Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Does the way you use social media depend on your gender? Women and Men use social media differently. There are some very interesting studies on this. A study conducted by Microsoft found that there are real differences in everything from security to what is shared using social sites. It is important to know the common differences between how women and men use social media in order to grow your visibility and make the most of the time you spend online while protecting yourself and staying safe. What are some of the common ways that women use social media? Even though men and women use social media for basically the same reasons, the differences between how different genders use it is quite interesting. Women use a password less often then men to protect their devices. Women use social media for professional reasons differently too. Women use social media to communicate with clients and to share information such as documents. Connecting – Women are more likely to share pictures and posts on Facebook than men are, but in an interesting twist, 8 of 10 women feel annoyed with Facebook friends. Communicating – Women are more protective of their online reputations and limit their personal information more than men. Women are also more likely to limit what strangers can see online. Building relationships – Women out number men on Facebook and Twitter. There is a big difference between the number of women who use Pinterest in comparison to men. What are some of the common ways that men use social media? Men also take full advantage of social media, but use it differently and less often than women. In the business world, men like to use social media for researching their competition. Men also excel at using social media to grow their networks. Communicating – Men spend more time than women on YouTube. Even though men use social media more to build their networks, they use Pinterest less. Pinterest drives more referral traffic than LinkIn, Google+ and YouTube combined. Connecting – Men spend less time overall on social media than women do. Men are more targeted in their social media use. Building relationships – Women use social media sites more than men, however men are better at networking and building relationships. How can women & men using social media to communicate better? Knowing these facts can help both men and women use social media to communicate better. Time is valuable and it is important to maximize the time you spend on social media in order to grow your visibility. There are some simple steps you can take to make the most of social media whether you are male or female. Open to change – Be open to change. Think about how you are spending your time on social media and how you might use it better. Consistency – Be consistent is your social media use. Schedule time daily to manage your social media sites. Bridging communication- Learn how to communicate. Learn what works well and what does not. Pay attention to your social media tendencies and figure out ways to improve. Social media is here to stay and is growing in leaps and bounds. No matter your level of experience or gender, it is important to use social media to your benefit. Social media is a great tool if used properly and maximized to grow your visibility. Resources: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/men-and-women-use-technology-and-social-media-diff/1895784/ http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/06/17/women-lead-men-in-social-media-adoption/ http://www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-networks/chart/1147/social-network-adoption-in-the-united-states/ (show this graph during the 3rd question) http://readwrite.com/2013/05/28/women-collaborating-with-social-media-more-than-men-infographic#awesm=~o9oGaXIwEIM9U9 (show graph at the bottom during first question) Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Kim Beasley and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Kim Beasley Follow @kimbeasley Kim Beasley specializes in coaching business owners to grow their visibility online using social media and their website (WordPress). Her focus is to teach owners how to raise their Engagement Factor while using such social media as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Pinterest to name a few. The Engagement… View full profile ›More by this author:7 Keys to Developing a Heart Centered BusinessGetting Help Through Google HelpoutsBlogging Tips to Help New Bloggers