Social Media Tools

The most familiar social media tools that I use are instant messaging applications (whatsapp, Facebook messenger and Asian platforms Kakao Talk and LINE) and Facebook as in groups and pages. In work and school environment Whatsapp is the most common instant messaging application among students that I also use daily. It is the quickest and easiest way to reach other people and an easy way to share information on a quick notice. For bigger news I use Facebook groups that require more thought and planning because it is harder to work those things out with messaging. 

Whatsapp and Facebook are very common social media platforms that can be used on different devices that makes it easier to use them. I commonly use Whatsapp on my laptop as well if I need to work on computer more closely. When I'm on the move and need to access Facebook the application is getting more easier and easier to use and share files, videos and have threads for conversation. I use Whatsapp and Facebook for both school and hobby-related things which makes information easily accessible for both fields. I have a dance group that discusses practice times on Whatsapp and on Facebook we take votes and decide performance clothes and other more important things so they don't get lost in the Whatsapp group. 

 With Facebook I only have one bad example why it doesn't work well with my dance groups needs. We have big video files that needs to be shared often and Facebook doesn't support downloading these files well enough. We haven't yet found a well enough replacement but regarding this blog posts assignments I will find a file exchanging platform that can be used as a social media tool for school, work or hobby related file sharing.

As I am familiar with most social media platforms, I will take a closer look to google+ that I do not use as often as other platforms. Google enables many different features that are useful for businesses and other usage. Most known features are Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive plus they have online document platforms and also Hangout that enables video chatting and calling. Google+ on the other hand is a social network where you can connect to other users and make your own personal page or a page for your business for marketing purpose. 

You automatically get a Google+ page when creating a Google account that makes setting up the page very easy. The layout is simple and you can design it color and picture wise however you want. The side bar has navigation close and is easy to use. You can manage your notifications, privacy and communities. Communities are pages of general or more personalized interests and activities that users can join.

Through Google Drive you can store your files and also share them to other google users or users using another platform. This could be a efficient way for my personal usage when needing a reliable file sharing platform.  

On my field of study we have several Whatsapp groups, one for our class that shares news and party plans and then a more official one with our teachers in the group as well to share lecture information. I think its good we have separate chats for different kind of information so important things don't get lost in the messages. Our class also uses a Facebook group for more important stuff and our teachers share information regarding extra activities regarding our field of study. 

These days people need to be careful with social media. The term 'catfishing' has become more popular trough Nev Schulmans Documentary and TV show with the same name. Catfishing is a term that describes the action of pretending a different person or telling false information on social media and making people believe this information and create relationships with these false profiles. When I was younger before 2010, my mother always warned me not to trust people online, because we can't tell if they are really what they tell they are. Even though now older and more wiser I still am very wary of people I meet online and I use common sense when it comes to getting to know new people through social media.