Week One - Introduction

I am fascinated by social media. It has become such an integral part of our lives over the past few years and permeates in everything we do. Of course, technology is largely responsible for the growth of social media due to the accessibility of smart phones and computers to a large number of the population. I think social media has stayed relevant because people enjoy having a voice and sharing their opinions on any number of topics, be it sports, restaurants, movies or news.

The way companies use social media is also of interest to me. These businesses are now having to monitor sites like Facebook and Twitter because their customers are sharing their opinions, good or bad, and companies need to take part in these discussions.

I am constantly on Twitter. On my computer. On my phone. At work. At home. Twitter has become such a part of my daily routine that I am not sure what I would do without it. I use it to learn about breaking news, catch up on sporting events and chat with a few of my friends that use it. I typically tweet about my day or whatever sporting event is on my TV at the time.

I use Twitter frequently as part of my job, also. Social media has become such a crucial part of any athletic department’s marketing efforts that my job includes updating the Twitter account for Pacific Swimming and Pacific Water Polo. I use that account to send out information on game times as well as provide in-game updates during home matches and meets.

I also check Facebook on a daily basis, but my interest in the site has waned significantly over the past few months. I cut my number of “Friends” down a significant amount with the goal of making it more private. I’ll post photos occasionally and read up on what my friends are up to, but I have not updated my status in months. I also have a Google+ but never check it.