Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr

As society relies more and more on technology, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr are becoming apart of our daily lives. Social media platforms offer many services to their users. Communicating with others and reading about current events are made convenient through social media platforms.

A major difference I see in LinkedIn compared to the other social media platforms is that it is designed specifically for formal connections. In other words, you do not have a conversation about where you went last weekend. LinkedIn does not have a photo sharing feature and is strictly focused on individual, company profiles and connections. LinkedIn is a professional social network and is primarily focused on job seekers and recruitment. Any other topics are not appropriate for LinkedIn.

Facebook on the other hand is more of a social oriented website where users can talk about almost any topic. Facebook provides the most features out of the four social/business network services. It includes features such as allowing you to share photos, instant message, share posts, fan pages, applications, and the list goes on. Facebook also features more privacy setting options, from a visible profile to a partially visible profile. You can set particular posts and pictures as private, or share it to particular groups.

Twitter is also a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to post 140 character messages more known as "tweets." Twitter is a service that allows for short and simple posts and comments. Twitter is more narrowed down in that you follow people and topics that are important to you. The 140-character limit can cause frustration because not every important point can posted in one tweet. Twitter has recently introduced features such as posting videos and form group chats.

Tumblr features a customizable blog page where you can post text, videos, music, and links from any device. You can customize your blog page any way you prefer and express your opinion. Tumblr is similar to Twitter in which these platforms are follower based. Tumblr is similar with Facebook in that both provide more comprehensive social networking services than Twitter and LinkedIn. According to Tumblr's Terms of Service, adult oriented content is allowed and there are no violations that a user can face if he/she chose to post pornography and other related materials. I believe Tumblr is one of the most controversial social media platforms because it allows users to post inappropriate content. Twitter also allows pornography to be posted on some areas.

These social media giants usually target the same users, but offer different services. These four types of social media are a combination of what people use throughout their daily lives. Some may be more formal than others and some can be better when you are specifically searching for things that interest you.