As a stay-at-home mom, I sometimes get a bit stir-crazy only having conversations with my six-year-old and toddler. It’s good to have an outlet, and I’ve really enjoyed how Twitter, Facebook, and now Pinterest and Google+ keep me connected to others in similar situations.
In addition, I’ve found these to be powerful social media platforms for organizing ideas and finding information.
I have been using Twitter the longest. It allows me to give my thoughts in 140 characters. I’m not usually short on words so this is always a good experiment for me. (Find me @rebeccarreid)
Here’s what I love:
- Chatting with people in real time. I feel like I get to know people a little bit. I can let my real self shine through!
- Getting feedback and ideas from like-minds when I ask for it. If I have a question, there is sure to be someone with a response!
- Getting sidetracked by reading all the awesome articles people link to.
- Twitter helps when you want to get attention of a company. Where else can you chat with the representative of a company and get a response quickly? Twitter works so much better than customer service much of the time.
- Sharing and re-sharing interesting content from others.
I was a late adopter of Facebook. I had a blog so I thought I did not need facebook. But I eventually turned to it and now I have to check it each morning! (Visit my Line upon Line Learning page)
Here’s what I love:
- Reading updates from friends I know in real life. This is my main use for Facebook. It only works for those who do update, but I still love catching up with friends.
- Reading updates from bloggers/teachers/homeschoolers who post to Facebook. I do have a bloglovin’ account but somehow I usually see Facebook first!
- Finding links to funny and interesting articles I’d never have found otherwise. In retrospect, all of these really are like those annoying email forwards I never read a decade ago. But still, now I find that I like them.
- Getting “likes” for the funny things my kids say and do.
- Reading and liking all the funny things friend’s kids say and do.
- Feeling like I’m not alone on those hard days.
I don’t know why I waited so long to join Pinterest. It has so many great ideas! I am not a crafter, but Pinterest makes it easy to find ideas of any kind. (Visit my profile or follow my Line upon Line Learning blog board)
I love:
- Ideas. They are here. For anything. Teaching, activities, birthday parties, lesson ideas, books to read on a subject, quotes, printable activities, worksheets, you name it. (And notice that I do not say “do it yourself” and “crafts” because, although you can also find those there, I cannot do them!)
- Pretty. Pinterest is pretty to look at. This is a pretty social media.
- Easy search. It is pretty easy to find ideas if you are looking for some!
- Organization. Pinterest makes it easy to organize ideas you find for later! It even lets you have a “secret” board if you are planning for a holiday or surprise party.
I signed up for Google+ just a few months ago, but I really like it so far. (Visit my profile on G+ or my Line upon Line Learning page.)
I love:
- It is super easy to sort boards.
- It’s pretty. This is like Pinterest in terms of layout and prettiness.
- People respond and engage in discussion! G+ is very friendly.
- It’s easy to find blogs and blog posts; often you can even comment on the blog right from G+.
- There are so many interesting people and posts on G+ and its easy to navigate throughout.
I never get bored on social media.
I have not even touched on the social media platforms that I am not a part of. What others are you on? Which social media platform do you prefer?
Leave a link to your profile(s) below and I can follow you back!
images from geralt, open clip art, and graphicstock.com.