This tweet I sent the other day resonated with a variety of people as it received a series of @ replies and RT’s within a couple hours of posting.
Apparently many others enjoy Twitter over Facebook these days. I was at the airport preparing to board a flight and an announcement came that the crew had still not arrived at the gate. My first response to the boredom of waiting at the gate was to open Facebook.
A few factors for me that have led to this experience:
The new Facebook changes have not made my experience more interesting; in fact the opposite. I’m seeing either the same people multiple times a day, or finding a series of uninteresting stories strung together. I’m not quite sure what it is but I experience less variety in the people and content than before.
A new wave of people joining Twitter. It seems that more people are joining Twitter and those on Twitter are posting more often. I’m finding I’m rarely looking at my timeline because my three power lists provide interesting content.
My time on Facebook is almost exclusively focused on connecting with friends, and my time on Twitter is about discovering new information and influencing influencers. This is a good thing, but I do not have an urgency to check Facebook as much as I have before.
I still believe Facebook is a tremendous and powerful platform. This is not a post saying Twitter is the new Facebook. I wrote a post on ChurchMag over a year ago titled “I”m Never Leaving Facebook…Ever” and still believe that.
Twitter has become the platform for influencing others while Facebook is the platform for connecting with others.
Both influence and connection happen in both places but to maximize your time on either service consider these differences. Posting lots of blog posts links on Facebook will not garner many likes or comments. Sharing photos of your family on Twitter will not go very far either. By recognizing the differences you can expand your influence on both platforms!
I do believe ministry leaders hesitant to engage on Twitter for fear of managing another online presence should seriously consider investing time there because thought leaders from around the world are regularly sharing links, tips, and ideas that will sharpen and challenge almost every facet of your thinking.
If you do not want to update your own profile, consider once or twice a week using Twitter search to look for information related to topics that interest you.
What about you? Has Twitter or Facebook become more or less interesting? Do you resonate with Facebook being “boring?”
Agreed here. Twitter has become more interesting, and fun, because the function is simplified. I gather and share information, interact with friends and major influencers, and track trends. And because I follow more than friends, I encounter ideas from a broad range of fields. Facebook has become too layered and complex. Though still useful, I don’t enjoy it as much as I once did.
Insightful stuff. Thank you for sharing.
thanks ben for your comments. you nailed why i think it’s so vital ministry leaders get on twitter–i like the word “encounter” a lot–i encounter new and interesting thoughts every day on twitter.
I have to be REALLY bored to use Facebook. Love Twitter!
Good thots.
lol. it’s crazy to think even two years ago i would have never written this post.
Brian, this post totally resonates with me and how I’ve been feeling for sometime.
Facebook for me is so boring I removed the Facebook App from my BlackBerry and have no intention of re-installing it. I still have a Facebook account but use it once a week tops.
Twitter though I am on several times an hour using my Blackberry or laptop. Like you I enjoy connecting with new people and the immense source of information being tweeted all the time.
I love connecting with new like minded followers of Jesus on twitter too.
Good stuff.
hey jon,
i’m thinking this is definitely a widespread trend–twitter seems to be picking up even more steam for me the last 2 months.
it’s helpful to hear your feedback because the culture at large is in the early stage of using facebook, while the early to mid adopters have moved on.
for lots of ministries it’s key to consider this because if they are trying to reach young influencers, twitter is most likely a better place than facebook. but that might sound like heresy to some 😉