The Power of Social Media

"You're on Twitter? I'd never join that site."

"Facebook is getting out of hand."

These are all common responses I hear when I tell friends and family about my social media activities. So, here's why I have chosen to join the social media craze:

I joined Facebook back in college (when it was originally thefacebook.com) and connected with high school friends and summer camp colleagues.  It was great to continue frienships that may have slipped since we weren't all in the same city together.  What's great about this website is not only the connections you can make but the networking opportunities it provides.  Now you can "Like" a company's webpage and follow all of their updates simply from the News Feed.  This is incredibly interesting information to have access to when only just years ago the only access people had were company websites that may or may not have been updated regularly. (and certianly not with daily updates).  According to Facebook.com, there are more than 800 million (yes MILLION) users and a startling 50% of active users log on each day.  Excitingly enough, I even had the chance to interview Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, about the early stages of the site for my school newspaper back in college. 

For me, Twitter is different. I use it to connect with my field of interest: publishing.  I thoroughly enjoy spending hours a week scrolling through various updates from the experts on the current state of the publishing market, the pros and cons of the digital revolution and, of course, learning more about the agents and editors and what types of stories they are looking for -- just in case I have one to share with them.  If you're new to the Twitter-sphere, just know it can get overwhelming . Many people tweet everything from drinking coffee in the morning to brushing their teeth at night, while others are more conservative with what they post.  However, you can tailor your Twitter account to however you want it. If one to were to hack into my account, you'd be crazy not to see how up-to-date I am on the publishing industry. I love engaging in Twitter parties, reading about upcoming book tours, and gauging everyone's opinion on the lastest publishing industry announcement.  (Guilty admission: I may follow a favorite celebrity or two ...!)

I think if social media works for you, join!  Some join for the mere act of conversing with current friends and family, connecting with long lost friends from grade school or a plethora of other reasons.  Should you decide to join, feel free to add or follow me!

So what social media tools do you use? What have you found to be successful?