We’re all thankful on Thanksgiving. Some for family, others for nonstop football and never-ending plates of turkey.
I try to be thankful every day, but what kind of social media columnist would I be if I didn’t focus on the social media-related things I give thanks for? Nothing beats crescent rolls and my wife’s stuffing, but here’s a small taste of what I enjoy most in my social media world.
Buffer: You know the guy in the cooking infomercials who tells you to “set it and forget it”? That’s me describing Buffer. I still can’t cook a rotisserie chicken, but I love being able to put my favorite social media posts in a list that automatically sends things when I want to send them. Buffer makes my life easier, and the company has amazing customer service to boot.
Pinterest: It’s not only visual, it’s helpful. You can save anything for later, whether it’s a story, a quote or a recipe for mashed potatoes you can use on Thanksgiving. And because you can see related pins, there’s always new information to share.
My iPhone 6 Plus: I can remember when a colleague got a Samsung Galaxy with a giant screen and I laughed and laughed. I’ve since apologized, because now that I got my iPhone 6 Plus I can’t imagine going back to a smaller screen. Whether I’m tweeting or Instagramming or tumbling, that extra real estate makes all the difference. It’s dependent on the app developers to use all the screen space and while they’re not all there yet, companies are moving in the right direction.
Twitter analytics: When Twitter allowed everyone access to analytics — it used to be much more limited — it made the right call. Now when you go to analytics.twitter.com, you can see at a glance what’s resonating with your followers and what’s not. If you check your analytics often enough, you’ll be able to teach yourself how to evolve on Twitter and you’ll be better as an overall social media user. Simple, yet effective.
The save feature on Facebook: I haven’t been thrilled with all the changes Facebook has made over the years, but adding a save function on the articles people are sharing is right up there with the best. It’s exactly what it sounds like: A way to save a shared article for later, whether later means just reading or eventually sharing it yourself. And you can access everything you save on your main Facebook rail under the heading Saved.
You: So Social couldn’t have become a nationally syndicated social media column if it wasn’t for your support, so as thankful as I am for everything mentioned above, I’m very thankful for you, the readers.
Have questions about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg with hashtag #SoSocial. He might use yours in a future column.