Hey, TwitFace! Twitter vs. Facebook

It's a war of the worlds.   The online worlds.  And I am going to cover it.  Here are the stats of the opposing parties.

A) Facebook: Facebook is a blend of reality and a fantasy life.  Your friends and relatives are connected to you, you can share pictures with each other, you remain connected, and you have the control to share whatever you want (unless some jerk keeps tagging you in photos).  Your relationships with people are probably as strong as your real life relationships with those people. You might have 800 friends, but you probably only comment on, like, or look at 50 of those people's posts.

Because of this, you might have coworkers and acquaintances and close friends and relatives, all in the same clump.  You may write personal things intended for close friends that your acquaintaces shouldn't be seeing, or you may write something intended for your classmates that your relatives will end up seeing that might not jive with the personality that you've been presenting all along.

Facebook allows you to choose groups for certain posts so only certain people can see them, but if you're not saavy in anyway technologically you might screw that up.  Instantly your douchebaggery is broadcasted to your entire little inner world.  And, just like a real little inner world, it's difficult to not feel guilty when blocking people out of your life.  However, because there's no threat of immediate emotional response, it's much easier on Facebook and brings out your inner sociopath slowly.

Facebook has a lot of "keeping up with the Joneses'" going on, which, if you're smart or a total dumbass, can work majorly to your advantage or disadvantage.

Advantage: Any photos, status update posts or friends that you make are instantly marketing YOUR LIFE, and Facebook works just like any other cliquey place in life.  For example: wall posts about your excitement, followed by photos = instant jealousy by your followers.  Posts like "Mexico today!" on the coldest day of the year,  "Bought a house today"  and  "My boyfriend just bought me THIS" followed by picture of Tiffany's necklace = instant jealousy and suck up comments that make your followers feel like a loser or like they must bow to you. You haven't done anything to justify anyone deleting you and you haven't done anything to really brag, yet you have just marketed yourself as the one who has the life and all the goodness that comes from people who have lives.

Facebook posts work much like hypnosis - 3-5 words is the ideal.   The more casual you make your comments, the more it looks like this is just the way you live your life.  Don't be negative and switch it up.  "Going snowboaring today," "great workout this morning," "Beach Time!" "Great time with the girls," etc etc.  That stuff radiates.  Photographic evidence = more radiation.  Interactive posts = great.  Open questions, wishes, bucket lists get the comments.

Don't post too much, though!  If you post too much it becomes obvious that you don't actually have a life.

Disadvantage: What if you don't have a life?  But everyone has a life?  Not true.  Don't use Facebook to whine.  Talking about the fantasy life you want and presenting a misaligned one to your FBFs will backfire.  Writing big long essays = instant loser/annoying.  Never EVER use Facebook as a firezone; ie. don't use it to bully people.  People can see you're a jackass. 

Whining, frequent intoxication, general sadness = bad.  Half the people on Facebook don't know your drama and don't care.  Pick up the phone and talk to someone who won't use your information against you.  Toxic friends = toxic Facebook Wall.  Deleted!!

Getting attention with constant sad posts = shady.  Unless it's rare and legitimate, don't make sad posts. "Wall F*cking" on Facebook = gross.  Sometimes texting is better.

Selling stuff: Sell your blog, sell your perspective: everything you do on Facebook is selling your perspective on life, instantly.  But, like I said above, it works in the same way as your Facebook posts, photos, etc.  Make sure your perspective aligns with the person you're presenting yourself as.

In summary:  Facebook works like real life.  It's cliquey and it's a tough world to break into.  Don't try to be something you're not and don't be offended by people with fantasy lives because it's easy to market yourself in the same way.  I don't do it because I don't care, but that's how I perceive it to work.  DON'T SHARE THINGS ON FACEBOOK THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IN REAL LIFE.  Don't add people just to have a higher friend count because that's just stupid, and make sure that you figure out who's more important: your family or your friends.  Work accordingly.

Twitter

I love Twitter and I like it more than Facebook.  If people have something to say they only have 140 characters to say it with.  You get it out there without revealing too much (unless you say something STUPID, then everything can go wrong very fast.  Message absorption is more likely with Twitter than Facebook).  There is a lot more room for wit.  Pictures are instant and relevant with Plixi.  If I'm interested, I will click the link.  If not, no.

Twitter is fast, fast, fast, and I don't have to read through 85 "I'm so sad," or "Post this if you believe in love" essays to find information.  Unfollowing someone is much less personal than deleting someone on Facebook.  I don't notice if someone suddenly disappears and I don't particularly care (unless it was my best friend or something). 

Twitter is a total news hurricane.  I am so much more current with Twitter than I ever was with Facebook.  Facebook offers me nothing relevant unless it's keeping up with relatives that live far away or with friends or friends with babies who live far away.  Joining groups is becoming the way to go.  Other than that, Twitter trumps Facebook for me.  I'm not learning anything by creeping people I don't even know!  Facebook is a snake pit.  Who cares if I read far into a picture about someone and then relay gossip?  Not me.  At least I can relay other gossip that's not as personal.

Twitter: Not so great for keeping in contact with people you care about, but way better for getting information that's relevant to your life.  More impersonal, but if something goes wrong can become very personal, fast.