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People use social media to express themselves or share their art, discuss their interests, connect with friends or potential romantic partners, and develop their careers and businesses. Different types of social media are used for different purposes.
The number of social networks in existence continues to grow. With the cambodia email list ever-increasing need to have a proper social presence, it can be difficult to choose which social channels to use.
To help you make informed decisions about which platforms to use, this article will guide you through some of the main types of social media, examples of platforms within each category, as well as the ideal purpose for each.
Socialization and networking
They are possibly the most traditional form of social networks. These platforms focus on sharing knowledge and connecting people.
Examples: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat
Platforms like these are often called “ networking ” or dating platforms because they allow user accounts to interact with each other in a variety of different ways.
Social networks allow you to connect with people who have similar interests and backgrounds, connect with friends, family, and even brands. Most social networks allow users to share thoughts, upload photos and videos, and join interest groups.
Whether as an individual or a brand, you can organize different types of marketing campaigns on these networks, which will help you expand your reach or carry out market research.
These platforms started out as relatively simple services – for example, Twitter was where you could answer the question “what are you doing?” and Facebook was where you could check the relationship status of an acquaintance.
Now, and especially since the rise of the mobile internet, these networks have transformed almost every aspect of modern life – from reading the news, to sharing photos, to even looking for jobs – into a social experience.
Online dating and encounters
Online dating platforms allow people to meet and communicate with potential romantic partners over the internet, usually with the aim of developing intimate or sexual relationships.
Examples: Tinder, Bumble, Hinge
COVID-19 has made the process of establishing romantic relationships even more complicated. While the pandemic has changed dating as we once knew it, it hasn’t eliminated the human need for relationships – it has simply increased the popularity of dating through social media platforms designed for that purpose. Whether you’re looking for someone to be an intimate conversation partner or even for sex – online dating apps or sites are the answer.
These platforms allow users to become members by creating a profile and uploading personal information, typically including age, gender, sexual orientation, location, and appearance. Most services also encourage members to add photos or videos to their profile.
Once a profile has been created, users can view the profiles of other members of the service, using the visible profile information to decide whether or not to initiate contact. Once contact has been made, users can chat with the other person unlimitedly and develop the relationship to the desired level.
Media sharing
Media sharing platforms allow users to share different types of content, the two main ones being image sharing and video hosting sites.
Examples: Pinterest, YouTube, Vimeo, Tiktok, Imgur
Most of these sites also offer social features, such as the ability to create profiles and the option to comment on uploaded images or videos. These platforms primarily encourage user-generated content, where anyone can create, edit, and share their creativity.
While sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow you to post photos, they are not considered media sharing networks . Media networks focus exclusively on sharing such visual content.
Many people are visual learners. These media platforms are often a great place to share your knowledge and visual content and engage an audience on a variety of topics.
Seeing the popularity and power of media sharing channels, businesses and marketers also use it to reach their audiences. They give individuals or brands a place to discover and share media, thus helping their business through branding , brand building and so on.
Blogs, Publishing and Community Building
They allow users to post about interesting topics, such as memes, events, politics, or pop culture. When users publish a post , these platforms allow other users to share it or add to the conversation with their own comments.
Examples: Medium, Tumblr, 9GAG, WordPress, Blogger
WordPress and Blogger are the traditional blogging platforms, while Tumblr (micro-blogging service) and Medium (blog publishing platform) are the newer blogging networks.
Sometimes all you want to do is share a message, and not everyone on the internet wants to invest in running and maintaining their own blog. This is where blog sharing platforms like Medium give people a space to express their thoughts and voice. A blog network allows you to publish content for your audience and help them find you. They are one of the most unique types of social networks because they require you to constantly create content to post.
From a marketing perspective, these types of social media are a great way to build engagement and familiarize people with your business. However, while they increase visibility and brand awareness, they require more time to dedicate.
Discussions, forums and sharing of news/articles
Discussion networks are another specific type of social media platform. These platforms focus on discussing news, information, and opinions. People come across threads and join them to see what people are saying about a particular topic.
Examples: reddit, Quora, Digg
A forum is a place where users can participate in conversations by posting and responding to community messages. Many people use these forums to get answers or to see if others are having similar problems.
These types of channels are used to find out what is being said about certain topics – and users of these sites are generally not shy about expressing their opinions. While networking sites are increasingly implementing measures to reduce anonymity and create a safe space online, discussion forums generally allow users to remain anonymous.
From a business perspective, these networks are a great way to do market research. You can learn a lot about your audience by observing what they are saying about your brand or industry on these forums, even if you have a lesser-known brand. Done right, you can also advertise on them, although you have to be careful to keep your ads and messages separate.
Before the advent of more popular networks like Facebook, these forums were places where professionals, experts and enthusiasts used to hold different types of discussions relating to a variety of fields and where they managed marketing campaigns.
Analysis and reviews
What’s the first thing you should look at when you’re planning to buy a new product or try a new restaurant? The reviews.
Examples: TripAdvisor, Yelp, FourSquare, Glassdoor
These review sites showcase community members’ opinions on all sorts of places and experiences. This keeps people informed and allows them to make better planning or decision-making when it comes to choosing a restaurant, hotel, etc.
It’s not just beneficial for consumers, but also for businesses or individuals who can better track and understand the customer’s perspective. Whether good or bad, it can help identify what’s working and what needs improvement.
When you have good reviews, these platforms can bring positive notoriety to a business or brand.
[Cover image source: Photo by Alexander Shatov on unsplash.com]
