Katy Ereira

10 Favourite Social Media Websites

I've been on a little bit of a social media kick recently, and with the release of Google+ I thought I might share what I consider to be my social media top ten. I don't blog enough geekery here!

Social media websites are a way of connecting with others and sharing what is happening in your life. They are a trend that has really boomed over the past few years, and you've probably heard of at least some of them! Social media websites can be topical, or they can be general - there's a site for everyone. I enjoy social media as a way of keeping up to date with real-world and on-line happenings.

1. Twitter (Microblogging)

Twitter is a place where you can share everything and anything. You can add links to videos, photos, websites, and other Twitter users in your 140-character 'tweets'. Connect with others by following them, share insightful or interesting remarks and people may follow you back! Add clickable hashtags (e.g. #knitting) to your posts to link to similar tweets. There are various Twitter applications available for mobile devices so you can tweet on the go. You can find me on Twitter as @maccath or @GP_Katy.

2. Facebook (Social Networking)

Facebook currently has over 500 million users worldwide which makes it the most popular social networking site ever created. Make a profile, search for your friends, update your status, upload photos, play games, create events and keep in touch. There are a wide variety of fan pages that you can 'like' and comment on. Facebook is a lot more personal than many other social networking sites, and I mainly use it to keep in touch with old friends - people I may not have kept in touch with otherwise. You can find me under Katy Ereira.

3. Foursquare (Location Sharing)

Foursquare is a location sharing social network. Connect with your friends and check into venues around the world - pubs, restaurants, offices, shops, gyms, train stations and more - to gain points and special badges. If you frequent a place often enough you can earn a mayorship. Leave tips for other visitors to try out, and discover new places near you using the Foursquare search. Because Foursquare is location based you need a mobile device (iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc.) to play. I can be found at Foursquare as Katy E. / Maccath

4. Flickr (Photo Sharing)

Flickr is a site where you can upload and share your photos, as well as discover other people's photography. A basic Flickr account is available for free, but a pay-for pro account has no limitations - highly recommended for shutterbugs. Visit the Creative Commons section to search for photos that are free to use under certain terms. There are a plethora of different groups under various topics that you can join and share your snaps with and create and partake in discussions. I can be found at Flickr as Maccath / k4chii.

5. Ravelry (Knitting and Crochet Community)

Ravelry is a relatively new knitting and crocheting community. Thousands of patterns are linked on the site for you to browse and search through by yardage, weight, needle gauge, difficulty and more. You can add projects to your profile, upload photos, update your progress, and rate patterns. You can even display your project progress on your website using the Ravelry API. Unfortunately you need to be logged in to access most of the site. I can be found at Ravelry under the name Suinoko.

6. Wikipedia (Collaborative Authoring)

Wikipedia is a giant multi-lingual encyclopaedia written by anyone who wants to share what they know, and can used by anyone who wants to know anything about anything! Some of the things written on Wikipedia must be taken with a grain of salt since anyone can contribute. Check out the citations to find out where information was obtained from and judge its authenticity. It is said that if you choose a random article, click on the first article link in that article, you will eventually end up at Philosophy.

7. Forrst (Web Development and Design Community)

Forrst is an invite-only community for web designers and developers. It can be used to ask questions, share code snippets and previews of design work, and follow the work of other designers and developers. There isn't really very much to it, but it helps to keep on top of trends and news in the web development world - very handy if it happens to be your career! I can be found on Forrst as Maccath.

8. Tumblr (Microblogging)

Tumblr is a microblogging service like Twitter, but slightly different. Your posts are not limited to a certain number of characters, but are usually short, sweet and frequent. Each post has a type - text, image, video, quote, link, audio or chat log - which is displayed on your 'tumblelog' accordingly. Posts can be reblogged by others - much like Twitter's retweet functionality. I mainly blog on Tumblr about World of Warcraft. My tumbelogs can be found at Maccath and Out of Character.

9. Last.FM (Music Community)

Last.FM is a music community. Its main function is to record what you are listening to through the Scrobbler, and post statistics on your profile page. People can see what you're currently listening to, your top artists, your top tracks, and compare musical compatibility. Using these statistics, Last.FM can recommend new music to you, and you can even listen to some tracks on-line! Find me on Last.FM as kachii.

10. LinkedIn (Social Networking for Professionals)

LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. Your profile reads a bit like a CV - listing your educational achievements, previous work experience and special skills - so you can connect with people you could work with or for. Everyone knows how valuable contacts are in the business world, and LinkedIn could widen your circle of influence without even needing to leave the office. I'm of course listed on LinkedIn as Katy Ereira.

What do you think of social media, and which are your favourites?