The Community Is What Makes Social Networks Different
Jan 23 2009 
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If you’ve ever tried to explain to a friend the difference between their Facebook status and Twitter, tell them it’s the community.
There are tons of social networks to hop aboard these days. From Facebook to Myspace to Twitter to Friendfeed to Bebo to Identi.ca to Plurk. There’s almost too many to name and most certainly too many to try out. They all seem like the same thing anyways, right? Wrong! Wrong, wrong, WRONG! Here are a few points that help social networks separate themselves from one another:
- Community
- Conversations of the Community
- Content
- Feature-Set
Community & Conversations
The community is the key to separating social networks. The difference between a Facebook status update and a tweet, is the difference between apples and oranges; though they’re grouped in the same category, you just can’t compare them. Twitter is all about making conversations happen. However, the majority of these conversations revolve around some type of content: a YouTube video, an article, a blog post, a picture, a new service or web app. This helps to create conversations based on opinions. We review services and apps with our tweets. We review brands, companies, writers, and more. We share our thoughts and interests in the conversations via Twitter. Technology is a consistently popular topic along with politics.
- On the other hand, the Facebook community tends to have more intimate and personal conversations. Users share memories via pictures, moments via videos, and experiences with close friends and family via status updates. The community behind Facebook makes the entire experience a lot more personal and intimate than the community backing Twitter.
Content
The content between both networks are normally different too. Twitter’s content is centered around links and topics of interests to a diverse group of users. Facebook’s content is centered around images and personal details. The content is very different and rarely overlaps.
Feature-Set
The feature-set of both social networks also enforces different behavior. Though both are tools for communication, you should be aware that different tools can create different reactions, especially when integrated with the right user interface. Facebook promotes more personal and intimate relationship building features such as games, image and video uploads, groups.
- Twitter doesn’t have a group feature yet. It’s designed to make you pay attention to your entire audience, which is normally full of people you wouldn’t want to share your most personal details with. So instead, we share links to things of interests. This is just another way to help establish a connection & to network with professionals according to your interests, instead of your personal life.
The Difference Is In The Community
In the end, there all very different. The difference lies in the community; with what they share, what they say, and how they interact.
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That's a more powerful insight than I think most realize. When I mentioned Twitter to my sister last week, her response was “isn't that like the facebook status thing?” I couldn't quite articulate the difference…then the US Airways crash happened. The buzz was around Twitter and not Facebook status updates.
Great post…I'm in the process of building an online community for volunteers at a nonprofit and you're right, it's all about the community. Makes me think harder about what unique niche the community will fill.
On a personal note, it took me a while to latch onto twitter because I initially approached it like Facebook as a conversation tool with my circle of friends. But Twitter is much more about networking, kind of the equivalent of having conversations at a party. Once I realized it's about broadening your network, I got completely addicted.
Well congrats on catching on with Twitter lol. I wish you continued success with building your community. Feel free to email me if you need any advice or suggestions.
Your points about the difference between Twitter and Facebook are dead on. I still feel like Twitter is really about the more techy types, getting together and chatting about media, politics, etc. I have about a 5% overlap between my Twitter following and my Facebook friends – Facebook is much more personal for me, I have pictures on Facebook from when I was 5 years old, I have lots of photos from high school, etc, and I end up using Facebook to reconnect with people from the past, share current photos with friends, etc.
Your points about the difference between Twitter and Facebook are dead on. I still feel like Twitter is really about the more techy types, getting together and chatting about media, politics, etc. I have about a 5% overlap between my Twitter following and my Facebook friends – Facebook is much more personal for me, I have pictures on Facebook from when I was 5 years old, I have lots of photos from high school, etc, and I end up using Facebook to reconnect with people from the past, share current photos with friends, etc.
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<h2 align=”center”>What Makes the Ugg Bailey Button Boot Such a Hit?</h2>
It's simple. UGG Australia has morphed together their two most popular styles. They started with the ever-popular UGG Classic Short Boot and then added a Wooden Button from their best-selling, as seen on Oprah, UGG Cardy. Put them together and you get this year's must have UGG style – the Ugg Bailey Button.
The Bailey Button is available in 5 colors including Black, Chestnut, Grey, Chocolate and Sand. California-based retailer Footwear etc. has received all 5 colors into stock at their 7 stores and is already seeing positive results. Footwear etc. Manager, Andrew Monarch, said "It is not a matter of IF the Bailey sells out, but how quickly. We highly recommend that our customers secure their boots early before it's too late."
Right, it is not a matter of IF the Bailey sells out, but how quickly. So we highly recommend that our customers secure their pair early before it's too late.
The UGG Bailey Button is also very versatile as it can be worn up or folded down for a different look. They feature a soft foam insole and a genuine sheepskin lining. If you haven't experience the comfort of authentic UGG Australia Boots yet then your feet have been missing out. Give the new UGG Bailey Button a try today or if it's not for you, there's always the popular classic styles including UGG Classic Short, UGG Classic Tall and UGG Classic Cardy.
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