For many social media users out there, it's not even a valid either/or question. A lot of people are highly active on both Facebook and Twitter.
In June I posted about how I had found social media was starting to feel like trying to take a sip from a firehose. At the time, I took some time out from Twitter in particular, as I found it both overwhelming in terms of information streaming and also rather de-personalising in some ways. For example, I was becoming uncomfortable with watching other people's conversations play out in real time - conversations it felt like I was welcome (or even encouraged) to watch, but not really participate in.
I'm not sure why, but I suddenly got the feeling that Twitter was working best as notice board on a massive real-time scale rather than anything else.
So during my break from Twitter, I went over and started dabbling more with Facebook.
Given that my first reactions to Facebook a couple of years ago were less than favourable (okay, I'll admit it - I quickly came to loathe and despise it), I was surprised to find that I now liked Facebook a whole lot more - and a whole lot better than Twitter.
Amongst other things, I liked the fact that:
- Conversations were instantly threaded, but also condensed in a way that meant I could open the ones I was most interested in or ignore them without having a majorly cluttered space
- Messages were not limited to 140 characters, which meant there was often more substance and depth in certain conversations where (in my opinion) that added depth was both warranted and enhanced the discussion(s)
- I could see more colour, more pictures and even videos right there in the interface without having to go out to external links
- I could see images and short captions to preview external links, giving me a much better indication as to whether they were worth clicking on
- The "like" function gave me quick indications of which messages or links a majority of my online friends recommended
- I was able to find more like-minded friends through the auto friend-finder function, based on how many mutual contacts we had (and even discover friends I already knew, but hadn't actually tried to track down on Facebook)
- There seemed to be a lot less inane invitations and promos for things like Farmville and Mafia Wars compared to my earlier experiences with this space
- Basically, it felt like a richer, more colourful, and more personal social media experience, with more in-built convenience
I'm not exactly sure, but I get the feeling that a lot of other people may be noticing the same differences and making the same transition. Judging from link thrus to my blog posts, for example, Facebook references now outnumber Twitter ones 10-1 (whereas 6 months ago it was the other way around) - despite the fact that my blog posts generate auto-notifications in both spaces simultaneously.
I've since gone back to Twitter, albeit in a more limited fashion, figuring that it is still a firehose but it's good for you to get a good soaking from time to time.
Facebook feels more like a series of water fountains than a single high-powered firehose. I feel like I can wander around a bit and take a drink where and when it suits me - without the drenching.
But hey, who knows? In another 6 months I may find myself loathing Facebook again and feeling more free and informed in Twitter...
But for now, I have to admit, personally (as a personal and professional social media experience) I think Facebook has the wood on Twitter.
So that's me - what about you? Where are you at with Facebook versus Twitter?
:-)
