webpage gets, the more likely StumbleUpon will send traffic in the form of new Stumblers. For more tips on StumbleUpon, see Writing on StumbleUpon and Generating Traffic with StumbleUpon.