A lot has happened between doing part one of this series where as a newbie to social media I started to explore the various social media outlets, and which one was best for me and new comers like me. In this second part I have a few thoughts on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Blogs.

Facebook is clearly the hands down winner for platform that has the most active users, and in allowing its users to truly use the site in any way they wish. You can use it to create your web presence, as a blog, to post videos or photos, or to network.  Because of the versatility Facebook is the most used social media application. If you want a site that is versatile, linkable to other social platforms, and good for your business, then Facebook is a great way to start. Just remember that Facebook is very social and sometimes can come across as a little unprofessional.

LinkedIn is a more professional site where users network and can do job searches, promote their services, businesses, websites and find partners that they wish to collaborate with. It is a great way, like Facebook to promote your business and brand. LinkedIn. With this social media platform it’s more of a professional sharing community and networking platform than the other platforms. Professional networking is the main focus of LinkedIn and so attracts many professionals for that reason. It is a way of promoting your resume, business, service or brand. To grow your circle you link with people you already know, and through those links you can get an endless source of links and build your network.

Blogs and Google+ are pretty much the same. They allow you to post pictures, videos, or just about anything to promote your business, site, or resume. You can use blogs and Google+ as your main website and promote it just the same. With Google+ your contacts become your followers, and you can join groups of similar interest to build your followers and get your content seen by more people.

The similarity with all these platforms is that they can be linked to the fast paced and popular social media world of Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest and Tumbler if you do pictures. There are advantages and disadvantages with all these platforms, so look at them carefully to determine which ones will be best for your purposes. One thing to remember is you need to promote your sites, or profiles in order to get more eyes on your content. In many cases there are paid advertising options that you can use for this purpose.

Go out there and explore social media.

Have fun