Today’s social media post is going to be a short glossary of terms related to social media including platforms you may or may not be familiar with.

Facebook: Facebook is a  free website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues.

Twitter: Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called “tweets”. It is very fast-paced and moves rather quickly in the course of a day.

Instagram: Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is all about the photos on your mobile device. The app features cool filters and frames that give your photos a professional look and allow you to share via Twitter, Facebook, and the Instagram website, you can choose from a variety of photo filters and invite friends to comment on your photos or ideas.

Pinterest: Pinterest is a large idea space for users to create virtual bulletin boards on a variety of subject.sServing as a giant virtual idea and inspiration board, Pinterest has made a huge impact on social media in the last few years. Especially popular with women and the do-it-yourself crowd, it lets you share pictures, creative thoughts, or (especially) before-and-after pictures of projects that others can pin, save, or duplicate.

YouTube: As a video sharing service, YouTube has become so popular that its catalog of billions and billions of videos has become known as “the world’s second-largest search engine” in some circles. The site has everything from first-person product reviews to promotional clips and “how-two” instruction on virtually any topic or discipline. Users have the ability to share, rate, and comment on what they see.

SnapChat: This surprisingly-addictive app gives you the ability to take a picture, add art and text if you’d like, and then send it to recipients for a set amount of time (after which the photo will delete itself and be removed from the company’s servers). Lots of fun, and potentially a good way to stay in touch with friends.

Periscope: Simply put, Periscope enables you to “go live” via your mobile device anytime and anywhere. The app enables you to become your own “on the go” broadcasting station, streaming video and audio to any viewers who join your broadcast.
Periscope is an app that truly takes advantage of its mobile platform incorporating notifications and location as well as social sharing (on Twitter of course), live discussions and feedback. A Periscope broadcast in full swing is a truly interactive event:

Google Plus: Social media’s big up-and-comer has really arrived over the past few years. By combining the best of Facebook and Twitter into one site – and backing it by the power of the world’s largest search engine, Google has given users a social site that has a little something for everyone. You can add new content, highlight topics with hashtags, and even separate contacts into circles. And, a G+ profile only takes a few minutes to get set up.

Linked In:  Now recommended for anyone to enhance their career, LinkedIn is encourages virtual networking for  business and industry.

Tumblr: Tumblr is a blogging platform that hosts photos, artwork, and microblogs for its users.

Vine: Vine offers users the chance to share and view brief video clips. Most Vines are used for comedy and entertainment purposes.

WhatsApp: The WhatsApp concept allows used to send  text-style messages to anyone else using the platform without incurring phone data charges. Currently, it is the world’s most popular messaging platform.

Kik:  Like WhatsApp, the concept of Kik is simple: send text-style messages to anyone else using the platform, but without paying data charges. However,  Kik users can create an account with a username only, making users susceptible to predators and bullying.

GroupMe:  Like Kik and WhatsApp, GroupMe is a messaging platform for groups to engage and talk to one another.

Meerkat: Just like Periscope,  you can  “go live” on Meerkat via your mobile device anytime and anywhere. The app enables you to become your own “on the go” broadcasting station, streaming video and audio to any viewers who join your broadcast. Meerkat was actually live before Periscope, however Periscope has surpassed it in terms of users and success.

Believe it or not, this list is not comprehensive. These social media platforms are currently the most popular; however new sites are being developed regularly.