Let’s just get this straight one last time…Twitter and Facebook are two different social mediums, greatly opposite in features, functions and purpose. Yes, they both help you network and promote your business, but even networking styles are so vastly opposite! What baffles me is how you can draw a comparison between two entities that are not similar, but different? Of course, that’s food for another discussion. As for this article, I will only enunciate the distinct features of both and leave the rest for you to decide.
- Easy navigation, update, linking and promotion.
- More than just friends on your list; followers who are interested in your product/service.
- Anyone can follow you, unless you have made your tweets private, or blocked specific followers.
- Elicits quick response.
- No login required to read updates; RSS reader suffices.
- Superbly interactive with open APIs.
- New applications like Twitterific, Twhril, Summize on the way.
- Potential SMS revenue generation from wireless networks.
- Potential enterprise subscription-based and/or future advertising revenue streams.
- Has cost advantage with its ‘thin’ applications and is more scalable than Facebook.
What’s Bad About Twitter?
- Limited functionality; just that bit difficult to find people, send direct replies, and/or brief messages.
- Only 140 characters allowed per update.
- Lacks immediate appeal.
- Too much emphasis on how many followers one has.
- Not user-friendly picture/video access features.
- Easy prey for spam.
- No monetization strategy in place as yet.
- Small installed user base (compared to Facebook)
What’s Good About Facebook?
- A mash of different applications like emailing, video/image sharing, chatting, instant messaging, etc, all under one roof.
- Easy to follow first round up.
- Cool alternative to conventional emailing and chatting.
- More emphasis on quality of connections vs. quantity of connections.
- Prolific installed user base.
- Engaging and fun third-party applications.
- Personal data collection allowing huge scope for advertisement.
- Opt in model; keeps unwanted connections out.
What’s Bad About Facebook?
- Incessant problems with updates, picture uploads, video downloading, chat, and messaging.
- Difficult to navigate.
- Huge time investment to sustain benefits.
- Opt in model; anyone cannot connect with anyone.
- Not immediately responsive unless continually logged in.
- Bloated cost structure due to ‘thick’ applications.
Despite shortcomings, both Facebook and Twitter offer remarkable opportunities for business development and marketing. A great Facebook fan page design to a Twitter page design, to creating your company profiles in either social medias, success is possible through both mediums. Fighting is useless!








