Facebook has long dominated the social media world as the largest social network and Twitter has been the only real threat to its existence over the past few years.
Both are similar yet very different in what they do and how they work. Facebook might be bigger than Twitter but I personally think that won't last because Twitter - in my humble opinion - is currently better. And if it's better and does everything that Facebook tries but fails to achieve, then surely Facebook is on its way out?
Let's look at the reasons why I think Twitter is built to last in comparison to Facebook.
First up, Twitter is pretty laidback. Particularly when it comes to who you follow and who follows you. There's no chance of offending anyone if you decide to stop following someone. Whereas with Facebook, people take it too seriously. If you add someone as a friend, it means something. Equally if you 'remove a friend', people see that as if you'd dumped them in real life. On Twitter, you can just follow the relevant type of people you want to follow. It's not taken so personally if someone stops following your public timeline.
Next, Twitter is a stress-free environment. And it's stress-free because it's more informal and less personal. Recent research suggested that Facebook causes stress and it's easy to understand why. Because although Facebook is a platform to 'stay connected', it does quite the opposite. It can leave us feeling inadequate as other people always look like they're having a better time than us. Plus, like the research found, it can leave us feeling miserable with too many friends to manage. Or we might feel guilty for ignoring 'friend requests' or ditching someone we don't want to connect with anymore.
I mean, honestly. Can it get any more ridiculous? We're only talking about an online network. But sadly, people do get fed up with all the politics and social obstacles involved. Over on Twitter, you don't get any of this rubbish. It's just real-time, relevant conversation with the people you want to be connected with.
Then what about this... On Twitter, you can follow Charlie Sheen, Stephen Fry and even MC Hammer... #Winning! Facebook doesn't allow you to do that. Twitter is much more open and interesting, allowing you to follow anyone you choose. Unless of course they have 'protected their tweets' but that doesn't happen very often.
Finally, when it comes to business - Twitter always wins. Twitter suits just about everyone and opens up a whole new potential network of friends and/or customers. After all, Twitter is just people, all talking in the same arena. What's more, you can focus on any type of conversation that's happening right now, anywhere in the world and make good use of that conversation. It's a world of market research and marketing at your fingertips. In comparison, Facebook is limited because you have to get 'requests' accepted before you can get access to someone's information. It's not as viral.
FACEBOOK
VS
TWITTER
In my humble opinion, Twitter is better than Facebook for all of the above reasons and more. Twitter has got staying power. It's probably why Facebook is increasingly adding Twitter-esque type features to its platform. But has the damage already been done? Is Facebook even relevant anymore? And has the generation that originally grew up with it moved on to something else? Something more relevant? And is that something Twitter? Only a critical mass of people will decide Facebook's fate. After all, it's the people who decide in the end.
I would say that it’s not a question of which platform is better. The main concern here is how you can utilize the platform in the most effective way possible. Both have distinct features that would definitely help your brand. If you want things to be short and sweet, you can use Twitter. If you want to create a wider interaction, Facebook is good for you.
ReplyDeleteDarryl Prinz
I agree with Darryl. Whether you use Facebook or Twitter, you have to fully utilize the power of these two great social media platforms to the fullest, if you want your business to reach more people.
ReplyDeleteStaci Burruel
Facebook and Twitter have always been in close competition with each other. These two social media sites are very powerful tools in business advertising. If you use both, you are more likely to reach a wide audience, thus increasing your chances of hitting your target market. :)
ReplyDelete~ Pearlie Cybart
Facebook and Twitter are both great social networking platforms. One can be better than the other, depending on the metrics used. But these all boils down to the marketing style used when taking advantage of these social media channels.
ReplyDelete-Sage Aumick
I agree with what Darryl said. If your major concern is to build your business brand and to reach a wider audience, it would really be better if you get the most out of these two platforms. If you want your brand to be become more popular, Facebook is really efficient on that matter. Whilst if you want to know the preference of your customers, Twitter will be of great help! ;)
ReplyDeleteGlenn Evans