© Kexino
Hands up if you any of you were on Friendster and MySpace. Hands up if you even remember what they were. *hand shoots up* 😉
Friendster was the very first social media platform I got on board in 2004. My friends were on it, and it was where my husband and I got in touch again after graduating from university. As for MySpace … nah, that did not work for me at all. I only got on that for the blog and even so, I never clicked with it. There was just too much going on on MySpace. Interestingly, I still get messages from Christina Aguilera time to time. Yeah we’re *this* close 😛
Next came Facebook. Then Twitter. Smartphones meant lots of pictures for Instagram. Google Plus came. Then the very popular Pinterest. Don’t let me stop there. Come 2020 there’s probably going to be double that amount of social media platforms. Oh boy.
Of all the platforms there are out there, the only ones that have really worked for me are Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I use Twitter for, well, just about everything. Things sure have changed from the days when people would just update what they ate, when they’re going to sleep, and so on. You can use these platforms to properly engage with people and even brands now.
Unfortunately, there are two platforms that I have trouble wrapping my head around, and they are Google Plus and Pinterest. For Google Plus, even though I do have a number of circles and friends, I’m still struggling with how I can use it effectively for my blog. I have heard great things about the Hangout feature, but, erm, unless you want to play with me, I can’t use it on my own (sounds like playground talk, doesn’t it?) 😛
It seems almost blasphemous to mention that Pinterest doesn’t really work for me, especially with all you Pinterest addicts out there (oh you know who you are ;)). As lovely as the images are, I can’t find myself getting hooked on the platform. I’m just not seeing how it can work for my blog, simply because it’s not a highly visual one to begin with. I’d love to pick the brains of Hair Romance (Christina’s the Queen of Pinterest), because she obviously knows something I don’t 🙂
Sometimes, there are things that just don’t work for all of us. In a way, I’m glad Google Plus and Pinterest don’t really work for me, because it means I have two less social media platforms to manage. When my time is less spread out, I can concentrate on working harder on my current social platforms and engaging with my readers.
Sorry, Pinterest and Google Plus. Rain check?
Are you on any or all of these social media platforms? Is there one (or two) that does not work for you? Oh, and if you have any tips and tricks about using Google Plus and Pinterest, do let us know in the comments.
I remember my first social media platform… it was BeBo. Back in 2006. Ah, those were the days. Then I have watched Facebook pretty much steal all the cool ideas BeBo had.. lol.
Anyway. As a blog, I have Facebook, IG, Twitter and Pinterest. Although pinterest really is more of a personal thing with some blog stuff smushed in. I am a bit of a pinterest lover, and get a bucketload of traffic from there – to the point where I’d say 70% of my traffic is from pinterest. BUT I agree, it takes some getting your head around. And it does take some time to work out how you want to use it.
Google plus…. yeah… no. I just CAN’T GET MY HEAD AROUND IT! It makes no sense!!! Sigh.
Chelsea recently posted..Organised Travel with aqua by Jimeale New York
Chelsea: Oh my goodness, BeBo! I remember that! Boy I haven’t heard that name in years!
How did you get Pinterest to work for you? I know that it’s frowned upon to pin your own images, but I have seen bloggers do that. How do you get your readers to pin your images? Sorry for the third degree; it just bugs me that I can’t get my head around Pinterest 😛
Google Plus…forget it, I’ve chucked that one a month after it came out. Just not working for me at all (it’s very popular among tech bloggers, that I’ve noticed).
I’m a part of the facebook group “Pinterest for Beauty Bloggers” – it’s sort of a share your link type thing. So I pin my posts, share them there, which other bloggers share, and so on. I don’t think readers pin my images, and I wasn’t aware that it was against etiquette to pin your own? :S
Beats me. I know jack about Pinterest. I read something on the Independent Fashion Bloggers website that apparently it’s a no-no to pin your own images. I’m clueless as it is 😛
But that’s a good idea, y’know, that Facebook group you mentioned? Help each other out in pinning images? Ahem would you mind sharing the link? Pretty please? 😀
Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/172988782812370/
I really find after pinning images and sharing the link I get A LOT more hits. Plus, I’ve found bloggers I didn’t even know existed. It’s mainly US bloggers, however I don’t find that as too much of an issue 🙂 Sharing is caring. x
Chelsea recently posted..Organised Travel with aqua by Jimeale New York
Thanks heaps for sharing, Chelsea! 😀
I use Facebook strictly for personal use. I was semi-addicted to Pinterest a few months back, but like you, while I love pinning all the pretties, it doesn’t add much to my social interaction. Twitter, however, I am constantly on. 🙂
Emy Shin: I used to only use Facebook for personal things too. Well, more like stalk people on the Internet, see their photos just so I know what to say if I see them on the street 😛
Now that I’m using it more for my blog, I don’t use FB for stalking much anymore. Drats. That was more fun 😛
i have pinterest – hardly use it.
i have twitter – freaking addicted.
i have Facebook – both personal page & blog page. sort of kind of use for blog but its mostly just updates. currently thinking of ways to utilise it (i.e. staring at page).
i have myspace- can’t remember my log in!
i have instagram – i was obsessed with it now my interest has kind of dropped off.
i have google +- checked it weeks ago. i haven’t really got into it.
i feel a little overwhelmed at times. Think i’ll stick with what i know.
Twitter, Facebook & dabbling in pinterest.
Well that is until some new comes along & i just “need” to have that too!
Madam M recently posted..I”LL HAVE WHAT SHE IS HAVING – GLOSSED IN TRANSLATION
Hahahaha omg you and me, sister! I’m just going to wait for something new to come along, see that as an app for my phone and think I’ll probably need it too. Funny enough that was how Instagram was for me. When I got my iPhone, I downloaded it because well, you have to since everyone is using it, but didn’t even open the app till a year later 😛
Yes, not all social media work for me either. I agree that fb, twitter are probably best ‘cooperating’ with my blog. I
still love pinterest – but only for looking at nice photographs and fashion/beauty inspiration purpose. 😉
Jess recently posted..New In | Boss Orange Platform Sandals
Jess: That’s what Pinterest is like for me too, at this stage anyway. Look at pretty pictures. Waste time looking at even more pretty pictures. Wish my life was like the pretty pictures 🙂
Friendster was my first ever social media platform too… It was fun for a while, till my friends began putting weird stuff on my testimonial wall and everyone moved to Facebook… then I’d get messages from unknown ppl going, “Can we be friends, please???” or “Can we meet up? It would be so interesting…” 😛 So I stopped hanging out there. My Space, I tried – but it didn’t really work out for me. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are my current ones…
Grace-melody Moo recently posted..While you were away (Day #1)
Grace: OMG I know what you mean! I remembered receiving a number of messages from strangers on Friendster and Facebook asking me if we could be friends. They used the word “dear” so many times, to me, who’s a stranger to them. My reply was “dude, I don’t know you. Keep a leash on those terms of endearment, eh?”
Never heard from them again 😉
Funny you should bring that up, I ‘have’ a pinterest but still have yet to use it. I have nothing against it, and I’m sure eventually I well be more serious about it, but for now it’s just too much!
I also am wary of pinning ALL my inspirations for the world to see, because I like to keep them to myself to help inspire me for my blog. Is that weird? I feel like, what do I have left when everyone can see every single thing I like? 🙂
Kaye recently posted..Week 3 Update: Garnier Dark Spot Corrector Photo Review
Kaye: Hahahaha I know what you mean, Kaye. At some point, there are just some things you gotta keep to yourself. Colonel Sanders didn’t share his 11 secret herbs and spices now, did he? 😉
Haha! Well said and so true. Although after reading what Chelsea wrote, maybe I should reconsider lol!
i think i am only using twitter most of the time for personal chats…and facebook for stalking! ooops! but for pinterest, i really dont get it. is it for just beautiful stuff? because everything is just beautiful and artsy?
xin recently posted..Konjac Sponge – Is it worth the hype?
Xin: Hahaha I think most of us use Facebook for stalking. Without it, how will I know what’s going on in your life? More importantly, what will we talk about when we meet if we don’t do our homework on Facebook first? Hee hee hee! 😛
Re. Pinterest, yeah that’s what it is for me. A place for pretty pictures. I’m just not getting how it’s going to work for my blog yet.
LOL…gimme a testimonial! Ah those were the Friendster days… 😛 As for all the other platforms I reckon I went in, had a look around and lost interest.
Nowadays I limit myself to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – and even then, Facebook is for my personal use only…and I reckon that’s probably enough for me to handle at the moment! 😀
beetrice recently posted..Updates, updates, updates…
Beetrice: Hahaha those Friendster days. They changed it to a gaming portal now, which is a bit sad. Kinda miss it though. There were even Friendster cafes 😛
Friendster! ME!
Twitter where I ponder on the deeper issues of life (e.g. to buy or not to buy that pair of shoes). Ya know, I’m deep that way.
Facebook – mainly for trolling honestly. I do post updates but not as much because I’m very conscious there are folks from work there. But I am also an admin for Coco’s page and that’s where I (she?) am most active.
Instagram – A little n00b at this but when it was finally released for Android, I jumped onboard almost immediately!
That’s enough for me. As it is, I’m spending way too much time on my phone 😛
LeGeeque: Facebook for personal use is mainly for stalking. At least, that’s what I do 😛
Oh yes, it’s imperative that we discuss the deeper issues of life on Twitter. How else will I know if it’s okay for me to wear a fascinator to a wedding? 😉
It’s hard enough for me to keep up with Twitter, I’m not sure I could handle more social media platforms lol! I’ve one a FB page for the blog, but I’m not really sure how to use it. I’ve just never really liked FB, the few times I’ve tried to use it there was some glitch or error..
gio recently posted..6 Anti-aging Myths Busted!
I don’t see you much on Twitter, Gio 😛 *hint hint go on it more hint hint*
I know, I’ve been neglecting it terribly lately. Getting back on it is my end of the year resolution. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it. 🙂
gio recently posted..New Collection: MUFE Holodiam Holiday 2012
Oh dear, my first was MySpace and then blogging… and now I’m on FB, Twitter and Instagram. I feel like it’s a lot and I really want to delete my Twitter account but I know it’s good for my blog, so yeah 🙁
While I love the idea of Pinterest, it hasn’t really interested me either.
Renee: If Twitter isn’t really working for you, then stick to Facebook. For personal engagement, I find that FB works better than Twitter (although if you want a quick question answered, Twitter is a great place to go :P).
For personal use, I was on Myspace, Xanga, and FB, since it was often the only way to keep in touch with distant family and friends. I haven’t used Xanga or Myspace in forever, and have deleted both accounts. FB, I still have for personal use only.
Strangely, I’ve had great success with G+ for my pagan supply shop, and no success on FB. At all. I’ve had the FB since… last July or so? Not one follower. G+? 50 or 60, plus if they reshare my posts, I’m seen in those people’s extended networks, too. Which isn’t bad, for a tiny part-time thing with only out-of-pocket startup funding. Both links are on my business cards and main website. ::shrugs:: It only took me a few hours to get used to G+, too, and the security settings seem easier to figure out. None of this ‘going through every individual friend and selecting how many posts I want to see’, ‘does this security setting actually work?’, and ‘how on earth do I rearrange these photos?’. x.x
Everything else? LinkedIn, Pintrest, Polyvore (like Pintrest, without ease of inclusiveness), Twitter… ack. It’s too much. I already have different e-mail addresses for all of my personal projects, + work-related address and personal address (to prevent stuff from being deluged with spam), plus FBs, the blogs to run, the shop to run, two LJ accounts (which I may merge soon)… and a Tumblr I completely forgot about. fuuu- x.x Too much.
Now I want to delete more accounts.
BebeTaian recently posted..National Coming Out Day
I remember Xanga. It was such a long time ago. I believe Michelle Phan started off with Xanga before she became a blogging success.
That’s great that Google Plus is working for you. Have you tried the Hangout feature? Is it any good?
LinkedIn is more for work than a social media platform (unfortunately, a lot of people don’t see it that way and add friends like they would Facebook). Wow looks like you have a lot of platforms to manage! I wouldn’t be able to cope >.<
FB and twitter are the ones that I use mainly for my blog. Thankfully, I am not hooked to Pinterest but it does get me decent traffic so I like it 😉
Harshleen recently posted..How to Get Rid of Deep Acne Scars
Harshleen: That’s great that Pinterest gets you decent traffic. I’m still learning how to work it to my advantage 😛
I do use Pinterest, it’s a place that I go for inspirations or just plain “sight-seeing”.
I’ve discovered some bloggers or tips/ tricks and tutorials through Pinterest. it’s quite fun actually, and a little different than discovering it through blogs. People are such visual creatures that if they like a certain image, you will click to that picture, and you get a hit! ahahah
i was mighty chuffed when there’s this pic of a gorgeous Hermes butterfly scarf I pinned got so many shares and likes! 😛
plue recently posted..Off To The Land of Smiles!
Plue: Haha that’s great! Who wouldn’t want to pin Hermes? 😛
Very true. People are very visual creatures, and that’s were Pinterest excels. I’m just going to have to work harder at it. It’s gotta work for me, dammit! #kiasu 😛
lol! i believe you will definitely master Pinterest! hey, it’s the #kiasu in us that keeps us going, most of the time 😉
plue recently posted..Off To The Land of Smiles!
at least u are there on 3 medias !!! I am totally clueless when it comes to promoting through social media…you should do a post on that 🙂 I loved pinterest but when you talk about using it for the blog, donno how??? in fact i’m guessing that very few people actually click on the snaps to go to the links!!! its just to view the photographs. and, google plus is not used by those many people but it does have potential…guess no one knows how to use it 😀
even i heard hangouts are a great feature but yup you need to host a hangout for the blog and then people across all time zones should find time and all that!!!
Swati recently posted..Tips for Lip Care {Five Series}
Swati: Haha well social media is a good topic to write about so thanks for the tip! 🙂
I’m still rather clueless on how to use Pinterest better for my blog. Like you said, people usually just look the photos. I’m guessing they’ll rarely click on the link; instead they’ll just move on to the next image.
Google Plus never really took off for anyone I’m pretty sure. I find that Pinterest doesn’t really seem to add anything to my blog since I’m not a fashion or hair blogger but I love it more for keeping track of products and putting together outfit ideas. I seem to use it in a more personal way for inspiration and making a wishlist of things I want and it seems to stop me from wanting to buy them!
Megan recently posted..Get the Bond Girl look
Megs: The #bbloggersoz chat Christina (Hair Romance) hosted on Sunday was a good insight into how she utilises Pinterest for her blog. I think the blog will have to be a highly visual one for Pinterest to be useful to draw traffic in. I’m more of a words person, so for now, I’ll be using Pinterest to pin pretty pictures, not so much my own. Like you said, it’s a more personal way for drawing inspiration 🙂
For myself, I find that Twitter and Facebook work the best for promoting blog posts and shoutouts of promotions etc. I am most active on Twitter as I am there in my personal capacity and so that is “me”, less than it is the blog. I like it that way. The Facebook Page is there for my blog for those who are active on FB and prefer seeing FB updates.
Instagram is my fun visual outlet and I don’t consider it as being very helpful to my blog because there’s no way to link the blog posts to generate traffic. I don’t get Pinterest or G+ although i’m trying to get my head around the latter. I can see the potential, but I also can see why it only appeals to the techies. It is very technical. For now, I’m just sticking to what I know & can work. Its almost impossible to get onto every platform out there and survive a head explosion.
Paris B: Yesterday I stumbled upon a US beauty blog, and one of the blog posts was quite interesting. The blogger collaborated with a few other bloggers, created a G+ Hangout and chatted about makeup, etc. The Hangout was recorded and embedded to the post. An idea to try out Hangout, perhaps? 😉
Twitter is starting to irk me, at least for the past couple of weeks. Have noticed that most people are just using it as a whinging ground. So many things to complain about. The negative tweets are getting a lot more than positive ones now. Sigh. Looks like I need a break from it for a while.
I’ve decided to give G+ a go again, and have even created a G+ page. It probably won’t do too well but who knows when it’ll explode plus I’m not exactly thrilled about the way FB is handling things.
As for Twitter, I treat it thus – its a portal for me to keep in touch & chat to my friends. I don’t follow people willy nilly because its my personal twitter account, not my blog’s and so I do not feel any obligation to follow anyone just because they do. Whoever follows me and my friends and chooses to eavesdrop & is then irked or “perasan” can buzz off. Done this way, I can ignore the negativity and sail along, because really, there are people out there who really should get a life and not think the world revolves around them.
Paris B recently posted..Kick up your heels at Le Grand Bal and keep dance partners close with Dior Grand Bal Carnet de Maquillage
I saw you adding me on G+ 🙂 Have a play with it and do let me know what you think about it months down the road. Hopefully it’ll work for you. Facebook’s multiple changes in policies and styles are terribly annoying.
Twitter started off as a personal thing for me but has now changed to my blog’s Twitter account. I.e. I get brands following me, me following brands and so on, which is why I have to watch what I say. I guess there are just too many Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys on Twitter. I’ve been thinking of setting up another Twitter account but I can’t even keep up with the current one as it is 😛
I think I’ve tried most of them out there, but I don’t have time and energy to keep up with them. I stick to twitter and instagram because these are mobile friendly.
I don’t like FB still using it from time to time to keep in touch with real life friends. I quite like G+ when it first came out but was bumped about the real name policy, which to me, is a FB wanna be. I don’t need another FB.
I was at one stage addicted to Pinterest until I read an article about copyrights. But recent #bbloggeroz chat brought me back. I think I’ll worry about copyrights later.
coco recently posted..bright pink brows
Coco: G+ never really took off for me. I reckon it’s because it’s still fairly new, and most of my readers prefer to be on Facebook. G+ is very popular amongst tech bloggers but not so much amongst beauty and fashion ones. Most still prefer Twitter and Instagram.
Haha that was a good Pinterest chat on #bbloggersoz that evening, wasn’t it? I learned so much. At least I’m finally accessing the website now. Most of the time I forget I even have an account!