Social networking is a fun and convenient way to stay in touch and share photos, but these moms share other unique ways to use Facebook, Pinterest and more.
While it’s fun keeping in touch with friends and sharing photos of the family, there are so many great ways to utilize social networking.
Facebook garage sales
“Thanks to Facebook, I will probably never have a garage sale again,” says Kandy. “I can sell things from the comfort of my living room — in my pajamas!” Kandy — and hundreds of community members — participate in an ongoing Facebook rummage sale.
Join an existing group or create your own to buy and sell just about anything. Agree to meet in a public place to finalize the transaction.
Of course, if you prefer the traditional yard or rummage sale, use Facebook or Twitter to advertise it!
Event invites and advertising
“While trying to raise funds for my Relay For Life team, I created an event on Facebook,” says Michelle. “Within a few minutes I sent the event to all of my Facebook friends and asked them to repost. The response was overwhelming. We had to do very little advertising otherwise.“
Using Facebook’s event creator is a fantastic way to spread the word about your event. As your friends share the info with their friends, your exposure grows exponentially. Tweet the link on Twitter for an even greater reach.
Finding old classmates
Pam is using Facebook to pull together her 30th high school reunion. She can reach friends through friends and search for classmates with Facebook’s high school search tool.
Twitter gets the word out even farther. Tweet your request for friends’ phone numbers or addresses and see where it leads you!
Hobbies and special interests
Paula is a horse lover and uses Facebook to keep up with news in the horse world. “I read articles from publications which have a Facebook page, such as The Chronicle of the Horse,” she says.
“I also used Facebook for the newsfeed of the equestrian events during the Summer Olympics,” adds Paula. “It’s much more efficient than searching through all of the Olympic news for the events in which I was interested.”
Business contacts
“I use it to make contact to set up interviews,” says Philip, a reporter. And Gary uses Facebook to generate business for the company he works for. “I use Facebook to grow my relationships with clients who have developed an extensive social media presence.”
Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are inexpensive ways to build and grow professional contact lists. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a business website that doesn’t link to at least one social network.
Wedding planning
Wendy and her friends love Facebook, and they’ve tied it in with Pinterest for Wendy’s upcoming wedding. “I’m getting married in two years, and my bridesmaids and I are having a blast looking for ideas.”
Every time one of the girls comes across a fabulous wedding idea, they pin it to a board and share it with the others via Facebook. “We have boards for wedding hairstyles, wedding shoes, wedding jewelry, cakes, favors — everything,” says Wendy. “It’s so much easier than clipping magazine articles!”
More on social networking
The Facebook factor in love
To friend or not to friend on Facebook?
Pinterest: What it is, how to use it and why you’ll be addicted
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