Brainstorming about Social Networks

Here are the results from our brainstorming session about our usage of social networks.

(And it goes without saying, but we should say it anyway: without communicating with the Lord in prayer, we won’t be able to share him online.  (Can’t give what you don’t got!))

Social Networks (General)

Twitter

  • Short messages (140 character limit).  Called “Tweets”
  • Informal – can message anyone
  • What should we share?
    • Small snippets of what Jesus means to us
    • Retweeting (repeating) what others say – e.g. Pope Benedict XVI, @Pontifex
    • Other updates from daily life: share who we are, hoping to draw people into a deeper conversation
    • Food
  • Important to set your profile picture! (The default egg often implies lack of engagement). Can also create a cover pic and change your background.
  • Best times to post?
  • Some messaging tips:
    • to send a public message to someone, begin with their “@” handle.  It’ll be like a postcard – anyone who follows both of you will see it in their feed.  Anyone who clicks on your profile will also see it.
    • To mention someone else in a tweet, DO NOT start with the “@” handle.  If a tweet starts with an “@” sign, it will only show up in the feed of people who follow both of you.
      • Workaround: start with “.@”
    • Hashtag: Begins with “#”. Cannot have punctuation. Enables easy search.
  • Connect to Facebook through the Twitter App on Facebook.
    • Pro
      • Easy to send messages to both platforms
    • Con
      • Messages are not tailored for each platform
    • It’s also possible to use cross-posting services such as Hootsuite.

 

Facebook

  • What do we share?
    • Similar to Twitter, but can be deeper
    • Discussions can also be deeper.  But these can also go out of control quickly on controversial items.
    • Can also share something of ourselves (text, photos, etc.), hoping to draw people into a deeper conversation.
  •  Privacy settings: How much do you want to share?
  • One safe assumption: Assume that whatever you share on Facebook is public. Then you won’t be embarrassed. :-)
  • It is possible to allow people to follow you, much like on Twitter.  They can’t comment publicly on your posts, however.
  • Profile pic and Cover pic
  • Regular profiles have a max. of 5000 friends
  • Pages do not have a maximum number of “Likes” (that I’ve found)

 

Instagram/Flickr

  • Photo sharing communities
  • Instragram recently had a terms-of-service controversy

 

Pinterest/LinkedIn/Google+/Other

  • Google+
    • Photographers are starting to use Google+ more.  Seems like a nice interface
  • Pinterest
    • People can quickly share a number of things and browse easily
  • LinkedIn
    • Seems to be more professional-oriented
  • Other