Going back to my Journalism 101 days, I am channeling the 1-2-3 … steps to explain today’s various social media platforms.

A novice might be one who is using these, but maybe doesn’t know why or how. In two parts we are going to get back to the basics on Twitter and Facebook, then LinkedIn and Flickr will come next week. We are discussing what you need to consider when using these services for the benefit of your business, your brand or your life.

Part one of two: the popular duo.

WHO: Twitter
WHAT: A platform that allows you to say what you are doing in 140 characters or less (this you already know). More commonly seen as a vehicle to promote, share, converse with friends, fans, customers and so on.
WHERE: www.twitter.com (and on your Smartphone – mobile Twitter is key).
WHEN: Depends on what you are trying to accomplish. A few times a day will get you started.
WHY: Twitter helps market your objectives. If you are using Twitter as a tool for promoting your business, tweet about specials, events, hours, services, etc. to attract your customer multiple times a day with tweet updates. Or let’s say you are using it for personal reasons in which case you may want to consider protecting your tweets, giving you the ability to accept or decline follower requests. I feel the pivotal question to ask yourself is, what value do you want to create for your followers? Once you know that, start tweeting based on that value and creating your following.
HOW (much): All you have to do is sign up for an account and start finding followers. Because Twitter is free, it provides obvious benefits to businesses that are hoping to reach a technologically savvy customer, and cash in on free advertising.

WHO: Facebook
WHAT: I like to call Facebook the virtual “me.” It’s everything about me that I want to share with friends on the internet. Facebook is a way to make your family, business, cause, group and even your parties virtual. Through group pages, fan pages and business profiles, Facebook has become a valuable connection tool.
WHERE: www.facebook.com
WHEN: Here again, what are you trying to accomplish with Facebook? Using myself as an example (still a novice though), I have two Facebook profiles. The first is personal profile that I keep to remain connected with family and friends. The other is my professional profile. I have fused this profile with work and created three separate fan pages for the magazines that I edit. Here I am able to connect with writers, inquire about stories and link my fan pages straight to their Twitter accounts. Ask yourself, is this Facebook profile going to be a means for business, or a means for looking better than your high school nemesis? (I think you’ll find your answer leads you in the right direction.)
WHY: At first I underestimated the power of Facebook. It’s only been in the last year that I have realized the power of keeping a profile for business. In my field (print media) we are looking to social media for some direction. In a matter of days, and over 100 followers on each magazine fan page, I could see the direction clearly—consumers are finding it easier, faster and better to connect with a business or brand on Facebook.
HOW (much): Facebook, like Twitter is free.

Next week – Flickr and LinkedIn.