On Using Social Networks

Online Social Networks are a big part of the Greener Bournemouth project.  Facebook and Twitter are huge networks of people, companies and organisations who like to let each other know what’s going on in their lives, with their products, and with their events.

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Flickr, DeviantArt, Faceparty… These are all websites with one thing in common:  Bringing people together.  People use social networking sites to keep in touch, to know what’s going on with their friends and family and to get involved with events and groups, of which there are many which people have made to suit anybody’s interests.

FACEBOOK

The power of Facebook has been proven in the past, with Cadbury’s giving in to 14,000 Facebook members petitioning for the deceased chocolate bar Wispa to be re-instated into the Cadbury’s line-up.

Another campaign saw “60,000 have pledged to send prophylactics to the Pontiff as a result of the call on the social networking site” as a result of  the Pope stating that condoms “aggravate” the spread of disease such as AIDS.  The Telegraph states that the Pope has been “condemned as misinformed and insensitive by Aids groups, health professionals and governments around the world, including the European Union, France and Germany.”  The article also states that “The Italians behind the initiative hope they will be joined by Facebook groups around the world, including from Britain and the United States”.

To see the Telegraph article please click HERE.

While Facebook uses groups and events in tandem to create buzz and attract people to get involved, Twitter is different.

TWITTER

Twitter is a social network of mini-blogs.  Users have a maximum of 140 characters (not words) to let the world know what they’re doing, where they are, what they’re involved in, etc… Twitter users eventually accumulate “Followers” (other people who use Twitter, who want to hear about what the other users are up to), and can follow other people.

The great aspect of Twitter is that it’s all done in real-time.  A user can write a “tweet” and their followers will know about it instantly.  What’s more is that users can also use third-party Twitter clients which can be downloaded to the desktop (such as TweetDeck) or to mobile devices (such as Twitteriffic and Tweetie).  This means that Twitter users can access their updates from almost anywhere in the world.   The advantages of using this technology are pretty obvious for anybody who wants to spread the word about an event or a worthwhile cause without having to spend any money to do it.  It’s free advertising and with Twitter’s traffic from the UK alone growing 974% between the 19th January 2008 and the 17th January 2009, it’s a great way to access a huge amount of people.  To see statistics on Twitter’s growth, please click HERE.

Companies and politicians who have used Twitter to great effect (and not-so-great and quite controversial effect) include Barack Obama announcing his victory in the Presidential Elections, the BBC posting news stories, and Apple posting their own news to get past the media doing it first.

All of these factors make it a no-brainer for me to use social networks, or at least the most useful elements, as part of the Greener Bournemouth project.  To see Greener Bournemouth’s Twitter feed, click HERE, and to check out our Facebook Group you should click that mouse over HERE (you may have to sign in to Facebook to be able to view the group).

For information on Twitter traffic, please click HERE

For a list of 100 tips on how to use Facebook for marketing and events, please click HERE

For information on the demographics using Social Networks online, click HERE