# Pre-Poll Survey -- "Social Media"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 15, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765 "2014-03-15T14:50:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/1 "2014-03-15T14:50:16Z")
Before constructing a poll to take the pulse of the SDMB fanbase in terms of the outlets of “social media” available to anybody with the requisite equipment (from semaphore flags to super computers and personal communications satellites) I want to try to avoid “other” as a category in the poll. Help me build the list, please.
Add to:
Email
Cell Phone
Land-line telephone
Texting
CB Radio
Facebook
Twitter
Morse code communications
Ham Radio
News Talk broadcasts
Yelling to your neighbor
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/2 "2014-03-15T15:21:42Z")
Blog?
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/3 "2014-03-15T15:25:19Z")
Have you read this article:
> **[Social media](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media)**
>
> Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of social media arise due to the variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available, there are some common features:
> The term social in regard to media suggests that platforms are user-centric and enable communal activity. As such, social media ca...
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/4 "2014-03-15T15:27:51Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Blog?
Certainly! I suppose I should have gone to [Social media - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media) before starting the list off the top of my head.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/5 "2014-03-15T16:44:49Z")
I would include graffiti… (or however you spell it)
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/6 "2014-03-15T16:59:20Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#):
>
> I would include graffiti… (or however you spell it)
Interesting that the first example in that wiki article is cave painting! We have come a long way, right?
I wonder if messages in bottles ought to be included…
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### Author:  [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/7 "2014-03-15T17:05:23Z")
Google+
Whatsapp
LInkedin
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/8 "2014-03-15T17:58:21Z")
Smoke Signals
Thieves’ Cant
Put an “X” at the corner of Juárez and Peralta
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/9 "2014-03-15T18:34:25Z")
BBM
Usenet news groups
Water cooler?
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/10 "2014-03-15T18:46:48Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> BBM
> Usenet news groups
>
> Water cooler?
Water cooler suggests company bulletin boards and those in other organizations like football teams and others with relatively permanent quarters. Also those posters and flyers with tear-off phone numbers.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/11 "2014-03-15T19:30:01Z")
How about comments on news articles? For my local paper, I see the same set of people talking to each other, with knowledge of their position on various issues.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/12 "2014-03-15T19:45:02Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> How about comments on news articles? For my local paper, I see the same set of people talking to each other, with knowledge of their position on various issues.
This could be generalized to comments on YouTube, Yahoo! Answers, and everywhere that comments by readers are requested or accepted.
On that general subject I’m curious if anybody else has had this experience or something like it. Back in my teen years (1950’s if you need to know that) radio shows that accepted requests or had call-in contests would generally have a busy signal as your answer at the station. But if you just let the busy continue you could hear voices in the background and could actually strike up conversations with others waiting to get through. I’ve had several-minute conversations with unknown callers and it got to be a thing to try to hook up with somebody you had chatted with before. I’m guessing there may have been dozens of callers in that “twilight zone” at any one time. It was spooky.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/13 "2014-03-15T21:45:11Z")
Is [IRC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat) still a thing?
Review sites (yelp, etc)
What about dating sites…do they count, for the purpose of the survey?
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/14 "2014-03-15T22:08:29Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> Is [IRC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat) still a thing?
>
> Review sites (yelp, etc)
>
> What about dating sites…do they count, for the purpose of the survey?
I see no reason to limit the options and will be content for the popularity of the specific “medium” to stand on its own merits. Voters can decide for themselves if something is worthy of being seen as a “social medium.”
I foresee a multiple choice type of poll.
I suppose the basic issue is: do I use this method to stay in touch with others or at least to exchange opinions and tastes with others?
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/15 "2014-03-15T22:25:12Z")
Postal mail (at least I haven’t seen this mentioned yet, and it is less retro than some of the ones in the OP). Also semaphore.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/16 "2014-03-15T22:35:51Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#):
>
> Postal mail (at least I haven’t seen this mentioned yet, and it is less retro than some of the ones in the OP). Also semaphore.
Of course! And the other primitive (at least relatively so) methods such as wigwag, smoke signals, drumming, yodeling, trading pigeons and other methods that can be used without electricity.
This poll may require several preliminary sub-polls to be accurate and inclusive! 🙂
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/17 "2014-03-15T22:46:27Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> Is [IRC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat) still a thing?
Eh–sorta. Mostly they are affiliated with a website, and actually run in applets on said website. It’s also used by Anonymous because its age means most non-techies won’t know how to use it. The same thing goes for popular bittorrent releasers.
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### Author:  [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/18 "2014-03-16T15:36:10Z")
I guess the more generic “blog” covers it but tumblr?
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/19 "2014-03-16T17:46:43Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> Have you read this article:
> [Social media - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media)
I’m just now seeing this post as I review the thread. We must have had the same idea at the same time, and I didn’t notice your post before posting the link. Amazing!
> [@buddha\_david](#):
>
> Smoke Signals
> Thieves’ Cant
> Put an “X” at the corner of Juárez and Peralta
I know about that first one, but what can you tell me about those other two?
> [@Quimby](#):
>
> I guess the more generic “blog” covers it but tumblr?
I don’t know much about tumblr and quite a few other specialty sites/techniques/software that require subscriptions and the like. I would appreciate adding to the list such things along with a thumbnail description of them.
========================================
I’m thinking of some sub-poll categories to make polling a little less hodge-podge. Ar least these groupings:
Primitive non-text-oriented methods
Pre-internet methods involving text
Subscription or pay-for internet sites
Chat room types of back-and-forth typed messages
Email and its variants
Message Boards
What are some other broad categories?
Thanks for the input so far.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-survey-social-media/683765/20 "2014-03-16T18:08:23Z")
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