Why Online Social Networking Sites Like Facebook and Twitter are for Grownups   - 2,042 Views, 2 Comments

That’s because most Internet entrepreneurs in the know now say that having a presence on Facebook and Twitter is a must - a business imperative, if you will.

If you aren’t already using Facebook or Twitter, it’s easy to get started. Both are free, and all you have to do is sign up for an account. You can sign up for Facebook here. And you can sign up for Twitter here.

Facebook is by far the most popular social networking site right now. It’s a place where you create, in essence, a digital home by creating your proflie. The potential to customize your Facebook profile is unlimited, but really you can just fill in the basics, and leave it at that to start. People can view your profile, and you can “friend” them - which means that you and they openly connect your profiles to each other, so that others know that you know each other. Your friends are “in your network”, and when you update your Facebook status (post a note, or a picture, etc.) everybody in your network can see that update. All kinds of people can become your ‘friends’ - in fact you can upload the address book from your computer and find out who else that you know is already on Facebook, and then ‘friend’ them. As a business person, whenever you update your Facebook status with an update related to your business, your entire Facebook network sees that update. Launching a new product? Written a new article or blog post about your company or industry? Let your faithful Facebook network of friends who are following you know about it!

Twitter has been described by some as microblogging. However, the best way to explain Twitter is that it is like an instant messenger program, such as AIM or Yahoo Messenger, but where most instant messenger programs are one-to-one (i.e. if you know my instant messenger i.d., you can send me a message, and I’ll see it), Twitter is one-to-many. Every time you send a message on Twitter, everybody who is “following” you will see it. In fact many people use Twitter as a way to update family and friends instantly, all at once. Is your flight delayed? Just send a message on Twitter, and everybody will know that you are going to be late (at least, everybody who is ‘following’ you on Twitter). In business the reason that you want to do this is because so many of your colleagues and customers are already using Twitter, just waiting to be able to follow your messages, if only you were there! The CEO of Zappos - the popular online shoe company - for example, has more than 7,000 people following him on Twitter! You can bet that if he announces an online contest or sale at Zappos, those 7,000 are listening!

So, what are you waiting for? If you aren’t already using Facebook and Twitter, now’s the time to get started! And, be sure to connect with us once there! You can connect with us on Facebook here, and follow us on Twitter here.