Facebook – the Most Popular Social Media Site
Facebook is the top used Social Media site. From the last statistics I have heard, it has a user base of well over 4 million people.
To give you a little history, it was started at Harvard, giving the students at that college the ability to keep in touch with each other. From there it spread out to other campuses in the United States, both college and high school. Since then it has expanded to all over the map and is being used by all demographics. Even though it was started by younger people, the top growing demographics now are those over 35 years of age. The only requirement that Facebook puts on age is that someone using the site has to be thirteen or older
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Facebook is not a formal site – it is more casual oriented than let’s say LinkedIn, which tends to be aimed more towards business professionals. Casual, however, doesn’t mean users should view Facebook as a place to let everything hang out either literally of figuratively (this warning is probably better suited for younger people, who have not yet learned the repercussions of having too much information out in public). In fact, prospective employers are often looking at Facebook Profiles when interviewing applicants for a job. So if you or anyone you know is entering information onto a profile and have any doubts as to whether that info is appropriate, it probably is better to leave it off. As I have mentioned before, there are two different ways you can promote yourself on Facebook – by a Profile and/or by a Page. Here are the differences:
- A Profile is written with YOU in mind. It is meant for you to share things about you. It allows you to make friends with a maximum of 5,000 people. Once you are friends with another person, you can view his/her personal profile, anything that he or she posts and vice versa.
- A Page is designed around your business whether it is a product or service. Pages can have over 5,000 connections – the button that used to be "Become a Fan" is now called "Like". These Pages cater more to the professional rather than to the personal. There are limitations on these Pages – for example everyone is limited to seeing only the information you created on your Page. As a result, it takes a lot longer to develop a following on a Page than it does on a Profile.
If you are using Facebook for visibility, there are some tips that might come in handy.
- Update your status on a regular basis.
- Get involved in groups. You might want to create your own or participate in others on a regular basis. These will help get your name out there.
- “Like” other Pages in your industry. Follow those people you have respect for. In many instances they will follow you back.
- Create a conversation and get others involved. The more you add, the more others get to know you and the more success you will have. But don’t just keep the comments on your page – go out and connect with others and write on their “walls”
- Include information from other sites such as Twitter or YouTube. You can post “Tweets” that you find interesting or download videos from YouTube. In fact, videos can really add a lot to your site.
Facebook is a user friendly site and will help you get your name out there. Getting started is the hardest part.
