A few years back, Facebook came and swept the web in a whirlwind of networking. Then Twitter arrived, and things were never the same again. Web users have been warring since, and so are the two social networking stalwarts, on who’s better.
If you have used both Facebook and Twitter, you’ll agree that neither is better or worse than the other. They are two different social mediums with comparatively unique features. They are both here to stay; Facebook still retains a majority of its loyal subscribers, and Twitter is only too happy to accommodate newbies.
The inherent differences between Facebook and Twitter are in the nature of its users: friends (Facebook) vs. followers (Twitter) and the nature of use: like (Facebook) vs. tweet (Twitter). These two primarily determine the user’s activity on either social medium.

• Facebook is a network of friends that allows users to connect with their real world, core peer group on the web. You are likely to make virtual connections with people you don’t know in the real world, but your ‘inner circle’ of friends will always come first.
  Twitter on the other hand has people following you, mostly people you don’t know, with whom you have little chance of making any personal connection, or is least bit interested doing the same.
  As a social medium, Facebook is more personal and home-like; a virtual coffee shop where friends gather, share stories, experiences, pictures and chat. Twitter is more business like in comparison.
• You will make a lot of mutual connections on Facebook; friends of friends with whom you can share notes, comments and pictures. Twitter is more of a one-sided relationship. You may have several followers interested in what you have to say, but you don’t necessarily share the sentiment and follow them back.
  Facebook banks on obligation. Rejecting mutual friends is often uncomfortable. Twitter does not care because most followers are just random people on the web without a face, per say.
• When you Like something on Facebook, you really like it. You want to share it with your friends. Sharing on Facebook is a consequence of liking something, not a reason for liking content. In other words, you don’t like because you want to share content, but share because you have liked it.
  Contrarily, you Tweet because you want to share content with your followers. If your followers find your content useful, they will re-tweet to share it with their followers.
  Facebook is more natural social networking that happens because you naturally like to share things you like. Twitter is forced social networking because you want people to like what you share and spread the word.
  Do you see the difference? The motivation behind liking something on Facebook and tweeting on Twitter is completely different. Where you continue to share a personal connection with your friends, you maintain a formal relationship with your followers.
  Both should work for you, depending on what you intend to achieve from a Facebook and Twitter account. If you have a blog and can’t decide which social media will work best for you, try with both Like and Tweet buttons on your site. User response will decide.

In conclusion, I will quote a fellow Twitter user: “Facebook is for friends you grow up with. Twitter is for ‘friends’ you didn’t grow up with.” I think that pretty much sums up the difference between Facebook’s and Twitter’s social networking concepts.

The probable transition of twitter from an utterly simple micro-blogging site (it was coined after Twitter) to a featured rich and flexible platform is something that we are all looking forward to. This can be a grand success or can be a complete devastation (but there are fewer chances as far as we believe) but one thing is damn sure that it has managed to arise the curiosity of the twitterholics who get insane even at the very mention of change. In the latest announcement, Twitter has dictated that it is going to bring an overhaul change in its website by integrating it with photos, videos and other media content in a bid to give its competitors mainly Google and Facebook a run for their money.

Upcoming Changes
If you are among those fortunate few who have managed to get a quick glimpse of its new design, you have certainly wonder what Twitter is up to. This is certainly not a redesign, as it will certainly undermine the intention of Twitter rather, it is complete overhaul that is going to the change the way we used top share information in 140 characters forever. So, bid a goodbye to these precious moment and lets face the truth.

Mini Profile
Twitter’s enduring love for small is showing no sign of ebbing anytime soon. With this revolutionary new interface, you would be able to take a quick look of some profiles, which was not feasible before. However, there are some old familiar features such as who followed you recently or whom you followed recently and of course, the trending topic is also there.

View photos, videos, and other media content
Those of you who were getting bored with texts and texts and loads of texts, here come the much-needed relief. This new interface is going to give you an exciting opportunity to share almost anything that you love to share with the world. Embedding photos is now east and there is option to upload videos directly in your twitter account. To make it a smooth affair, Twitter has gone one step ahead by tying up with Kiva, YouTube, DailyBooth, TwitVid, Twitgoo, TwitPic and other similar photo or video sharing websites.

Rediscover Twitters
In this new and exciting version, you will be able to get detail information about a twitter user without leaving your profile page. Whenever you click on to the tweet of someone, it will automatically open up a right panel where you can see additional information pertained to that subject or that particular author. You can check out the tweets of the same author, there is option named “Geo Tagged”, and by clicking on that, you can check out the location of the author.

There are so many changes but what about the 140 characters restrictions? Is Twitter turning a blind eye to the growing needs of making it somewhat flexible for the users? Of course, 140 characters limit it its trademark but it is changing itself and the impacts are quite palpable, as from now on, people will spend more time on exploring through Twitter rather than twitting. But as change is the only stable thing in the world, Twitter had almost no other option but to accept it. Now it is up to you. You may accept it or you can spurn it but this is going to be the Yahoo moment for majority of twitter users.

The queen of pop music is on the news again and this time for all the good reasons. However, reaching new height is not anything new to Pop diva Britney but still; it seems she is relishing this particular achievement. With a whopping 5 million followers, Britney has officially become the queen of twitter. So far this position was relished by Ashton Kutcher but Britney with her sheer glamor coupled with charismatic personality has dethroned him ultimately.

Though Britney is not a twitterholic by any yardstick and usually tweets sporadically, she has become the most followed person on Twitter. Her tweets are not witty to be honest and oftentimes, her twitter account is monitored by her manager Adam. But as you know, people loves to follow their idols no matter where they are and this is probably the reason behind the rise of Britney Spears.

An ebullient Britney Spears has thanked her fans for their constant supports and tweeted fervently after donning the crown of Twitter.

This is what Britney has to convey to her aficionados:

“WOW!!!!! #1 on Twitter! Thank you…”

The popularity of twitter is showing no sign of abetting. From celebrities of tinsel towns to veteran politicians, everyone seems to have a great time with Twitter. So, there is no reason why you should stop yourself from joining this latest bandwagon. Now, if you are conscious of your brand value, you should avoid using readymade backgrounds. The best thing that you can do is to have a custom background for your twitter account, as it will enable you to promote your brand image. Now, designing twitter background is not an easy task by any means. Check out the below mentioned areas if you want to avoid a fiasco at the end:

Check The Resolution: While designing a twitter background, you should not blatantly ignore the fact that different people use different resolutions in their PCs and therefore, your twitter background should be resolution independent. Now, if you do not have mastery over website design, you should take professional assistances of others.

Use of Images: – Do not overboard your twitter background with images only. As your twitter profile is likely to be visited by a large number of visitors, you need to use images sparingly and with utmost care. Texts have to be used judiciously and they should serve a useful purpose. Do not use any fancy fonts, and make sure that the text is not getting overshadowed by any other designing elements.

Shun Repetition: – Repetitive background is not something that you can boast of in your twitter profile. It looks lousy. In order to make it look stunningly beautiful, you should blend your creative inputs in it. Try to use images that can reflect what you want to convey through your twitter account. It should look aesthetically pleasing at any cost. Continue reading ‘Twitter Background Design Tips and How-To’ »

Trend tends to change every single second. Be it in science, art or in the glamorous world, trend has to be followed to keep pace with the changing environment and changing lifestyle. However, just a few years back, the impact of a new trend was not as severe as it is now. First it was Facebook and now it is Twitter that is keeping us updated with the news that is powerful enough to shape the world. What started as a simple medium of expression, has eventually evolved or to be precise, metamorphosed into a powerful medium whose sole purpose is to reflect the on going trend and news around the world. But as the days wear on, it is becoming more or less clear that Twitter is slowly but surely taking a new shape on which it has no control. It seems that it is heading toward an inevitable end and that is becoming another trend-setter, which is anything but impressive.

Collection of News or Creation of News
From presidential election to simple tête-à-tête, Twitter is probably the best place on earth to discuss them. However, the entire news has to be summed up within 140 characters and that means, it has to be unique, informative, descriptive and pithy. Here lies the uniqueness of twitter. At the embryonic stage, Twitter started as a medium to reflect the things that were troubling the people in general or that had massive impacts on our life. But gradually, it has finally evolved as a medium where people gather just for the sake of gathering and nothing else. It is becoming a platform where people are discussing things that have already been featured in the list of popular topics. It is getting crammed with users who are ever willing to create new trend rather than voicing their concern on the ongoing issues. Continue reading ‘Twitter: Reflecting The True Trends or Another Trend Setter’ »