This blog in itself was one of the Social Media Tools presented
on that website (Aids.gov, 2013). I do think that this will, and has, become
popular. However, I do think that it will only really be popular with people
that truly love to write. Having a blog and updating it frequently is something
that takes both time and discipline, which many people do not have. Blogs do
have the ability to reach large audiences and effectively communicate
information, but again they have to be used frequently and diligently for a
blogger to really receive any kind of following. Because of that, I do not
think that blogs will be a social media tool that will always be able to reach
audiences. Outside of the person that has the blog having to be diligent enough
to regularly update his or her blog, the audience of that blogger has to have
that same diligence and drive to actually want to read the blog, again
something that not many people have the time for. With both of those things
being considered, I do not think that blogs will always be able to reach
audiences effectively.
Another one of the social tools was photo-sharing websites
(Aids.gov, 2013). I have a personal photo sharing website that I have had since
I was in high school and that is Photobucket. This is the link http://s5.photobucket.com/user/smilengrl/library/
. Since I have been using this kind of social media tool for the last eight
years, it does not seem like a new tool to me, however its popularity does seem
to be new. Although this is a tool that clearly has been around for a long
time, with the advent of newer social media photo-sharing sites that can
instantly share a photo to all of
person’s friends such as Intragram, I do not think that this
photo-sharing site will be able to effectively reach audiences. Intragram
allows a person to post the photo and in doing so, that person is sharing that
photo with his or her friends, which makes it easy to reach audiences. On the
other hand, Photobucket has a person upload a photo, and then choose what to do
with the photo. While this does provide for more options for a person, it does
make it a multiple step process to be able to share those photos with an
audience, which is why I do not see it being as effective.
The thought of the ability to instantly share information
brings me to my third and final social media tool that I chose to use
(Aids.gov, 2013). The third tool that I chose was Twitter. My link to my
twitter account is https://twitter.com/KristaHixson11
. Unlike the other two social media tools that I have examined, I do think that
Twitter will be able to reach audiences most effectively. Despite the fact that
Tweets have to be written in 140 characters or less, it is an easy way to reach
audiences because tweets can so easily be shared with others. Furthering that
is the fact that unlike blogs and using sites like Photobucket, a person does
not need to diligently post nor does a person need to take multiple steps to
share what he or she has posted. With technology, work, and home life moving as
quickly as it does now-a-days, social media sites that require the least amount
of work, the least amount of dedication, and the largest amount of easily
sharable information seem like the key to reaching the widest audience the
fastest and most effectively (Aids.gov, 2013). Because of the fact that Twitter
fits into all of those categories, I think that of the three social media sites
that I have tried, it is the one that is most likely to stay around the
longest, and it is the one that is most likely to be able to reach a wide
audience effectively and quickly.
Reference:
Aids.gov. (2013, July 1). New media tools. Retrieved from http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/index.html
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteYou made some very interesting points throughout your blog. It's funny that you mention blogs being popular among those who like to write. I agree with you, but I'm going to take it one step further. I think blogs are popular among people who like to write informally. Many of my friends host blogs and I'm just recently jumping on board. Many blogs that I have come across are virtual diaries, or writing outlets.
I also explored Twtitter. I have a Twitter account that I rarely use. To me, there is not enough depth in the tool. The 140 character limit makes it hard for me to find value in any one tweet. Although, I have to admit, when I'm feeling lazy, Twitter is usually my go-to social media site. Things happen instantaneously on Twitter. Personally, I prefer to find more depth in posts on places such as Facebook or Blogs. Twitter is not really the best place to share, especially with restricted characters.
Cathy
Additionally, I think blogs are not just for people who like to write, professionally or informally, but for people who like to read. Most users of new media won't take the time to read something that is longer than a couple lines or a single paragraph. I think most want to be able to scan the sentence, get enough of what they want to know and move on. Blogs can be effective among a certain community of people who write and read. Those who take on a particular interest or topic in their blog, are likely to attract readers who share their interest. It reminds me of the movie Julie & Julia. Julie blogged every day about her experiences cooking Julia Child's recipes. Her audience was family, friends and other writers and cooks who were interested in the topics of writing and cooking. While there is the option to comment on a blog as we have done here, it is more of a one-way communication experience too. The blogger puts down thoughts, the users read it and comment and that's where it ends until the next blog post. I think it is terrific for putting your thoughts out into the online environment about one or two specific topics, but I think it does not work as effectively for continued social media interaction.
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