You’ve been on Facebook for years, and you probably realized how useful Twitter can be once you got to college. But they’re not the only social networks anymore – other sites have joined the scene too, and a lot of them have unique and worthwhile benefits.
If you’ve been to a career fair or internship preparation workshop in the last few years, you’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of LinkedIn. A social networking site that’s sort of a professional version of Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to see who you know in your field and make networking connections.
But social media sites aren’t only for direct communication with people – you can also use them to share links, pictures and information. While many people use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for these purposes, new social media sites like Tumblr and Pinterest make this easier and more efficient.
So if you’re behind on the latest sites, no worries! We’re here to explain to you what the social media newcomers are and why you can benefit from joining them.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a free blogging site that lets you share pictures, quotes and posts and reblog what others have posted on their blogs. It’s a better platform for photography than for editorial blogging—it’s perfect for a photo-based fashion blog, for example. Or, you can just reblog photos the people you follow have already posted! Creating a Tumblr is super easy – the only information you need to register is a name and email address, and you can choose from hundreds of templates to get started. If you know HTML, you can customize your theme, but if not, there are still tons of colors and setups you can use.
If you haven’t used Tumblr before, you might think it’s only for artsy people who like taking photos. While many Tumblr users are photographers interested in sharing their own work (so if that’s you, start posting!), you can also learn a lot by following your friends, favorite publications — tons of magazines like Glamour and Lucky have Tumblr accounts — and celebrities.
You don’t even have to post pictures if you don’t want to – you can add quotes and stories like a regular blog. And if you don’t have original content you want to share, you can reblog posts by other users. Want some inspiration? Check out our favorite celebrity Tumblrs!
Pinterest
Pinterest is similar to Tumblr, but instead of reblogging photos, quotes and posts, you “pin” the pictures and videos you like. Whereas Tumblr is primarily used as a hobby, and your blog probably won’t have a certain theme, people primarily use Pinterest to gather information on a certain topic, like recipes or wedding planning. Pinterest also doesn’t include text sections like quotes and regular posts, as Tumblr does. While Tumblr focuses more on sharing, Pinterest focuses more on inspiration gained from other people’s blogs.
If you want to find out about multiple topics or divide up your research – for example, decorating different rooms in your house – you don’t have to create multiple accounts. You can create multiple boards on the same account so that everything you find for a certain topic will be in one place.
Since it’s a recently developed website, you need an invitation to join Pinterest, so ask around – there’s a good chance you know someone who has an account. If not, you can register on the site and be placed on their waiting list. Some of our favorite Pinterest accounts? Lilly Pulitzer, whose preppy creations always brighten our days, Michael Kors, designer extraordinaire, and Brides magazine, because hey – who doesn’t imagine their dream wedding every once in a while?
[pagebreak]
StumbleUpon
This is a site to avoid if you’re trying to get time-sensitive work done. When you create an account with the site, it finds and recommends content that it thinks you’ll want to read, using social media principles. You can make your requests as specific or broad as you like by typing something into their search box, so you don’t have to fill out a questionnaire about your interests. But you’re more likely to find things that interest you if you’re more specific.
To register with StumbleUpon, you’ll need to create a username and password with your email address or Facebook account. Once you’ve set up an account, you can choose categories you’re interested in, such as beauty, fitness, pets or travel. Then the site will send you to a page it thinks you’ll like, and you can vote it up or down to customize your future stumbles. If you don’t like where it takes you or want to see more recommendations, you’ll get a new suggestion each time you hit the “stumble” button. When you do find pages you like, it’s super easy to share them on Facebook and Twitter, since you’ve already connected StumbleUpon with your Facebook account.
You’ll be overloaded with photos, videos and articles about whatever you like, which is great if you have some time to waste and want to learn some cool new stuff. Plus, it’s available as an app for both the iPhone and Droid, so you can use it while you’re waiting in line or on a car trip.
Digg
Digg is a social news website where the top stories are determined by whether users vote the article with a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. If you use Facebook apps like The Washington Post or The New York Times social readers, Digg has a social reader app too (you can log in with your Facebook account), so you’ll have access to even more news.
Digg compiles stories from different sources like Yahoo!, The Atlantic, Business Insider and The Huffington Post (to name a few), so you don’t have to worry about news bias. And the site is divided into sections like business, politics and entertainment just as a newspaper website would be, so you won’t have any trouble finding the articles you want. If you’re a current events buff and want access to multiple news publications on one site, Digg is the place to go!
To sign up with Digg, all you need to do is sign in with your Facebook account, and you’re registered! Once you’ve logged in the first time, you’ll be able to share articles with your Facebook friends.
Reddit
Reddit is Digg’s primary competitor. Like the posts on Digg, articles on Reddit are voted up or down by users to determine the posts’ rankings. Though founded as an independent company, Reddit was acquired by Condé Nast (the publisher of magazines like Vogue and The New Yorker) in 2006 and now operates under Advance Publications, Condé Nast’s parent company. To register for Reddit, all you need is a username and password.
Any registered user can submit content to Reddit, though pieces from well-recognized sources are more likely to gain positive votes from other users. Reddit’s site design is harder to navigate than Digg’s, but it’s still divided into subject categories, and once you’ve explored the site a bit you’ll have no trouble finding articles. (If all else fails, the site also has a search bar.)
Registration on these sites is relatively simple, and you’ll gain a wealth of knowledge from their other users, even if that knowledge sometimes comes at the expense of time. And potential employers will be impressed at how tech-savvy you are!