RANT ALERT: I have no more space on my android to be downloading anymore apps so I steered away from Snapchat until I transferred over all my images and videos to my laptop. Now there’s another player in the social media world called Periscope and the Social Media Marketer in me must know, what’s this peri stuff all about. After deleting some unnecessary whatsapp images/videos, uninstalling viber and shazam, I’ve installed periscope. (P.S I’m glad I didn’t download Meerkat) With all these new social media platforms emerging, how do you decide which ones to use regularly? I’m going to keep it simple and lay out my pros/cons on how you can decide whether you’re a Periscope, a Snapchat or both platforms user.

Periscope

Periscope is an app where you see events happening in real-time. You’re suppose to experience the event from the broadcasters point of view. However, I can imagine it’ll be used for other reasons as well. Like live Q/A sessions, kind of like google+ live hangouts.

Pros
– LIVE broadcasting
– People viewing your broadcast can ask you questions
– People can like your broadcast as many times as they want (Shown by multiple floating hearts)
– Connected to your Twitter account
– Real time blocking of spammers/pervs/weirdos of all types
– You can save your broadcasts and share on Twitter etc
– You can choose to do public or private broadcasts

Cons
– The more people watching your broadcast and commenting makes it hard for you to keep up with any questions
– Stalkers will love this because they’ll know exactly what you’re doing..right now
– Logging out will be hard especially if you’re a nice person because it’s like having a one way video chat with so many people
– Time consuming
– As many likes as you want means it may not be very accurate in metrics if your mom is liking your broadcast a million times

Snapchat

Snapchat differs from periscope because the snap you just posted is not necessarily happening as it happens when people view it.

Pros
– Not in real-time (so you can delete that selfie you took until you get to your best one and then post another)
– You can create a public story or send snap videos or pictures privately
– Using emoticons, filters, geo-location stamps to make snaps creative and fun
– You build a 24 hour story of your day and can focus on highlights as opposed to one live hour
– You can save videos/pictures
– Viewers can screenshot your snaps and you’ll know who did
– No liking system, just viewers (this could be a con to some people)

Cons
– Annoying when people send their public stories to you privately as well
– Glitches in the app can cause your snaps to get deleted before you have a chance to send to story
– Offline saving snaps to load into story later doesn’t always work

Online Community Manager: a growing and developing profession. People in this position work to build, grow and manage online communities around a brand or cause.*

I was recently approached by Sprout Social to be interviewed for their Community Manager Tips segment for their blog and to be shared on their various social platforms. Here are my quick tips:

Sprout Social is a social media management tool created to help businesses find new customers & grow their social media presence. With all of the platforms out there I must say that this platform is not only aesthetically pleasing but has everything you need to successfully manage your social media presence. I’m using the free trial now and so far, really good!

If you’re considering to be an Online Community Manager, I’d follow this check list to see if you have the skills and are prepared to take on this role.

1. PATIENCE – You need a lot of it. Building a community takes time and instant gratification.. well there’s really no room for that. You’ll see smaller gratifying interactions at first within the community you’re building and eventually will see it grow into a bigger community. With time it will become easier to attract more people. Be creative, have fun and people will follow!

2. WEARING MULTIPLE HATS – Often those who are online community managers are social media managers and manage other online marketing aspects of their companies. Sometimes it works, especially since the same online voice and information flows through all the online avenues. Your followers can pick up on it. But in some cases, especially if you have a large community it can hurt your companies growth. Investing in someone to focus on one crucial aspect of your social presence, be it your tweets/posts or building a community, works in the companies benefit. More time to brainstorm new fresh ideas and more time to create compelling content.

3. ANALYTICAL – Decisions you make as a community manager are usually based on data you have gathered through your social media. Whether it was a post that was worded differently and it got more views or if it was a tweet or post directed to a specific demographic. If you can understand that data and action it for the benefit of your community. Then my friend, you’ll do just great!

4. STRONG WRITING SKILLS – You’ll be writing a few sentences or one sentence post/tweets that will have to hold a STRONG message. Can you do that? Can you send a STRONG message to your brand/companies community that will impact them?

5. ONLINE PRESENCE – Do you have a Twitter, LinkedIN, Instagram, Google+ or better yet a blog? Because if you don’t then this role isn’t right for you. Create a colourful online presence as it shows dedication and your passion for this role.

What social media managing tool do you use and what do you love the most about it?

*Wikipedia definition

social media paltforms

Periscope

Snapchat

Online Community Manager: a growing and developing profession. People in this position work to build, grow and manage online communities around a brand or cause.*