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Communication tools, Social Networks, and How I use them.
By Mike | April 30, 2009
There has been a lot of talk lately, in both my personal and professional life, about how social networks fit into our communication work flows. Why use facebook? What’s the point of Twitter? Should we text? What should i post on these services?
I’ve done some thinking on the subject, and have come up with the following on how *I* will use various social networks.
I am going to be distributing the URL to this blog entry via Facebook, Twitter, and Email. Not only is it serving as a “this is how i think these networks should be used” for all the world to see (and possibly ignore), but it is also serving as a “This is how i prefer to communicate, get with the program” message for people as well.
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1021916351):
This is, to me, the Modern BBS system. I wish it had more robust group features and more robust status features, which you can find in my wish list below.
This is where I expect to see, and want to see, short updates about your life and what you are doing. Stupid comments in your status, sure, go ahead.
But Facebook is much more than that. It is also a great place to see updates on friends/family that you don’t really keep in touch with otherwise. Having health problems? let us know that you will be in the hospital. You don’t need to share the details with the world, but let those of us that care know.
I’ve turned on notifications of status updates to my cell phone via text for everyone that is local to morgantown that is on my friends list (well, most everyone that is local … not people from work, or people that i hardly talk to). I’ve also turned it on for Family, so that if something important or interesting comes up I will know about it quicker. I’m working on fine-tuning my list of people that i get SMS status updates from, but so far it is working out very well.
I wish facebook took better advantage of Friends lists though. So that I could post a status to my “Karate” friends list and only people in that list would see the update. Likewise, i could have a “Local” group and post that I am going to be jogging and if anyone would like to come.
Facebook also provides some fun games, similar to BBS Door games of old. They have a long way to come, but they are fun time wasters that take 5 minutes at a time to get through.
Twitter (http://twitter.com/mbond):
I used to think that twitters status and facebook’s status were the same thing. I don’t think so anymore. I am, instead, using my twitter status to ask questions and reply to other people’s questions. I’ve gone through and cleaned up most of the crap that was in there and left only the stuff that I felt was useful to someone searching twitter. The number of tweets that i post is going to go way down. At the same time though, the number of facebook updates will likely go up.
I am still following friends, but i’ve turned off notifications to my mobile device for anyone that isn’t in the same town as me (Which is everyone, since twitter hasn’t really caught on in Morgantown yet). I’m using it more as an “Instant” RSS system. I’ve got the CDC and CNN and other news services in my feed. Those are still coming to my cell phone as Texts.
If my local friends ever start using twitter, I may start doing things like http://twitter.com/ryanabrams does and announce when I am going to lunch or other invites that pertain to local people. Groups would help this. This of using it this way as a “Broadcast text message”
SMS (Text):
I consider this the Instant Message of the mobile world. IMs are great on the computer. I love them, and have been using them since the early 1990′s. SMS on your phone is the same thing, just more mobile. It works great in the same capacity. “I need you to see this, but it isn’t as urgent as a phone call”
Its also a great way for web applications to let me know that I might be interested in something, without having to drain my battery life to go on the internet and look at each web application.
Instant Messages (http://www.the-forgotten.org/about/contact-info/):
Instant messages are great, when you are in front of your computer with the application open. I’ve been IM’ing with people on various networks since the early 1990s. Most of Katherine and my initial talking was on IMs, up until we moved in together.
At work a good number of people use AOLIM and IM me throughout the day. In most cases i greatly prefer this to a phone call. I can glance at the message and determine if it needs my immediate attention or not. Much more productive than a phone call for me. Its quicker than an email, and if there is no “information” that needs to be saved some where its often better than an email so that i don’t have yet another email sitting in my inbox taking up space.
Email (http://www.the-forgotten.org/about/contact-info/):
I find myself using this less and less in my personal life these days, though with a select number of friends it is still the only real way to communicate with them because they are not on facebook, twitter, etc …
Most people that know me know that i absolutely HATE email. Its antiquated and doesn’t provide the features that I want in a sane way. At the same time though, I don’t like being restricted to using facebook’s address book or email interface.
I generally strive to have absolutely no email in my inbox, though it is often hard just because i get so much. I’ll read it and let it sit then find an afternoon to wade through my email and delete everything that I don’t actually need (which is 99.9% of my email).
My full rant on email can be read here: http://www.the-forgotten.org/2008/02/19/email-in-daily-life/
Phone Calls:
Phone calls are the “this is really important and i need an answer right this second” type of thing. I generally hate talking on the phone and usually only do it with people that aren’t immediately available via another form of communication, if i am driving, or if the topic is urgent.
For example: I had to ask a friend of mine the other day a question about gravel. In particular I wanted to know the name of a good gravel company and what type i should get. I know he doesn’t like testing (and doesn’t have a text plan, so each text costs money), so i gave him a call. which required me to have a pen and paper handy, which i then put into my pocket and lost. Texting would have worked better for this situation. I didn’t need the information immediately, but i wanted to ask while I was thinking of it. Also, in a text the information would have remained in my phone so i didn’t have to write it down. Email could have also worked, but it would have been slower and there was no guarantee that he would have seen it before he went into work on monday morning, which is when i needed the information by.
Blogs (http://www.kathnmike.us and http://www.the-forgotten.org):
So how do blogs fit into all of this? Blogs are for longer posts, like this one. People can see updates via RSS feeds, or when you post the URL to different services (such as twitter and facebook and mass emails). Blog posts are open to the public, which facebook profiles are likely not. So people can find them via google, and you can email a link to people that aren’t on other services.
While blog posts are less useful than they once were for the average user, i think they still hold their place. Most people would rather not post a full on entry, but “microblog” using their status message on facebook.
The blog on The-Forgotten.Org is likely going to go away. I’m likely going to replace the useful ones with static pages over there and it will just be a “website” and not a blog. I’d rather only blog to one place and I think i would like it to be this site.
Wish Lists:
Facebook:
1) Take advantage of friend lists when posting status message updates.
2) True message forum support in groups.
3) Notification of changes in groups to your facebook home page
4) Photo integration with other services, such as SmugMug and Flickr
5) Better interface for managing mobile communications, based off Friends lists in particular.
6) A way to mark the importance of a status update, and only see importance of X or greater on your mobile device.
7) Sync with my local address book
Imap support for inbox
Twitter:
1) Built in group support, without having to use multiple accounts.
2) Be able to see “digests” of tweets instead of receiving individual tweets to your mobile device.
SMS (Texting):
1) Be able to “log into” my wireless providers site with my IM client and send/receive texts via my Instant Message client when I am at my computer. Text still go to the phone as well, but it would be nice to not have to carry my phone to see them when i am at my computer. Also nice for when I am at work and there is no cell reception.
2) Better, more obvious, integration with Mac Address book so that I can easily text someone from my email client or IM client.
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