Social media is a handy way for people to reach one another. What makes social media so efficient and attractive is that it’s quick. In fact, it’s too quick, so quick that users are swarmed with more information than they could care for. On a single web-page of a social media site such as Facebook, a user may come across cat videos, car ads, today’s weather, celebrity gossip and a handy article. It’s hard to catch people’s attention without knowing if information will be retained about your media, or in this case, your blog. This isn’t an issue partial to blogs; apps, games, and websites that enjoy quick bursts of fame face falls just as quick. When there is so much to explore in the wide web, it can be extremely difficult to keep fans updated and interested.
Blogs, like the Sunday newspaper, may have a difficult time keeping folks in tune. Partial blame could be pointed at the one-minute videos of our furry friends that seem to have most of our short attention spans. However this isn’t an irreversible issue. How social media is applied to a blog is crucial to its relevance on the internet. When blogs reach out to social media like YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, they are reminding fans that follow them on the respective sites that the blog exists. Before we discuss the application of social media, let’s look at how different outlets are used.
When a website is personally owned, it is called owned property. This means all information on the site is your bidding and the web address is your own personal domain. This could be a blog but if the blog is managed under a site such as Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter, it is called a rented property. This is because the owner of the site, take for example Tumblr, is allowing you to use part of it by creating a user account. Sites such as Reddit allow little ownership to a single user and are considered occupied properties. If you have a blog as an owned property, it’s important to involve yourself in other websites as a means of advertising. This does not mean moving your personal website to Facebook. Instead, create a Facebook page that fans can like. This way, whenever you make status posts about updates to your blog, your fans will be notified.
Also when a user on Facebook likes a page, their activity is updated on their friends’ feeds therefore doubling up as a way of communication with your fans and an ad for new members. When choosing social media to join, consider the audience of your blog. If your blog is directed towards middle-aged members and wouldn’t mind an international audience, Facebook is a solid choice. If you’re seeking a younger crowd or even a teenage audience, Tumblr is a better choice. Twitter has a wider age range, starting in the late teens and ending in the fifties. What about LinkedIn you might ask? Unlike most social media site, LinkedIn isn’t an entertainment source to pass time. It’s a website for professionals, typically working for corporate companies, to network with other professionals. Many college graduates join LinkedIn to expose their talents to businesses. Google+ is fairly new when compared to the above mentioned platforms. If a mostly male audience and techie discussions are the area you’re looking for, then Google+ is a fair choice.
There are many types of social media available today, but there is no emphasis on choosing just one. Why not make a professional profile with LinkedIn to network with businesses, and join Facebook, Tumblr, or Pinterest to keep in touch with your customers? Don’t think you need all that socializing? Focus on what you think will work for you most but know that having an account under these websites isn’t enough, you need to be active!. Tweet often on Twitter, reblog on Tumblr, and post statuses on Facebook. There is no need to spam by repeating the same information, but it is important to update people with new information on these sites to show your followers that you are capable of keeping up with the web.
