I have finally arrived! I am twitting like the rest of the world (it seems).
As a firm believer in the power of social media and an avid user of it, I have limited myself to Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, and regular email as my media outlets. While I have an Instagram account, I rarely use it. I have avoided SnapChat and Twitter seemed like an unnecessary addition.
Recently, I have been persuaded otherwise. I now see the value and strength of Twitter. I have learned the meaning of hashtags and how to use them effectively. I also avoided having several social media accounts out of concern that I couldn’t manage all of them. I now know that I can connect some of them to one another and that the almighty # is universal across many of them.
Here’s my new mode of operation…
Facebook remains my personal relational network for keeping up with friends and family. Instagram…I’m still deciding. Whatsapp is for private family conversations and planning events, including keeping long-standing groups, clubs, and associations. I’m still loving Whatsapp. What’s not to love when my mom can call me on it for free, all the way from Kenya!
Enter Twitter….my new friend. I intend on using it to learn and teach. As a trainer by profession and teacher by passion, I can now use this valuable tool to discover what’s trending and share what’s new. I am following educational organizations, public figures (including Trump and Obama). Yeah, my other passion is politics! I am learning what’s trending, what’s out, and what’s my role in all this.
This week I met Feedly...a network that allows me to find and follow accounts that promote the particular content I am interested in. Literally…“feeding” me exactly what I need. I am focusing on Politics, Education, and Marketing for now and I got plenty to work with.
I also met Flipboard…this one was impressive. I went all out on this one. It is a collection of articles and news reports from various sources based on the subjects you select. There are a total of around 143 categories listed to choose from. I customized my own news feed and took control of what I see as opposed to having to be fed everything that a particular media outlet has to offer. I picked my top ten list.
These are new and innovative ways of receiving news which have some downsides… I will save that discussion for another time. For today, my friend Twitter has led me to two new friends…Feedly and Flipboard. I am a happy man until the next innovation catches my eye, then I’ll be elated again and happy to share. #thefutureistech!
Nelson Masinde 