So the book I’m reading of how to build an author platform informs me that I should use Twitter, yep that very popular social network that works everywhere but in Bolivia, and I don’t mean that you can access the site here, but that people just don’t get it and hence don’t use it.
Many people in my country use Facebook, WhatsApp, and many other social networs, plainly frequently, but Twitter is the exception, it has been left out, the poor one 😦 . So when the author platform book said “start gathering your followers with your friends and work colleages…” I was “hello? is anybody here using Twitter?”. After some blank stares, I must have found only 3 people who used it, but never actually “USED IT” in the sense of the word, just opened the account some time ago, and that was it, they were officially in twitter.
That left me wondering? why? but why? as I got into Twitter, started tweeting, retweeting, using hashtags, and all the things you do on Twitter, I started understanding why this platform wasn’t popular in my country.
- First, people here are not into expressing and opening to the outer world. In twitter, for example, you can post an awesome picture and, with the right followers, and hashtags, you could get “Twitter-famous” from one day to the other.
- Other social networks are more about your circle of friends, the people you know, the pictures where you recognize friends’ gatherings, families, etc. We’re still a closed society here, and there’s a lot of: who you are friends with, who do you know, etc., so everything happens among the people you know, not strangers. People here are not into making random friends from elsewhere… And yep, Twitter is mostly all about that. I mostly don’t know the people that follow me, and unless I’ve been following some famous person or a celebrity, I usually follow people that seem cool according to what they tweet, even if I don’t really don’t know them.
So I made a quick poll, among friends, I asked them “Why don’t you use Twitter? or Why do you think bolivians are not into Twitter?. These are some answers I got:
- People here are not so used to express in few words (the 140 restriction which drives me insane)
- It´s about gossip worst than Facebook
- Because I don´t see any benefit on it
- It´s enough with Facebook, why would I have Twitter?
- People here are used to personalize social networks and are more into wanting to know what their friends will say or tell. They’re not into free expression, not because it’s banned, but because it’s not motivated, and we feel inhibited. (I like this one, it comes from a friend that actually uses twitter, thanks Vanessa 🙂
So after all these reasons and opinions, I really don’t have a strong opinion about Twitter, all I know is that it’s good to have it for an author platform. So for any of you of my brilliant blog followers out there, if any of you would like to follow me on Twitter, please do so at: @carlisdm
And if you have any strong opinions of why you like or don’t like twitter, please feel free to leave your comments!!!
The diaries of the happy writer 
I struggle with the ins-and-outs of Twitter, and think I need to get a Twitter-for-Dummies book in order to make any good use out of it 🙂
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I actually googled “Twitter for Dummies” and found it in Amazon, I may consider adding it to my shopping cart 🙂
Yes, I think it takes up good skills and perseverance to build up a follow, one that it’s real.
Thanks for reading my post!
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most of my friends from other parts of the world I found them on twitter, I found a little community of artist that help each other. For me I hate facebook it is all about the gosssip the bullies, people comparing their lifes. I just use the blog and my twitter right now. I am new at your blog where are you?
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Yeah, that’s what I get too! in Twitter you can connect from people around the world and get new friends (which I love) While Facebook (unless you’re part of some interesting Group, there are ones for writer’s that are actually quite good) is more about displaying or showing off your life and comparing with that of others in a certain way.
At the end is the way you use the social network and not the platform in itself.
Thanks for reading my post!
P.S. I’m from Cochabamba, Bolivia 🙂
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saludos desde Texas 🙂
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Hi Carla I had to say something about twitter, my favorite social media platform. I think, that contrary to Facebook, Twitter is more private, less about gossip like FB unless you are following let’s say Kim Kardashian’s account ;). A nice definition for twitter is that it is micro-blogging, and true, what I like best is to have very quick updates on subjects that are interesting to me and if I want to read more in depth I just have to follow the link. I also like the 140 word limit, because you have to think your message more which probably results in less posts than other social media platforms. I think that the reason it does not yet catch up in Bolivia or Latin American countries as much is because it’s missing that essential gossipy/visual/telenovela component of FB. Not to say that I do not enjoy peeking once in a while in my other accounts, but personally twitter suits me best.
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I like your poing of view Claudia! I never thought of Twitter as a private social network, I guess it depends of how you use it, who you choose to follow and if you accept everybody following you.
Thanks for reading my post!
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I’ve voiced my opinion with Twitter in the past, but it mainly comes down to I ramble too much to use Twitter, and then get too excited about blogging. Anytime I think of something useful to say I forget that I even have a Twitter before it’s a blog post. Then I kick myself.
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That’s true! Blogging is so much better than tweeting of course! 🙂 and I can’t come up with good ideas for tweeting, maybe with practice 😉
Thanks for reading this post!
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