Thursday, March 18, 2010

Top 6 things I've learned about facebook (mostly in the past week)

So it's social right? Demented and sad, but social. Okay so it's not really demented and sad, but I watched The Breakfast Club twice in the last week and I just needed an excuse to use that line - maybe my next post will be my top 10 favorite lines from that movie...but I digress... The topic for this blog post is facebook - the most popular social media site on the Internet. Actually it's the most popular site period - overtaking Google last week for the number one spot.

You have probably noticed that we launched a new facebook page this week, and there are many reasons for that. I've been doing a lot of research and and I thought I would share a list of 6 important tidbits I've picked up in my research that we've applied to our own web presence:

1. There is a HUGE difference between a facebook group and a facebook page (or public profile depending on what they are calling it this week). Bottom line - a page is best for your small business if you are a business owner and/or are authorized to create a page for your employer as the facebook administrator. NOT a group.
2. Pages are searchable outside of facebook. Groups are not. That's just one of many reasons to stick with the page.
3. Every page you manage can have its own facebook URL. It's simple - just go to www.facebook.com/username and choose "Set a user name for your pages". The rest is self explanatory. Ours is www.facebook.com/frameablefaces. Please become a fan and suggest the page to your friends (especially if you live in the Metro Detroit area)!
4. App developers charge more than I expected for facebook page design.
5. www.allfacebook.com is a great blog for all things facebook
6. Most "social media experts" will tell you that having a social media presence is critical and that facebook is probably not enough, but trying to have a presence on every single social media site is too much and to "just make sure you are where your customers are". I agree with them on all counts. We stick to facebook, twitter, YouTube, the blog you are reading now, and our official website.

This barely scratches the surface. Part of the genius of facebook is that it's a platform that everyone can use - from the Internet and computer novice to the most advanced developer, and it's constantly changing - they are tweaking features (many of which the average person won't notice) on a daily basis. It's incredibly powerful, incredibly complex, and yet incredibly simple to use all at the same time. You can gain much on a personal level and you cannot afford not to use it for your business - end of story. If you are a small business and don't have a social media presence you will likely be left in the dust...


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