Choosing the right network

Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter

Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter are three of the world's most popular social networks. They have slightly different features, which mean they appeal to different people.

Let's hear from Ellie, Suzanne and Simon on which they use and why.

Ellie, 42

"My kids are old enough to look after themselves these days, so I've found myself with a bit more time to socialise."

"I'd lost touch with a lot of friends over the years, but Facebook has helped me make contact with people again. It's great catching up with everyone. I've shared lots of photos, so people can see what I've been up to, but my privacy settings mean I choose who can see them."

Pinterest

Meet Suzanne. She's getting married in 6 months' time and couldn't be more excited, but there's still so much to plan.

"I'd been really stressed, but since I've been using Pinterest, I've really managed to get my thoughts together.

"By typing key words like bouquet, dream dress and wedding cake into the search bar, I've been able to find so much inspiration for the big day!

When I find an image I want to save, I just add it to my Pinterest 'wedding board' which works just like a real pin board. I've shared this with lots of my friends, but kept it private from my fiancé, as I don't want him to see the dress."

Twitter

Twitter is actually a very simple idea. People post short updates to tell the world what they're up to. By including a hash tag in their updates – a special key phrase with a # in front of it – they make it easier for others to search for them.

If you like what someone's saying, you can follow them and see their updates, even if they don't follow you.

Simon is a massive fan of tennis and is watching the Wimbledon tournament on tv.

He types #Wimbledon into the Twitter search box to see what people are saying about it.

He replies to a few updates. In the time between matches, it's great chatting with his tennis-loving friends.

So which one's right for you?

You've been introduced to just a few of the main social networks out there. Which one do you think might suit you the best? Let's have a bit more of a look at what they can do.

The benefits

Social networks have a lot to offer. They can be used purely for entertainment, as a business tool, or as a way of sharing your thoughts and feelings with the world.

They give you the chance to keep in touch with old friends and can even help you make new friends who share your interests.

Your choices

There are a number of social networks out there and many people use more than one on a daily basis.

This activity covered three of the most popular choices: Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, though there are others. Each of these sites is better than the others for doing certain things. It's up to you to decide which would suit your needs the best.

Congratulations!

Well done, you've come to the end of the Choosing the right network activity.

You've learnt about choosing the right network and that different networks are good for different things.

In the next activity, What does a social network look like?, you'll find out more about the features some social networks share.