Problems With Using Social Media for Group Messaging
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have made keeping in touch easier than ever before. While these social media tools certainly have a place with those who need to keep in touch with a group, there are some problems with them. Because of these problems, it is not a good idea to use these sites as your main/sole way of communicating with a group.
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Some of the possible problems are described below.
Need to be Near a Computer
If a member of your group does not happen to be near a computer when the message goes out, it could be quite a while before he or she sees it. Sure, many people have their social media accounts linked to a smart phone, but studies show that less than 70% of users have such mobile access to their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.
This means that unless the users are pretty much tied to a computer all day long that there is as good chance that they will not get the messages right away.
Can't Check Constantly
Even during the times of day when they ARE near the computer, most people cannot check Facebook and Twitter on a constant basis. Let's say that a user checks his updates every hour. He checks his account at 12:45, but you post a message at 12:46. That means it will be a whole hour before that user gets the message.
While that might be OK for some messages, if you ever have a message that is time sensitive, this may be unacceptable.
Not Everyone Uses Social Media
While some will find this hard to believe, not everyone uses social media. Even if you make setting up a Facebook or Twitter account mandatory for group members, if someone really isn't inclined to use social media, they are not going to check it very often.
Difficult to Check When on the Move
As mentioned above, unless a user is at a computer or has access to his accounts via a smart phone, they will not be able to check messages. This can be especially problematic with groups and teams that travel.
If you need to get a message to the group members while on the road, you may have to call every person rather than using social media.
An Alternative to Way to Communicate
An alternative to using the social sites to communicate with your group is to make use of a group messaging service. With one phone call, the service will be able to pass on messages to each member of the group whether they are at home, at work or on the road.
With a group messaging service, each group member will be notified promptly with any new messages. This way you will know that everyone in the group got the message rather than having to wait until each person logs into their accounts.
A group messaging service overcomes many of the problems of using social sites to communicate with a group. Learn today how such a service can streamline the way that you communicate with your group.
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