Facebook is a popular, free-access social networking website. Facebook isn’t just for teen users. The parents of the kids who have been using it for years have started joining groups and writing on walls. The use of social networks in all age groups is growing at astonishing rates. Facebook users may choose to join one or more networks, organized by city, workplace, school and region. These networks help users connect with members of the same network. Users can also connect with friends, giving them access to their friends’ profiles.
PERSONAL PROFILES are different from FACEBOOK BUSINESS FAN PAGES: You are probably familiar with Facebook personal profiles but do you know about Facebook business pages? A business can’t have a “profile” on Facebook; profiles are for individuals. You will want to create a separate ”page” for your company or brand. You need to have a personal profile and be logged in to create a Facebook Page.
- People “LIKE” a Page whereas individual user profiles have “Friends”
- Facebook Fan Pages are visible to everyone. Even people who aren’t logged in to Facebook can see Facebook pages. A user “profile”, on the other hand, can only be seen by the user’s friends and others in her networks
- Facebook pages can have an unlimited number of fans; regular users profiles are limited to 5,000 friends
- Users can “LIKE” your Facebook page without confirmation. User profiles have to approve all incoming friend requests
- You can send updates to all your fans. User profiles cannot message all their friends at once. Facebook Pages are the perfect solution for businesses, bands, films, sports teams, and other organizations seeking to reach Facebook’s more than 70 million active users
- By keeping your business and personal profile separate you don’t need to accept friendships from people you don’t know or tell your personal friends all about your business if they aren’t interested.
- Choose a memorable web address for your page to make it easier to promote http://companies.to/dandelionwebdesign
- Facebook pages can also be customized with FBML Face Book Markup Language. Personal profiles can not at this time use FBML
FACEBOOK GROUPS: In addition to a Facebook fan page you may also want to consider creating a Facebook Group can help you share news and events, stimulate relevant discussion and build a loyal online community. Keep in mind that social networks are designed to foster human interaction, not to promote products. Facebook Groups aren’t about giving a sales pitch they are about building relationships. Once you create a group you will want to invite friends to join. You don’t want to create a group and let it stagnate. You need to manage your group and keep your news up-to-date. There may be an already formed Facebook Group for your target audience. Join an an existing group, introduce yourself including a link to your website, then invite group members to join your newly-formed group. This is a simple way for your own group to develop a following and to drive traffic to your website. The Facebook Discussion Board will allow you to interact with your group members and they can interact with each other. New Media is all about joining in the conversation.
Dawn Kresan owner of palimpsestpress.ca and one of my clients, has this to say about her experiences with a facebook group:
The Canadian literary community is a relatively small one, but with the use of web-based media like facebook I have been able to tap into new markets and reach people who live abroad and were previously unaware of my press. I created a Facebook group for Palimpsest Press. Through this group, I can post links to blogs or author sites, upload pictures of book covers and readings and create events. Members can take part in the discussion boards or leave messages. I have almost 1000 people who are members of my group, who have all given me permission to send them email updates to their facebook inbox. I send emails no more than once a month on topics such as new releases, events, special promotions and sales. I also belong to many groups, over 100 in fact, some of which have 10 or 20 thousand members. I have also made Facebook fan pages for individual authors and for specific books.
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We also separate our business communication on Facebook from personal communication by having a company fan page. An email newsletter is also a great way to connect with your loyal customers.
This is actually very interesting – We also separate our business communication on Facebook from personal communication by having a company fan page. An email newsletter is also a great way to connect with your loyal customers.