Hello, everybody!

Today our tip is from the Year of English series of e-mails and it talks about how to use social media to improve your English. Check it out!

Today’s assignment is pretty simple. All you have to do is start one conversation in English on social media.

You may be a social media master already, or you may be someone who doesn’t see the point of it all. But whatever your opinion of social media, it’s a fact that it can help you to engage in conversations with English speakers.

Which service should I use?

– The most widely used social media service among English speakers is Facebook. However, people usually connect on Facebook with people who they are already friends with in real life. So it’s not the best service for practicing English on unless you already have English-speaking friends.
– The second most popular service is Twitter. On Twitter, you can “follow” people who you don’t know personally, and read their comments. Twitter only allows you to share short messages, so it’s good for sharing short thoughts but bad for longer discussions between people.
– Google+ is another service which is less popular but is still growing. The good thing about Google+ is that you can write longer posts and comments, plus it’s OK to follow people who you don’t know personally. If you’re just getting started out with social media services, this one is probably a good start.

What should I write?

Here’s the best way to start conversations with other users:

1. Pick a topic that you’re interested in (Like fishing, fashion, astronomy, photography, parenting, etc.)
2. Search for that topic in English. You’ll find other users who are interested in in or talking about it.
3. Follow some of those people.
4. Respond to something that they posted. Don’t just write a one-word response. Explain clearly why this post interests you.
5. After a few people start to follow you back, start to post your own thoughts. Remember that opinions are better conversation-starters than facts. Avoid simple statements like “It’s cold outside.” or “I’m eating a steak for dinner.”

Thanks, Aaron Knight for allowing me to reproduce this text.