Social Media really isn’t a Waste of Time

I’m sure, no, actually positive, that from the perspective of some members of older generations, social media looks like a complete waste of time.  Spending perhaps hours staring at a computer screen, not appearing to accomplish anything, can give off that vibe.  I understand, believe me.  But the reality of it is social media and its abilities have developed so much in the past few years that it really has become an effective tool for business and career building.  Now, looking at it from a parent’s perspective, if your son or daughter spends hours playing “Farmville” or tweeting about Justin Bieber’s new haircut, then it is indeed a waste of time.

However, what many people and companies have begun to realize is the advantage social media presents when it comes to networking, both to customers, people looking for jobs and to potential employers.  LinkedIn is a great tool for college students to connect with businesses and job opportunities even before graduating or applying.  If they are able to work and build their network to their advantage, then finding a job in their particular field may be that much easier. 

Facebook and Twitter, by far the largest social networks, are great ways for companies to connect with customers.  Facebook gives companies the ability to have “pages” for comments and new posts involving promotions and new business deals.  Essentially, it builds a vast and ever-growing Internet community to engage. 

Twitter, in contrast, allows a much more direct line of communication with a company.  It is full of more up to date information that users can access.  It also allows the companies to send messages to consumers in case of a crisis situation where direct contact may be needed.  Also, if a company is trying to send out a message designed to reach a larger audience, Twitter has an advantage over Facebook because Twitter users are much more likely to share or retweet what they see, as opposed to Facebook users.

The whole world can be at someone’s fingertips if they can build the right network, and this can all be done through social media.