Facebook and Twitter
Recently, I realized that my absence from social networking sites (SNS) was costing me more than my presence would have. Since the birth of SNS in its first successful avatar of orkut, I have been the most vocal critic of this concept. My vituperation has engendered many cussed blogposts too. (Read what I wrote in 2006, 2009). So under great coercion did I agree myself to open accounts in facebook and twitter. My observations from the first few months.
What I like about Facebook:
1. Universal acceptability - Almost everyone is there.
2. Enhanced utility - Perhaps the best. The real use (for me atleast) is that Facebook hosts events. For example - I am sure there must be a Commonwealth Games 2010 group or some cricket related group or religion or politics or literature.
What I dislike about Facebook:
1. Too much unwarranted crap delivered at my doorstep. I dont care what X is saying to Y. I think its called wall or something like that (the homepage), and it is always full of someone whom I dont know commenting something which I am not concerned with on someone's page who is my dormant contact. If there is a way to disable this wall, can anyone please advise? Or is the wall Facebook's core competence?
What I like about Twitter:
1. Great concept. Much more meaningful than Facebook.
2. The new age media. Twitter became powerful (and caught my attention) during the Iran presidential elections episode. When the country banned all correspondents, news channels, networking sites it was through Twitter that Iranians communicated with the rest of the world. I think this 'news as it happens' utility of Twitter has taken the media world with a storm.
3. Access to celebrities. High profile politicians, media magnates, corporate honchos, bollywood superstars, sporting legends.
4. Tweeting from mobile. This gets the cake really.
What I dislike about Twitter:
1. Following friends and especially dormant contacts is absolutely useless. The scale is so micro that it does not add any value to me when a dormant contact tweets a few words 'Stuck in traffic.. maddening'. As a matter of fact, I only follow Formula 1 drivers and who's who.
2. If you are not getting the tweets on your mobile then its pretty inane to log in to the site and read 'Stuck in traffic.. maddening' two days later!
3. 150 odd words is too less for my appetite.
Overall, Twitter is better than Facebook. I am trying to soften my causticness towards SNS in general. Lets see.
What I like about Facebook:
1. Universal acceptability - Almost everyone is there.
2. Enhanced utility - Perhaps the best. The real use (for me atleast) is that Facebook hosts events. For example - I am sure there must be a Commonwealth Games 2010 group or some cricket related group or religion or politics or literature.
What I dislike about Facebook:
1. Too much unwarranted crap delivered at my doorstep. I dont care what X is saying to Y. I think its called wall or something like that (the homepage), and it is always full of someone whom I dont know commenting something which I am not concerned with on someone's page who is my dormant contact. If there is a way to disable this wall, can anyone please advise? Or is the wall Facebook's core competence?
What I like about Twitter:
1. Great concept. Much more meaningful than Facebook.
2. The new age media. Twitter became powerful (and caught my attention) during the Iran presidential elections episode. When the country banned all correspondents, news channels, networking sites it was through Twitter that Iranians communicated with the rest of the world. I think this 'news as it happens' utility of Twitter has taken the media world with a storm.
3. Access to celebrities. High profile politicians, media magnates, corporate honchos, bollywood superstars, sporting legends.
4. Tweeting from mobile. This gets the cake really.
What I dislike about Twitter:
1. Following friends and especially dormant contacts is absolutely useless. The scale is so micro that it does not add any value to me when a dormant contact tweets a few words 'Stuck in traffic.. maddening'. As a matter of fact, I only follow Formula 1 drivers and who's who.
2. If you are not getting the tweets on your mobile then its pretty inane to log in to the site and read 'Stuck in traffic.. maddening' two days later!
3. 150 odd words is too less for my appetite.
Overall, Twitter is better than Facebook. I am trying to soften my causticness towards SNS in general. Lets see.
Labels: Social Networking
6 comments
Better late than never. Twitter is definitely better than facebook. Facebook is irritating with games and wall concepts. Twitter is good because of knowledge sharing. Barring few personal tweets , I guess the people I follow , post the most interesting tweets. Twitter is useful in marketing strategies equally. I was hooked to twitter more when 26th November terrorist attack happened in Mumbai. There were some ridiculous news that terrorists(who were in Pak supposedly) were getting major updates through twitter about their counterparts in hotel and Nariman house.
I am still not on Twitter :(
Though had to reluctantly join Facebook.I dislike creating multiple SNS profiles...I am even contemplating deleting either Orkut or FaceBook account.But being loyalist,I may stick with orkut...dont know yet
The crux of SNS is..it kills actual contacs..you are 'online' most of time and yet lack the intimacy of true friendship..
Great post! Facebook has its moments in the sun - I love how I got in touch with all the 'dormant' contacts and figured out what they have been upto in the past 5 or so years. Guess it doesn't matter but is always good-to-know what your best friend from school is doing now :)
As for Twitter, I haven't joined the 'Smartphone' league yet so can't relate to the mobile thing.
Did you know this post could be automatically uploaded to your Facebook account. Now that is something you want to get in on :)
Oh yeah, you can't hide a wall but you can surely hide the person.
Don't miss this! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/facebook_suck
You remind me of my dad who refused to buy a mobile phone for the longest time because he thought it would make him lose all privacy; and we kept telling him, "papa, you can switch it off if you want or ignore incoming calls when you wish not to be disturbed", but he didn't acknowledge that as right. Until one day he got a mobile phone and uses it regularly to this day! :)
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haha.....SNS makes no sense when you are connected with the "people you want to be connected with" outside of it...it makes sense when you wanna have some "clean, virtual fun" :DDD
those maddening updates can be hilarious when someone comes up with a funny rejoinder ....for me, it was a way to connect with people, events etc. from my new town when I first moved here a year ago......that's what landed me my first gig as a staff photographer :)
And I gladly ignore friends' requests if I have no intention of staying in touch with "certain" set of people...
have a look at this
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/humor/201001/scary-facebook-friends-profiles
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