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Gagan D
Brand Advocate. Creative Visionary. Principal, DesignStamp. Director of Design, Rouxbe
How often do you update your various statuses (Twitter, Facebook etc)? Why?
Interested in knowing your motivation of why you participate, and what motivates you to add/change/update your status.
Clarification added 4 months ago:
one tip from me: if you are on a mac try Moodblast : http://blog.circlesixdesign.com/download/moodswing/ (it let's you update statuses across various apps/sites in one swoop).
On PC's: apparently there are a few AIR clients as well, but I am not sure.
Answers (18)
Facebook, usually a couple of times a day if I'm not busy. If busy and not at home, can go days in between updates right now. Facebook's status is generally more interesting to update because it's more of a one-way broadcast... you don't necessarily need anyone to respond to what you post.
I've only recently started updating Twitter more than once a month, since I got a decent Adobe AIR-based desktop client for it (Twhirl, or Snitter.) Updated several times today, but Twitter's appeal is directly related to the number of "followers" you have... if you don't have many, there's very little interaction, which makes it a little less interesting to use. If you have dozens (or in some cases, hundreds) of followers, you're much more likely to generate interest with your updates, and initiate discussion, which is where Twitter really shines.
Pownce beat Twitter to the punch in getting a decent desktop client built (an AIR client, in this case.) Problem was, the client was pretty, but really badly implemented and required you to actually visit the Pownce site to do anything meaningful. The newer AIR-based Twitter clients are major improvements over this and can replace your use of the main Twitter.com site entirely. This is important because Twitter/Pownce/Jaiku (etc.) are really more in line with IM clients like MSN Messenger, ICQ, or Yahoo's IM client, even though they're more communal in nature.
On top of that, Facebook's UI is much more conducive to logging in regularly and updating, since there are so many other diversions to keep you "engaged" (gotta throw in the current buzzwords, right?) and returning regularly. Twitter is so spartan (and in general, visually boring, even compared to something like Pownce), it doesn't really offer much to do that would cause you to actually visit your own profile more than once a day at most, unless you're a hardcore user. I don't consider myself a hardcore Facebook-er, but using the web interface alone, I found that I updated my Facebook status infinitely more frequently than I did my Twitter account, and I've only had the FB account for a few months longer. Now that there's a few viable desktop/system tray interfaces to Twitter, I can use it much more like I'd use MSN Messenger, and update quickly without having to visit the main site.
I don't really use any other social networks or microblogging platforms on a regular basis (aside from Protagonize, but the content generated there is a lot more meaningful than microblogging), so that's all the insight I can provide...
Links:
Nick B also suggests these experts on this topic:
Angela D
Owner, Notorious4 - Full Service Creative
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My friends and coworkers are online a lot. I update myspace, facebook, virb, twitter, and even myminicity several times a day. Sometimes its for work, sometigmes its for fun, sometimes its just something to do to connect with friends when we can't actually get together. On days I don't update I get a lot of 'hey, where've you been?' We've all gotten used to the instant gratification of each other's networks and when one person is missing, we all feel it.
Clarification added 4 months ago:
Oh, and I should point out that I keep my IM on constantly. I get more messages there than I do on my phone or through email.
I've just answered a similar question and will use a very similar answer - hope nobody minds!
think the real question should be - are you addicted? I believe I am! y status on Facebook is updated daily and the compulsion to do so seems to be very narcissistic !
Butler Group have written some interesting articles on this subject and have published research on the very interesting way in which productivity at work may be reduced because of the 'lure of social networks':
"Last month, IT security and control firm Sophos, revealed the results of an interesting survey into the habits of corporate employees. In a poll of 500 Facebook users, Sophos asked the question: How often do you access or check Facebook from work? If the results of this survey are to be believed, then 1 in 7 Facebook members appear to be logged into the system all of the time – a worrying statistic for business managers."
Published 15 November 2007 - Butler Group OpinionWire
There's also a full report on The Future of Social Networking on their site and to all employees and employers alike it makes interesting reading!
PS I'm a facebook user myself. and yes - I log in from my work PC. I've also got a couple of blogs on Wordpress but I find it extremley tedious to keep up with them!
per week. Just for fun.
I do it once a day (okay, sometimes less). I think it's interesting and haven't yet found my specific value proposition for doing so. However, I do see promise in organizations that employ field service personnel. It's similar to a cab driver calling up the dispatcher to alert them where they are and that they are available to pick up another passenger.
Otherwise, my brain has yet to figure out the other possibilities.
Of course, if I were a teenager, I might find other uses for the technology.
Scott
There's a limit to how much you can do. It's called time and multiple social networking. I also have to wonder how much is done on company time. Even if it just takes a minute, if you're updating multiple sites multiple times during the work day, let's face it, you're not working.
I've moved some of my activity to more professional venues like LinkedIn and Wired Journalist (see link below). But maybe that's because I feel I can justify the occasional "during work" update!
Links:
I rarely provide status updates, as well as even "use" the accounts for anything.
But, I did get an e-mail yesterday: some guy named "thunderpoochie" is now following me on Twitter.
(I wonder how you cancel a Twitter account?)
Adina F
Business Communications Creator
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I update my Facebook status at least once a day.
Reasons: I love reading other people's statuses so I'm returning the favor, it's a way of letting people know what I'm up to, and sometimes a creative outlet.
I generally only update FaceBook, but since I am now using Flock (http://www.flock.com/) access is very easy, and constant. I update daily, but when things don't change for a while (like I'm sick a couple days) I don't rush to update it.
I do find I get responses from FaceBook friends when my status is outside the norm. For example, when I mentioned that the local Home Depot (in california) didn't sell snow shovels, while friends in Canada were posting about getting hammered by storms, it generated "feedback."
Links:
I'd say that I update my FaceBook status no more than once per week, more likely once every two weeks.
Facebook used to seem so cool and reconnected me with many old friends, but then again so did MySpace and now I hate it.
These days I seldom check into my FB account let alone update my status. I'm so annoyed by all the applications, invitations and messages on FB as though it is my primary communications centre. And I don't trust them.
Will I still be using FB a year from now? Meh.
Henk-Jan V
Managing consultant at Capgemini Nederland BV, Project Manager and Insurance Consultant
Best Answers in: Web Development (2)
I update my Twitter as often as I want to. Everytime my Twitter update is automatically published to my status update at Hyves, Facebook, Plaxo and derived RSS feeds at other profile sites, like Mugshot, Friendfeed, Mashable, Spokeo, Spock, Iminta, etc. etc., thanks to APIs and interconnectivity.
Links:
Larry S
Multilingual localization and translation (documentation, software, web) specialist - multilingual
I echo Scott Abel's last sentence, which is my brain hasn't yet figured out what good Facebook and others like it are and I think it's because I'm not a teenager anymore (heck, haven't been one in thirty years!) Although I sometimes act like a teenager and feel young at heart, I still don't know why I would care if I beat someone on my list in Arizona in the "which movie start do these eyes belong to?" game. Let alone how I feel this morning (or, in some cases, a few times a day). The attraction may be narcissistic, indeed. People are so busy with so many things nowadays that we want to feel like somebody cares and friends are "keeping tabs" on us. I think it's sad. Although I have dated people that I met on dating sites (back in the early naughts), I think we would be better served to focus on real rather than virtual relationships.
Almost never, especially Facebook. Too busy and find Facebook overpopulated by people demanding personal time and who seem to have too much of it in the first place. Maybe once a month I'll go there and change some stuff. Linkedin, more often. Hell, I barely change the status of my IM!
Eileen B
IT Professional, Information Security Quality Assurance Operations & Administration / President, CMU SEI LI SPIN
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Hi Gagan,
When the mood strikes me. If someone really wants to know what I am up to, I'd rather they ask, it's more personal and builds stronger relationships.
Eileen
I would update mine more often, FaceBook in particular, but even in the Web development group here, we are under strict Corp IT lockdown and I get a really nasty mesage if I try to connect to most of the social networking sites (other than LinkedIn). I've not taken the time to investigate other methods of connecting that would get through the proxy.
Matthew F
Owner and Technician, Fitzage Consulting
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I update Twitter as often several times a minute, or as little as a couple of times a day, depending on my mood and what I'm doing at the time.
I also find myself much more likely to post updates if more of my friends are online. That way I know they're more likely to see it, and I'm also more likely to respond to things they say.
I update Facebook status much less frequently. That's mainly because it's much less accessible than Twitter. I use a desktop client for Twitter called Twitterrific, and it makes the whole process significantly easier. Facebook has nothing like this.
I mainly update Facebook status when I actually want people to know what I'm doing. Twitter is used for so much more than status that I use it much more frequently.
I go through phases, sometimes I'm on facebook several times in a day... sometimes I forget about it for weeks. It usually depends on how busy I am, and if I need to procrastinate.
When I actually DO update my status, its usually to note how frustrated, or happy I am with something when no one's around for me to vent to...
I haven't update Facebook in months. My Twitter updates are event driven.