Does anyone feel that the current crop of social media apps and tools resembles the produce section at your local supermarket? There are so many social media channels to choose from and just like fruit and vegetables, you need to choose the right ones for a delicious dish. Core social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are the standard bearers and like the lettuce in a good salad. Some social media tools such as Instagram and Pinterest share the same premise but function with a different flavor and heat like all of those colorful peppers in a green grocer’s case.

Have you ever noticed those weird shaped alien looking fruits and vegetables like Buddha’s Hand or Romanesco? They look really cool but you just can’t find a good use for them yet… sort of like the social media tool Chirp. Then there are various types of hybrid fruits like the the pluot (plum and apricot) and tangelo (tangerine and pomelo) which are cross-bread to capture the best parts of both fruits and yes, social media has these too, just take a look at tumblr. There are always new social media tools being added to the digital marketplace daily, so keep an eye out for a ripe one.

Here are some recent user stats for the most popular social media networks:

• Facebook = 1.5 billion (monthly)
• Youtube = 1 billion (monthly)
• Tumblr = 555 million (monthly)
• Google+ = 540 million (monthly)
• Instagram = 400 million (monthly)
• Twitter = 320 million (monthly)
• Vine = 200 million (monthly)
• Pinterest = 100 million (monthly)
• LinkedIn = 100 million (monthly)
• Snapchat = 100 million (daily)

When it comes to the social media banquet be sure to choose the proper digital menu that can satisfy your hungry followers and get you rave reviews. Bon appetit!

*Stats: www.statista.com, www.business2community.com and Fortune.