It's that time of the year again when we begin to wrap things up, count down the Top 10s of whatever it is that's important to us. Here at TWIST, we begin with summarizing how social media has impacted my day-to-day activities; which ones I continue to use and which ones I've found was just a waste of time.
Like millions of people in the world today, I am a heavy consumer of social media. For me, the past 12 months have been an interesting ride in terms of the apps and programs I tried and subscribed to.
I still frequent the old favorites--Facebook and Twitter, but found that the way I use them have changed. The amount of time I have spent on each have greatly varied as well.
Part of that, of course, is the hardware that I use. It was only this year that I had subscribed to a smartphone plan that gives me unlimited access to the Internet. This obviously led to me being able to generate more content at a more real time manner.
Having said that, here's a rundown of social media networks that caught my attention this year:
1. GoodReads
I love reading--newspaper, blogs, magazines, books, even brochures! So when a friend suggested I join GoodReads--a social network for sharing books you plan to read, is currently reading, or have read in the past--it became one of my favorite places to visit right away.
Not only does it connect me to fellow readers, it helps me track the books that I have read. I love how I can write my own review for a book, share a great quote, or leave a message for a particular author.
I joined the site last January of this year and have since read 14 books.
2. Twitter
The one social media network I used the most this year is, no doubt, Twitter (@hot_ken). I've found that I have spent more time tweeting than I do posting status updates in Facebook or posting photos in Instagram (more of these later).
So far, I have a little more than 11,000 tweets (about 5,000 of those posted in 2012); 558 followers; and 354 people/institutions that I follow. I love the interactivity, the fast-paced world of the Twitter timeline. Even now, there's nothing quite like getting a tweet, a retweet, or a post that has been "favorited" by a celebrity or a person that's important to you.
I am amazed at how Twitter has grown in the last couple of years. Notice how tweets are always quoted by news agencies but never a status update from Facebook? Don't get me wrong, I love Facebook as well but I do predict a time (perhaps 5 years from now) when this microblogging site will have more active users than Facebook.
3. Instagram
My second most favorite social networking name is Instagram. I joined the photo-sharing app earlier this year and has since posted more than 913 photos. I have 555 followers and am following 448 users. It's a great way to share what's happening in your life through pictures, just as how it's nice to share interesting things over at Twitter.
Instagram is also a very effective platform to showcase some of the photos I have posted in the past in Facebook (where they were buried inside an album) and share them using the in-house filters. It really brought out the photographer in many people.
Whenever I plan to go to a new place, I quickly search Instagram for photos to give me an idea of what to look forward to. I just love how the photos posted here transport me to places just by looking at them--and using my wild imagination, of course. :)
4. Foursquare
There was a time when I was so into Foursquare. I signed up earlier this year but quickly got bored with the app. At first, it was interesting--having the ability to check into a place and become the "mayor." But after a while and seeing how inaccurate the mayorship is anyway (people would check-in to a place even if they just passed by it; would create a separate location even if there's already one; or would blatantly check-in to a place even if they're not there), I decided it was time to move on.
I have deleted the app in my smartphone and have no intentions of installing it again.
Among the social networks I've joined in my entire life, this is the one that I've used most actively the longest. And I do believe this is true for millions of people around the world. As of press time, I have 2,354 friends and counting.
There was a time when I use Facebook just to post status updates or pictures. Lately, I've noticed I've posted less and less of both. But that's only because I now use Instagram to post my photos, which I actually cross-post in my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
This year, I've started using it to create events--easy to invite people as well as upload post-event photos. I've also used the status updates to ask a question, from which I collect the answers and use them in the articles I write (I write for a newspaper).
Earlier in the year, I even got addicted to Cityville, to the point where I was spending at least three hours a day playing the Zynga game. Thankfully, that addiction faded after a couple of months. Oh yes, it's interesting to read articles about Facebook's stocks--the ups and downs. I do believe investors who continue to believe in Facebook will have the last laugh. :)
6. Google+
I was a bit skeptical when Google launched this social networking site earlier this year. But, being the social animal that I am, I just had to try it. Immediately, I had to commend the user interface as it looked sleek and easy to use. My main concern for Google+, however, is how difficult it is to send a message to someone on your "circles."
Obviously, Google+ is bound to find some level of success (and it has), what with Google's huge connections and sister companies (i.e. YouTube and Blogspot, which it integrates in the social neworking site and vice versa).
For now, I use it more to post my blog entries. It does help give my blog more exposure. Once in a while I would check it as there are some interesting posts from users there, which I do not see in Facebook or Twitter.
7. Path
Path looked promising at first. Not only could I share photos and videos, I could also post what music I'm listening to or what movie I'm watching. But the main thing that drove me away from Path is that I do not know anyone else who was using it, save for a couple of friends. So, to me, what good is it sharing what I'm doing or what I like to people who I only know on a superficial level?
Path had a cap for number of friends you can have--only 150. That's because, according to them, that's the number of people an individual will actually be in touch with on a regular basis at a certain point in their lives. I feel that what I can do in Path I can do either in Twiiter or Facebook or Instagram. So I threw in the towel.
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