Social Media... Business or Pleasure?

     

                               Business...          or             Pleasure?

Is social media something to use for personal enjoyment, or purely financial gain?


       Well, the answer to this question for most of us should be both, if you're doing it properly that is. Some platforms are more suited for different kinds of business, and others are used almost exclusively for personal enjoyment. One of the few social media platforms that is almost exclusively used for personal enjoyment, other than dating platforms, is Snapchat. Snapchat was originally created to send quick messages and pictures, to friends, that would disappear in the time it would take to view the message. This idea is great for people who don't want what they say or do electronically to be as permanent as it is with other platforms. The downside of this idea, in a business sense, is it makes it difficult for businesses to convey a message that can be clicked on, as well as having less time to convey a message.

      On the other end of the spectrum are social media platforms designed almost exclusively for business use. The best example of this is Linkedin, a social media networking platform. Linkedin is an incredible platform for connecting with other, like minded, individuals and businesses. It has a very open platform, and gives recommendations for people to "connect" with based on your interests, areas of expertise, education, skill level, and numerous other business related topics. While Linkedin is great for building networks, it can also be helpful for companies to advertise on for financially related, non-product-based services, such as executive consulting, marketing services, or boosting interest in stock or investment agencies. This arrangement is wonderful for business use, but wouldn't be the best place to talk about your last meal, or post pictures of your cat.

      While my last two examples of social media platforms were fairly clear-cut, as to whether they were intended for personal or business use, most platforms blur these lines. The best example of this is Facebook. Facebook is extremely multifaceted, it allows users to share content of every type to predetermined audiences, allows for personal communication by text, photo, or video, contains online shops, has the ability to wire money to individuals, and gathers incredibly large amounts of data from it's users at the same time. This is the perfect recipe for a social media platform for both personal and business use. The ability to select who sees what you post on Facebook is great for people who don't want to share everything they post to the entire world. But the same ability to choose who sees your content is just as great for businesses who don't want to pay to reach 500,000 people, when only 5,000 people are actually interested in their product of service. In the end, fewer restrictions of use and more forms of interaction, lead to the best platforms for conducting business or leisure on the web.







Image sources: Snapchat photo:1000logos.net 
                         Linkedin photo: play.google.com
                         Facebook photo: jpndc.org