With so many different social medias being used and created all the time, it can be difficult to keep up and differentiate between them.
Here at Smellycat Productions, we ran across a funny and relative explanation of these media – explained by donuts. Yes, delicious donuts. We found the blog here, but we’ll do a little more explaining with each.
Twitter – I am eating a donut
Twitter is a social media/microblogging service. 140 characters or less, Tweets can be grouped together with #hashtags, and hashtags/tags in a greater abundance can become trending topics. Because of these trending topics, news is being spread faster than ever and is always current.
Facebook – I like donuts
Facebook is the most used social media and is used to keep in touch with old and new friends, colleagues, businesses, etc. You can share any information and pictures you wish, “check-in” to show where you are, and tag friends you’re with. Businesses are able to have their own Page, where users can like the page, share pictures, and leave comments about the brand or product.
Foursquare – This is where I eat donuts
Foursquare is usually used on a smart phone, where users will “check-in” using their phone’s current GPS location. Users earn points for check-ins and can compete to be the “mayor” of certain places, depending on how many check-ins have been made at that location. Businesses can use this to their advantage by asking people to “check-in” and receive discounts and other various offers to persuade new customers and existing customers to return.
Instagram – Here’s a vintage photo of my donut
Instagram was founded in 2010, but has recently made a huge impact. It is a free photo-sharing software for your smart phone and easily edits and shares to other social media sites (including it’s own). Initially, Instagram only worked with Apple products like the iPhone and iPad, but now with becoming so popular, it has been made available for Android users as well.
YouTube – Here I am eating a donut
YouTube is a video sharing medium. You can watch others’ videos and post/share your own. YouTube is extremely popular with its variety of user-generated content: movie/TV clips and music videos; and amateur content such as video blogs and original short videos. These videos can be shared to other social media with just one click.
LinkedIn – My skills include donut eating
LinkedIn is used to connect people in professional occupations. This isn’t like Facebook, where users can connect with just anyone. You have to actually know who you’re connecting with – LinkedIn has options to click “I don’t know” [this person] and once that button is clicked too many times, your account will first be suspended, and more will lead to account termination. This is a great resource for businesses and business employees to connect and also find jobs.
Pinterest – Here’s a donut recipe
Pinterest is a pinboard style social photo sharing medium. Users post pictures to their theme-based image collections – basically a collage – of events, hobbies, interests, etc. Users are able to “like” and “re-pin” pictures from other users’ pinboards. Businesses can use this by asking anyone to take pictures with their product, at their store, or something of the sort to promote their brand.
Last FM – Now listening to “Donuts”
Last FM is a music website with a music recommender, similar to Pandora Radio, called “Audioscrobbler”. The site offers social networking features.
Google+ – I’m a Google employee who eats donuts
Google+ has slowly, but surely, started to emerge itself in the social media world. It integrates social services and introduces new services such as Circles, Hangouts, and Sparks. Google has started to post the Google+ business profiles when they are searched for on Google.
Tumblr – This is a really beautiful photo of a high-end donut
Tumblr, or tumblr., is a microblogging platform and social networking site that allows users to post multimedia to a short-form blog. Users can follow other users’ blogs.
Reddit – There is a conspiracy in the donut industry
Reddit is a social news site where users submit content in the form of a link or text post. Other users vote “up” or “down” which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site’s pages.
Craigslist – Will sublet part of my donut in exchange for sexual favors
Craigslist is a popular site where users can post items like houses, apartments, lawn mowers, concert tickets, and other items for free, sale, or trade. These items for sale are posted by state and city. There is also a section for personal ads for anyone seeking companionship.
Myspace – Check out my stale donut with full band at the Tea Bag next Tuesday evening
Myspace, sadly, has become outdated and is mostly used by musicians to post music. We would not recommend any new user sign ups.
We are here to help you understand social media, and how to use it to your advantage. If you have any questions, never hesitate to email us, give us a call (757-250-3197), or stop by and have a cup of coffee with us at the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, space 59.
