Facebook: sliced bread or spookarama?
I don’t like Facebook.
It gives me the willies.
I’m only on it because a neighbour plans a Facebook campaign to avert a skyscraper from our tiny street.
I wonder what you think of Facebook.
Best Friend
I have one Facebook friend: my wife.
Yet I’m getting invitations to reconnect with people I’ve not seen for years.
And with whom I parted on less-than-ideal terms.
I don’t wish to hook up with old flames.
I’ve no time for school bullies. (Other than to exact revenge.)
The colleagues I escaped by leaving various jobs haven’t improved with age.
Nor do I wish to:
- Poke people.
- Build a mafia family.
- Tend an imaginary farm.
- Share drunken photos of myself with strangers.
Missing Links?
If Facebook were a country, it’d be the world’s third largest. (Thanks, Irma.)
This is not a number to ignore lightly.
But I know Carol agrees the commercial advantages of Facebook are, to put it very mildly,
elusive.
The only thing I like about Facebook is appearing on MYOB’s wall.
The rest of it drives me up it!
About Face
But let’s be fair.
I’m a big Twitter fan, yet millions think Twitter is useless drivel (because, at first glance, it seems exactly that).
Yet, having mastered Twitter, I think the critics are wrong.
So there’s every chance I’m wrong about Facebook.
Face Off
To me, Facebook seems populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs.
None of whom can spell.
Barely a week passes without some awful media report of an (allegedly) Facebook-related law suit, privacy invasion, hate crime, injury or even death.
I got so spooked by Facebook, I designed this T-shirt.
Am I completely missing the point?
Facing Facts
I expect a hearty debate here.
If you feel I’m wrong, tell us how Facebook helps you or your business.
If you think I’m right, how did you arrive at this position?
Let’s turn my frown upside down and enjoy some
Facetime!
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:04 am
Another beaut video from Irma: http://youtu.be/xJXOavGwAW8
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:05 am
And another creepy story from today’s paper:
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/teens-facebook-party-cancelled-as-175k-threaten-to-show-up-20110314-1btsl.html
Author
Jacqui Brown
March 15, 2011 at 10:07 am
I use Facebook to keep in contact with my son interstate. It was fantastic to get instant news & to know he & wife were safe while travelling NZ south island during the earthquake. Otherwise I restrict who can see me & contact me via the privacy settings. I don’t want the world to know me. It’s useful if you take the time to use it wisely. I agree there’s a lot of garbage out there. I just ignore what I don’t need. (Just like I ignore newspapers & politicians’ rants etc).
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:08 am
Thank you, Jacqui; this is just what I was hoping to hear. Do you also use Facebook for any business-related purpose?
Author
Sonia
March 15, 2011 at 10:10 am
Oh, have to sneak in a quick reply to this one. My facebook account is purely for personal interaction, not business – unless I choose to share a virus notification or some tech news with my friends. I’ve seen two great examples of businesses on Facebook – Brisbane’s Super Butcher and Logitech Australia. Stranegly enough these are both ‘consumer’ businesses. I’m yet to be convinced of the value of FB for a ‘business to business’ organisation like mine. I just don’t think FB is the logical place for a small businesses to look for a IT provider or a copywriter … unless they really want one that’s demonstrating a presence in social media?
What do you think of LinkedIn, Paul?
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:15 am
I love your quick relpies, Sonia. They always punch above their weight.
I was lukewarm about LinkedIn until I picked up a big ad agency client last year.
Their staff are all over it, so my contacts went up considerably. As I was dealing with a new team, LinkedIn was a great way to work out who was who in the zoo.
My main focus is Twitter plus blogging, but I expect LinkedIn to play an increasing role. Especially in light of some of the new info-sharing features I’m seeing. One can never have too much reach!
Further reading: http://practicalsocialmediatips.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/organisational-benefits-of-linkedin/
Author
Jacqui Brown
March 15, 2011 at 10:22 am
Don’t use Facebook for business. I may consider it in the future though if my work load diminishes.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:25 am
Thank you, Jacqui. Seth Godin once advised to choose one or two social media channels and do them well. I echoed this sentiment in a couple of posts.
The few channels I use already consume a lot of time (though I’m seeing clear benefits). I hear that Facebook is a particularly effective time sink and so fear treading that path.
Author
leon Noone
March 15, 2011 at 10:26 am
G’Day Paul,
There’s an old Fats Waller song called “Don’t let it bother you.” It contains the words “a smile is a frown upside down, turn that frown upside down” Personally, I’m delighted to see you honouring Fats, even in such an oblique way.
As an individual, I’m on Facebook but I don’t pay it much attention. I seem to accumulate my children’s old school friends and my grandchildren’s mates.
However, that’s only the “friends” bit. As a businessperson I’m currently setting up a Facebook “fans” page as I believe that it offers major business advantages. In fact if any of your readers could help me do this , I’d be happy to pay them for their services.
I’ve examined the whole Facebook thing very carefully. If you’re running an online business, I think that it’s worth while to establish a “fan” page.
Regards
Leon
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:30 am
I’m very pleased to get your perspective, Leon.
First, because one of our readers may just get you as a client.
Second, because you’ve checked out Facebook and you’re giving it a go.
We love reports from the field, so I’ll be particularly interested to hear how you get on. Thanks so much for your time.
Author
Sarah Mitchell
March 15, 2011 at 10:31 am
Hi Paul,
As you know, I’m a Twitter fan – it’s my social media channel of choice. I’m speaking and writing more and more about social media so I knew I had to find out what the Facebook thing is all about. It’s taking me a while, but I’m staring to warm to it. Here are some of my thoughts:
1) Like Twitter, Facebook is only as good as the network you build. I’m not big on long-lost connections – especially ones I was happy to escape – but I do like it for keeping in touch with those folks who I don’t see all the time.
2) I don’t share photos or personal information. You have to consider anything you say or show is open to the masses. Privacy on Facebook sucks.
3) I really like having a Facebook page for business. It lets me add a bit more depth to the links I share than you can put in a Tweet. Again, I control the content on my page. It’s my party, no one has to come if they don’t like it.
If it came to a showdown between Facebook and Twitter, I’d turf Facebook in a New York minute. Having said that, it’s sort of growing on me. I was thrilled to follow the progress of an old friend in the UK train for the London marathon. An old writing friend from Malaysia posted photos of her newly refurbished office and I loved knowing she was writing away is such a personal space.
Like every other social media channel, Facebook is what YOU make it. Don’t let the numbskulls drag you into their party.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:32 am
What a generous response, Sarah. You sure put the content into content, no matter what you write. Your list of observations and suggestions is very helpful. Many thanks!
Author
Susan Oakes
March 15, 2011 at 10:33 am
Hi Paul
I have just set up a page because I had to to be part of a group. I have no information on my page as I really do not want to use it personally.
The reason I do not use it for my business is due to a number of factors and one is time to do it properly. I think it is a shame there are a number of businesses that rush to get up a business page without thinking it through rather than making sure they have a website that they own.
Here is an article I just read from MarketingProfs – http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2011/4619/facebook-marketing-six-reasons-to-approach-with-caution
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:34 am
Hi, Susan. I’m glad I’m not the only tentative user.
That article is a ripper. Thank you!
Author
Anna
March 15, 2011 at 10:35 am
Being an online business, I enjoy using Facebook as it allows me to interact with my customers and target market in a social way. I not only talk shop, but also engage with my ‘likers’ about TV shows, movies, children, fashion and general day-to-day topics of conversation. It is amazing how a simple social discussion can bring so many likers out of the Facebook darkness!
I use Facebook to promote new products, sales, promotions and to ask my likers for their opinions on new items I may stock in my store. I have also found a couple of suppliers via Facebook and numerous promotional opportunities that I hadn’t heard of before. I do not use it as my primary business tool. I see it as a complementary tool that I use in conjunction with my website, newsletters and soon to be blog.
I do hear your point though – loud and clear! I find it totally odd when someone quite random asks to be my friend on Facebook. What’s more odd is when I accept them and then they don’t interact with me at all! If you ask to be my friend at least come and say hello! It is called social media after all!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:39 am
Great to see you, Anna. And what a pretty website you have!
Comments like yours are starting to build us a picture of what we can and can’t do with Facebook. I’m grateful to you for stopping by.
Author
Anna
March 15, 2011 at 10:44 am
Thanks Paul! I am only new to this blog and enjoy reading it. This is a great topic and I am looking forward to reading all the comments and hopefully picking up a few ideas of what to do and what not to do in the process.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:45 am
We’re lucky to have you, Anna. I hope you become a regular!
Author
Ann-Maree Bennett
March 15, 2011 at 10:49 am
We have not bothered with Facebook (or Twitter for that matter) with our business – I don’t know if it would necessarily improve our business. And, I know who the bunny would be who would have to make the posts, answer comments etc along with all of the other tasks.
Yes Paul, Facebook is “populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs.” And yes, many cannot spell, however it has been a brilliant way for me to keep in contact with cloes friends who are a long way from me.
My girlfriend recently went through Cyclone Yasi (Still having not moved into their new home after Cyclone Larry). They had a generator operating and throughout most of the storm we were able to receive updates from her about how they were faring AND she was in contact with other friends in her area who were also dealing with Yasi and able to find out what was happening to them in real time.This helped relieve many people’s worries as we new instantly that they were still ok.
Also, I do like to keep an eye on children in my extended family with their Facebook pages. My son warns his friends that there comments will be viewed by me.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 10:50 am
Thanks, Ann-Maree; what a fantastic use for the medium! I hope your girlfriend is doing OK.
We’re starting to see some trends form from these comments and I appreciate your contribution.
Author
Susan Oakes
March 15, 2011 at 10:54 am
Hi Paul,
Not tentative, just no interest. Should also have mentioned that yesterday there was a few articles written that Google was about to launch a social networking place with better privacy controls than Facebook. Can’t tell if it is just a rumour or it is true. Guess time will tell.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 11:06 am
That’s news to me, Susan. I’ll be watching that space. Thanks!
Author
Malcolm Owens
March 15, 2011 at 11:24 am
I HATE Facebook. What a monumental waste of time and the stuff that people put up there is for life. I was on it briefly but quickly saw the error of my ways.
We all seek privacy yet post everything we do from seeking a new job to enjoying a ‘yummy sandwich’ This is now the first point of call for police, private investigators and stalkers.
My daughter was bullied on Facebook by a bunch of girls who used such disgusting language that it took me weeks to sort it out (and got one of them expelled in the process).
Someone who thought it was fun to have pot shots at me knowing that I’m not on Facebook but forgot that they had ‘friended’ my kids who couldn’t wait to tell me.
A staff member who announced to the world that she hated her job and was actively looking for a new one – not great and surprisingly no longer with us.
So many people think of this as a fun social medium but forget it’s there for all to see and pictures of you drunk and acting foolish are also there for prospective employers.
I prefer real friends!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 11:28 am
I had a feeling we might hear from you on this one, Malcolm. And I’m certainly pleased you’re holding up your end of the spectrum.
I would go off my nut if I had kids being bullied online. As if it’s not hard enough growing up already!
The internet is shifting from one of complete anonymity to the exact opposite. I agree we should proceed with extreme caution.
Thank you very much for adding your comment.
Author
Luke Arms
March 15, 2011 at 11:48 am
Facebook is a big driver for my business (or it has been in the past; I’ve been too busy to use it well in more recent times).
That said, I’m a photographer, and Facebook is very visual; without the ability to tag clients and their friends in branded photos, it would be more challenging to leverage it successfully, but with a little creativity, most businesses can make it work for them.
I’ll comment on two aspects of Facebook. First, most of your clients probably use it, whether for personal use or business networking. It’s a social tool that augments – or even replaces – conversations that used to be had over coffee or beer. Much of it is drivel, but if you get people talking about your brand, there’s a good chance they’ll do it on Facebook. Being there yourself – with an engaging “fan” page, ideally – gives you an opportunity to join those conversations, build relationships with new clients and take ownerships of referrals. It’s word-of-mouth marketing that you can manage yourself. Which is pretty awesome.
The other aspect of Facebook that you’ll need to consider is the line between your personal and business presence. I’m a big believer in having a “real” friendship with my clients, so I add them as personal friends and they see everything I do on Facebook. Others run dual accounts or restrict their client interactions to their “fan” page. How you resolve this is a personal decision and depends on how connected to your clients you want to be.
Hope that helps.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 11:51 am
Really good to see you back, Luke. And yes, that helps a LOT!
You make excellent points (while reminding me how much I hate my name appearing as a tag on other people’s photos).
Thanks very much for sharing your views.
Author
Carol Jones
March 15, 2011 at 1:29 pm
PAUL,
Greetings from rural Australia.
Sooo many good comments, Paul. You’ve done well.
I read in detail the linked article to Marketing Profs generously provided by Susan Oakes.
The six points sum up my wariness about Facebook.
Yes! I freely admit I have a personal page. And more than one business page.
But after numerous changes over time to Facebook’s platform and my unwillingness to make the time to comply with the changes, I no longer take Facebook seriously.
I don’t question its 600 million users.
I don’t question the daily time spent on Facebook.
What I do question is how social a medium it is for a small business.
And I really do want to know the details of what people are doing when they’re on Facebook. Which no one has yet to answer. Only that we spend 55 minutes a day on Facebook.
Doing what?????
And I question how much of that time spent is business oriented.
And furthermore, how much of that time is spent engaging with a business and the business engaging with them.
If you’re a public figure. A celebrity. Giving something fabulously worthwhile away. A business with squillions of advocates like Zappos. Mari Smith. Gary Vaynerchuk. Social Media Examiner. Facebook is easy to master. Your position guarantees you enough followers to make a splash.
But for most businesses, this simply doesn’t happen.
Nothing about being in business changes the pecking order.
Just as in high school and university and any social circle, you’re either an insider. Or an outsider.
I’ve done some sums about social engagement on Facebook.
An insider like Mari Smith has 35,000+ fans. Unless it’s a hot topic like the current changes to Facebook, the engagement on her business page varies. She often has no engagement to her posts. Sometimes 15 comments to a post. Sometimes 25. That’s an 0.0007% response rate at best. On a normal day.
Peter Guber, the author of Tell To Win and producer of blockbuster movies has 7,500 fans. He has little engagement on his page. People tend to LIKE his comments. Only occasionally does someone take the time to comment on his posts. In return, he rarely replies to comments left.
Gary Vaynerchuk has 59,000 fans. Everyone is free to post to his page. Which they do in huge volumes. But he rarely acknowledges the person who makes the post. Even when they’re asking him a question.
Social Media Examiner has 34,000 fans. Their page today has one post with 42 comments. The rest have no more than 4 comments. And they employ several people to maintain their page.
Social Media Examiner’s Michael Stelzner, Mari Smith, Peter Guber and Gary Vaynerchuk are all high profile figures who spend their waking hours promoting themselves. Travelling on the speaking circuit, writing books, making videos, holding seminars. They are tireless in their efforts.
Michael Stelzner and Mari Smith engage the best.
The rest leave it up to their fans to keep their pages alive.
With a response rate of 0.0007%, a business needs to put in an enormous effort to make a page work if the business isn’t an ‘insider’.
Is it worth it? Is social media really as social as made out to be?
That’s up to each business to answer.
To me, Facebook is like renting a house. If the real estate isn’t yours, how much time and effort are you prepared to make to improve the premises?
I focus on my blog and Twitter.
I own my blog ‘estate’ and rent Twitter. But Twitter allows me more freedom to improve the premises without fear of changing the locks when I’m away.
I’ll be logging in and out to keep abreast of all the fabulous comments, Paul.
Best wishes and take care,
Carol
Carol Jones
Director
Interface Pty Ltd
Designers of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover
http://www.InterfaceAustralia.com
Ironing Diva’s stories are at http://bit.ly/TheIroningDiva
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Once again we hit the Carol Jones blog comment jackpot!
I haven’t felt this lucky since I pulled five pyramids on the ten-cent Inca Gold machine at the Pambula bowling club at age 15.
Thank you for another legendary contribution!
Author
MyCarBudget Team
March 15, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Great topic. When we launched MyCarBudget one of our goals was to develop community around our brand. We wanted to engage with our customers and saw twitter and facebook as the tools with which this could be achieved.
As we start to build our client base, we are finding that most of our customers are on Facebook. Question is how much interaction do they want from us within this forum. maybe a little bit, over time some more and then longer term some more again.
We see it as extension to our communication strategy, so as we add articles to our website (weekly) the key articles also appear on our facebook page. Therefore our customers are able to experience the same message whether they want to visit our site or connect with us socially.
The one thing that I remind people here at work about facebook is that it is not just a social platform. Most people might still use it to connect with friends/relatives, but gradually as the platform expands so will the things you do on it. Email, transacting, advertising, applications, polls, games. All of these experiences can be offered in an environment that your potential customers are at home with (in control of).
On a personal level I only use it to connect with relatives o/seas (and I don’t placed photos of my children on it) but professionally its potential is enormous.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Thank you, MCB. You’re so forthcoming!
I see you have a ‘like’ button on your website, but I can’t find how to follow you on Facebook. Am I missing something?
If it’s not a rude question, have many people have ‘liked’ your site?
If many, has this done you any good?
For the record, I am HIGHLY engaged by your comments on this blog. I didn’t know you from a bar of soap before, but now I’m getting a very good handle on your operation. You’re certainly front of mind in terms of the services you provide.
I hope you get as much out of your participation here as we do.
You’ve jogged my memory with your expansion point. One thing I have seen on Facebook is an application that lets people ask you questions, to which you respond. I think one of our copywrting friends uses it, but I can’t recall who. Perhaps Anna @the_copy_chick ?
I’d like to use the same thing as I feel it’d be a beaut way to establish cred.
Author
MyCarBudget Team
March 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm
At this stage all we allow you to do is Like Us. The “Like” covers the program as a whole and then we have individual Likes for each of the posts on our site. “Blog”.
We have about 40 like us “generally” but I am not sure how many have liked our individual posts. These figures aren’t anything to get excited about at this stage but as they client base grows I would want them to grow accordingly.
In terms of its “value” at this stage, dollar wise it is $0 and will be for some time. The goal is to engage and share our content with customers.
It builds awareness for us and this helps, it also builds extra content for us. Internally it is our first try at using Facebook adn twitter for that matter and the rest of the business is looking at this as an experiment.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Fantastic expansion, MCB. I can hear a hundred ergonomic chairs creak as readers lean forward to study your story.
Thanks so much for your frank description of your early stages. Today’s comments have far exceeded my most optimisic hopes.
Author
alfiesgirlt
March 15, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Nope you are not missing the point. I hate to admit this because you’re a guy but you are so right ~ did I really just say that ?
It’s ok I’l have forgot by the morning so it won’t count !
The only thing I use facebook for is to let people know when I publish a new webpage or lens or make an update to an old lens.But, as you have already realised, no-one on facebook can actually read and are only there thinking that they are Scarface ~ cockroaches the lot of them lol
http://www.squidoo.com/luck-love-serenity ~ Thats where you can read my latest updated page ~ but, can you read ? It’s ok if you’re a non-reader because I’ve added lots of pictures just in case someone I know clicks my facebook link by mistake and gets directed to it…may as well show them how the other half live eh lol
Oh yeah ~ Thanks for making me smile with this page
alfiesgirlt ~ Tina
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Welcome to our space, Tina. We haven’t had many Squidooers to date but, being a keen one myself, I’m delighted to see you.
I hadn’t thought of using Facebook to supercharge my lenses. Now I’m beginning to wonder what else I haven’t thought of with this social medium. Best regards, P.
Author
Carol Jones
March 15, 2011 at 2:22 pm
PAUL,
Greetings again from rural Australia.
I’m still laughing at your reply to my comment. Thank you.
MyCarBudgetTeam is inspiring!
Best wishes and take care,
Carol
Carol Jones
Director
Interface Pty Ltd
Designers of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover
http://www.InterfaceAustralia.com
Ironing Diva’s stories are at http://bit.ly/TheIroningDiva
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Thank YOU, Carol. I like to make people smile.
Contributors like My Car Budget really impress me. To just lay it all out like that for our benefit. So selfless. So kind.
This is a very lucky blog.
Author
Nic
March 15, 2011 at 2:37 pm
I deleted my facebook account well over a year ago and haven’t looked back.
I realised that the only reason I was on it was to keep in touch with people who were only on it to keep in touch with me…
I don’t trust their privacy – the settings keep changing, and what you’ve set gets over-written when they make changes. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but at one point their privacy agreement was longer than the US’ Constitution.
I don’t trust what they do with my photos. They basically appropriate the copyright for your photos. If you try to get them to enforce DMCA on one of your photos used by someone else – they don’t.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 2:40 pm
I really appreciate your views, Nic. They add yet another fascinating facet to our discussion. Thank you for sharing them.
Author
Luke Arms
March 15, 2011 at 2:54 pm
@Carol: Your argument makes a case for slowly and carefully building a small but loyal client base via social media. As you pointed out, “celebrity” use of social media is rarely useful – unless handled by an entire social media department (as some corporations have done).
Also, response rate (liking or commenting) isn’t an especially useful metric for the impact of anything these days. Just because interaction may be limited, doesn’t mean no-one is listening, nor that having your brand in people’s minds isn’t going to turn them into clients when they decide they want/need what you’re selling.
A significant portion (perhaps 30-40%) of my clients found me through Facebook, without me paying for actual advertising. That’s a useful metric, IMO
@Nic: What they do with photos is exactly what they need to do with photos to ensure they’re legally allowed to show them to your friends. I’m a professional photographer and this doesn’t bother me at all.
To those who have expressed concern with Facebook’s rapid roll out of platform / privacy / security changes: welcome to the 21st century. Things change fast, and in Facebook’s case, it never hurts their member count. Adapt or be left behind.
One more thing before my 3 o’clock: social media is “free” advertising, and if done well, it can replace paid advertising in all of its forms, and do a much better job of generating clients who suit your business. Doing it well, however, takes time, and therein lies the cost.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Dang, Luke. I should’ve simply written, ‘Facebook: discuss.’ and left the rest to you!
The care you’ve taken to address these points is very welcome. Thank you very much.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 3:56 pm
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/sydney-schoolboy-behind-spreading-girls-birthday-invitation-to-200k-on-facebook-20110315-1bvky.html
That was fast! Go cops!
Author
Heather
March 15, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Facebook? The realm of the unemployed, unemployable, the bored, the social misfits.
I don’t have to be poked, prodded and ‘tagged’ in photos.
I don’t have time to read all the silly emails and the worst part?
I DON’T WANT TO CONNECT with lost friends, I lost them on purpose when I left school.
I do play with twitter, in fact a little more than play, but hey, you can pop in and out, there are no email notifications to fill up your inbox, there is no poking and prodding, no silly games. Just talk, news and real people with real minds.
Hell, Twitter even found me a job.
I do admit to having a Facebook page, but that is purely for the Marysville Cookbook, which by the way has raised AND given the amount of $3480 back to bushfire affected Marysville, the town that nurtured me, raised me and made who I am and continues to look after my parents.
I HATE facebook!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Thank you, Heather. I was particularly keen to garner your views, and you didn’t let me down.
Sounds like you and Malcolm are on the same page.
Author
Linda ~ Journey Jottings
March 15, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Its horses for courses -
Be where your market is.
For professionals – LinkedIn is a must – Like your story above Paul I have a friend who was head-hunted and offered a very lucrative job by having her details there.
As many on the road travelling and families who take Aussie holidays are on FB it seems prudent for us to have a presence there, and be available to those who want to interact with us – which is fun. As a publisher distributor we’re otherwise separated from our end-users by the retailers.
A couple of other considerations: I read that Google includes FB mentions of sites in their algorithms (which helps with rankings!)
Also, to cover all bases, not knowing whether FB will go to greater heights or explode (
) its worth perhaps at least getting 25 people to like your business page (different from your personal profile) so you can claim your FB URL ~ There can of course only be one in the world for each name so once taken eg facebook.com/feistyempire there’s no second chance 
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Golly, Linda; I had no idea you were so well versed in this stuff!
I do concede that a (well edited) Facebook holiday photo gallery can beat mailing ratty old postcards that reach your loved ones six weeks after you get home.
I did not know that about the Google ranking or URL points.
Thank you for enlightening me.
Author
Luke Arms
March 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Haha, sorry about the verbal diarrhoea, Paul! I guess this is a soapbox of mine.
P.S. I’m not finished yet.
A couple more observations, and I’ll leave you alone for awhile!
Content is king. Whether it’s on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or somewhere else, if you’re creating engaging content that people love to consume, it will cut through the noise and love for what you’re doing will grow. Playing nice with social media will just help it grow faster.
Also, using Facebook strategically need not be in isolation from your blog; it can give your content a bigger audience, and there are tools that provide blog-Facebook integration to make this relatively seamless.
Finally, to those who don’t like trusting a changeable service like Facebook with their online presence, I’d suggest thinking about it in cloud computing terms. Here is a service that charges nothing to manage a bunch of different content for you, and provides built-in hooks for user interaction and viral marketing. Putting it to work for your business is a form of outsourcing, and although working with the cloud requires you to overcome some trust issues, the benefits are abundant. For one, there are no maintenance costs
@Linda: great point about the SEO benefits
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Knock yourself out, Luke. Your insights make my job SO much easier!
Author
Wolfie_Rankin
March 15, 2011 at 6:39 pm
I almost left facebook, because I was fed up with virtual gifts, invites to games and so on… so I made it quite plain that I wasn’t going to accept gifts in future, if anyone posts such a thing to my page, it is deleted… game requests are not accepted and then blocked.
I would really like facebook to have a “block all game requests” button, but they don’t, probably because games generate money for them.
But once I cleaned all the rubbish out, I was left with a sort of mini-blog where I could post small items quickly and easily, and I liked this, it really changed my opinion of Facebook.
What I don’t like is that you cannot put useful things on the side, like links to blog sites, twitter and so forth… Facebook used to have a little box where you could type in a small amount of info about yourself, but even that is gone now.
But the Photostrip at the top could be used for that.
Wolfie!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Nice to meet you, Wolfie. Welcome to our discussion and thanks for adding your voice. I felt like I was largely on the same tram as I read your words. Best regards, P.
Author
Helen Robinett
March 15, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Geez Louise! You’ve opened up a can o worms here Paul! I love FB and have business from it. just about to commence the FB ads. will keep you posted on that one. I have reconnected with family and old work mates. it’s a good thing. I get hit on by desperate men every week and I just report them as spam. no hassle. I also unfriend those who annoy me. Ok I’m over 40 now and some things just plain annoy me! in any event, it’s been a good experience for me! ciao H
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Hi, Helen. Thanks for yet another point of the compass! I’d LOVE to know EXACTLY how your Facebook business transpired. And I’m dying to know if your ads work when you run them. I do hope you’ll report back to us.
Author
Irma Zimmermann
March 15, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Gosh, what a lively debate and some amazing feedback. Trust you Paul to reveal this post on my run-around-day with back to back meetings with potential clients
As an online business offering website design and Social Media set-up and Branding, I found it interesting all of these potential clients I saw today wanted to know everything about Facebook!
Let’s not forget that end of last year Facebook overtook Google in searches. As @Linda so nicely put it – you need be where your Tarket Market is! My Blog SOCIAL MEDIA – AN ANALOGY TO ‘VILLAGE’ LIFE explains my thoughts on this http://bit.ly/dXjgze. To take this analogy further – have you ever been in a bar or cafe where everyone thinks and behaves exactly like you do? Probably not – but most likely you will still go there.
Facebook is one part of a large number of Social Media strategies that businesses can use to connect with Clients or other businesses. Finding the balance of which platform to use when is not always that easy, but love it or hate it- Facebook forms part of that equation.
The arguments presented all ring true about Facebook- and the image of the drunken party goers is hard to shake off, but from a business perspective Facebook is evolving into a very useful tool. Evolution can be a painful process!
For businesses- Facebook can offer a very good alternative to a website and is packed with a lot of useful features- like being able to upload videos, organize events to a lazer-targeted audience, or even run an online store. By separating your private Facebook presence and your business fan page- you can maintain a level of professionalism and keep business associates informed without an invasion of your private sphere.
From a marketing perspective Facebook, combined with other Social Media Tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or YouTube enables highly targeted marketing by very specific criteria and does wonders for Search Engine optimization. Like any tool- in the right hands it can produce fantastic results, but in the wrong hands it can be an accident waiting to happen.
Linkedin is perfect for building up your business credibility and joining ‘like-minded’ and industry related groups. Certainly not the place for chit-chat or in my mind where I’d like to see ‘random twitter’ feeds.
I personally spend most of my time on Twitter and am still learning the ropes with blogging – but as in life- it’s all about balance and for that reason alone businesses should consider using Facebook.
. . . @leon if you are still interested in a Facebook Fan page give me a buzz and we can chat.
Irma Zimmermann
Tell IT Media
http://www.tell-itmedia.com.au
Author
Paul Hassing
March 15, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Wow, Irma; if I were Leon I’d be on the blower to you before you could say ‘knife’. Based on your highly illuminating comment and blog post, I think he’ll be in very good hands. Many thanks!
Author
Judy O
March 15, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Wow Paul …impressive interest in your post. After a day playing with horses on the farm it was exciting to read so many thoughtful, intelligent responses to a provocative question.
I love Facebook for both promoting my business and learning new IT skills. It’s designed for the masses and can be used by semi literate school children, my ninety year old mother and erudite corporate executives.
The user can choose what they read and how long they spend in front of their screen. I make it a rule never to say anything I’m not prepared for the world to know both on Facebook and face to face, (except what I tell my therapist).
Facebook has improved my business profile. I spend under an hour a day putting up photos of horses and a brief report on our herd. Before Facebook it took hours to compress photos and attach to individual emails. Friends share photos with their friends and a new contact is made…for free.
Facebook is a bit like football…whether it’s hate or love almost everyone has an opinion.
As a debate topic it’s -
• less provocative than sex or religion
• less boring than weather
In closing I wonder…are emoticons replacing the written word? Does a little smiley face or a frown evoke the same feeling as reading the words ‘I feel happy when I think of you’ or I’m really sad, angry or puzzled and I’d like to chat about it’?
Judy http://www.samariacreekmorgans.com.au
Author
Judy O
March 15, 2011 at 10:27 pm
I forgot to say…congratulations for putting up a lively, provocative post.
I like your Tshirt design.
Life would be more peaceful if we could simply unfriend people who annoy us.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 7:34 am
Hi, Jude. We’ve been extremely fortunate in the range and calibre of comments this time round.
I didn’t realise you were so into Facebook. Seeing all your beautiful Morgans has been about the best thing on FB for me so far.
Your email + photo point is very convincing. I suppose your clients must be very eager for regular updates on their babies!
Because I have trouble reading others’ emotions, I make it crystal clear what my emotions are.
See! 
I’m happy now, because you’re back on our blog! 
Now I’m VERY happy just thinking about it. 
I don’t think emoticons should replace lovely words, but as an adjunct, I reckon they can’t be beat.
Thank you for taking time from your oh-so-busy day to comment.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 9:48 am
Egad! I’m not alone!
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/eighteen-not-on-facebook-and-still-smiling-20110315-1bvx8.html
Author
Adam Finlay
March 16, 2011 at 9:55 am
Perhaps your rant prompted the Age story Paul? Very interesting. I have a Facebook account, which I use as a defacto address book. If I do want to say g’day to someone, at least it can be a little more up to date than an old email account.
Gr8 deb8 by the way. I poke it in my own sweet way.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 9:57 am
I can only dream of influencing the media’s agenda, Ad!
Thanks for telling us what you do … without overdoing it!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 9:58 am
Nice website, BTW!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 11:10 am
Speaking of keeping tabs on beloved horsies, who wouldn’t want regular Facebook fixes of beautiful pics like this?!
http://goodmorgans.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/my-journey-to-the-morgan-horse/
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 11:46 am
A tweet just in from @the_copy_chick
‘Ha.. thanks for the mention
Yes, I invite people 2 ask questions, but it’s not a particular application.. just status & link 2 Twitter.’
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 11:46 am
Just look at those teeth!
Author
Carol Jones
March 16, 2011 at 3:38 pm
PAUL,
Greetings again from rural Australia.
That’s a big tally of comments. And a long journey into a subject.
And as previously mentioned by Judy, Facebook is like football. You either like it. Or don’t.
But almost everyone has an opinion.
Have I altered my position on Facebook?
I see all sides and think the commentaries are enlightening.
But I still think that for the average small business, it’s very time consuming.
And the time spent is relative to the most important question of all.
What do people really do on Facebook for 55 minutes a day?
And when they engage in more searches than on Google, what are they searching for?
Are they looking for you and your business?
Or are they looking for friends?
Such as . . .
Which of these is the right Carol Jones out of the 4 million choices thrown up in my search?
Or someone to play scrabble with?
Or the page for their high school/university reunion?
Or is it a future employer searching for you to determine if you’re suitable material?
No one has yet told the truth about what’s REALLY being searched for on Facebook.
But I’m happy to bet you it’s probably not bags for their vacuum cleaner.
If you’re not going to measure your results to determine if you’re spending your time wisely, why do it?
And if you can’t compare input to output, why engage in it long term other than as a hobby?
I can see where Judy and her Samaria Creek Morgan Horse Farm would be a monster hit on Facebook.
Looking at such gorgeous horses. Wistfully dreaming about visiting her Morgan Stud. Browsing through photos of horses so beautiful it makes you yearn for one ASAP.
Facebook is made for Judy and her style of business.
I certainly lingered far longer on Judy’s page than I should have.
Ditto for Luke and his photography.
But I still maintain that the effort to maintain a presence on this social media platform isn’t for the average business person.
It’s tooooo slow. With few rewards in the beginning. And maybe never.
And not everyone has exciting enough content to make it worth while.
Not when we have a world that lurches from one celebrity gossip moment to the next.
And perhaps there’s no need on Facebook for your content to fulfil!
People who wax lyrical about Facebook being ideal for all of the business world are to me like the pharmaceutical companies who conjure up diseases so they can sell more pills.
Turning shyness into a social anxiety disorder that is treatable by anti depressants hoodwinks only some people.
Why must there be something wrong with you if you ‘don’t get’ Facebook?
I have a presence on Facebook.
But it’s not my favourite medium.
Probably because I’m engaged every day in a very old fashioned form of social media. Which I prefer.
Talking to my customers on the telephone.
And the not so new anymore medium of exchanging information by email.
On the other hand, I love, love, love the swiftness of Twitter.
I often only put out one tweet. Which is my early morning greeting. Usually at 6am. Thereabouts.
That takes me about 2 minutes.
I then search through the tweets of my friends to see what I’ve missed.
If appropriate, I try to engage in 140 byte conversations of interest to me.
At most I send out no more than 6 tweets. Then bring down the roller shutter.
This minimal effort gets me new followers every day just from my tweets and the people I engage with on Twitter.
Enough are now customers to know it’s worthwhile for me.
So I gravitate to the medium I love. And do well in.
Which goes back to.
Not every social medium is for everyone.
There are many businesses who engage in no engagement at all. Online or offline. But they stay in business. Even though it’s often predicted they’ll die like the dinosaurs they are.
Because they fulfil a need.
There’s that important group of words again.
Fulfil a need.
I don’t for a minute think a business will go under because it doesn’t engage in social media.
I do think that someone like Judy and her Morgan Stud are guaranteed to be more successful if she does engage. Simply because she’s fulfilling a need with her photos about her romantic lifestyle.
At the end of the day social media is just part of the marketing mix. And like a smorgasbord, we don’t partake of everything on display. But do pick and choose what we like.
If we like it, we’re usually, but not always, guaranteed to do well at it. Because we put in the time and effort.
If we don’t like it, we’re guaranteed to treat it like leprosy and stay as far away from it as possible. With results to match.
Luke says content is king.
But not all content may be interesting enough to succeed on as social a medium as Facebook is portrayed to be.
Facebook does work wonderfully well for some.
But it doesn’t work for everyone.
That’s my last word, Paul. And no further discussion will be entered into! Unless you can persuade me otherwise!!
Best wishes to you all and take care,
Carol
Carol Jones
Director
Interface Pty Ltd
Designers of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover
http://www.InterfaceAustralia.com
Ironing Diva’s stories are at http://bit.ly/TheIroningDiva
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Dearest Carol,
It’ll be a very dark day when we hear YOUR last word!
I love your early morning tweets, though my positive vibes are almost always hijacked by envy.
Then I recall your back story, and how you and your man did (and still do) things the hard, hard, hard way.
And then I’m OK with you enjoying such a beautiful life.
I agree that Facebook is ideal for Judy and Luke. I also agree that I’m not feeling the FB love myself. Funny how the two realisations can coexist.
Thank you for continuing to contribute beyond all reasonable expectation.
I’ll bet you ten thumbs up you can’t resist responding one more time.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 5:29 pm
As a copywriter who doesn’t do Facebook, I think it fitting to showcase a copywriter who does:
http://www.facebook.com/Copybreak.Copywriting.Services
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Music by which to count your Facebook friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEX9US-jXqg
Author
Jason
March 16, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Hi folks,
Here’s my 2p on Facebook.
It can be a useful medium for all sorts of interests and endeavours, both personal and business.
It should be remembered, though, that it is only a medium. Some people are quick to criticise Facebook, when really it is the poeple who use Facebook and what they use it for that should be the subject of criticism. The automobile is rarely criticised when someone drives one into a pole.
There are a few simple things to remember before stepping into the Facebook domain.
Firstly, assume every piece of information and communication you put on Facebook becomes their property and they can use it in any way they please, including passing it on to other organisations.
Secondly, assume Facebook is not secure. The Facebook development team have been known to make the odd blunder.
Thirdly, be sure you understand how the privacy settings work right from the start. It is possible to be as private or as public as you wish with respect to other users on Facebook. The privacy settings are convoluted and Facebook do change how they work from time to time, so you must be vigilant in this area. Here is a useful article from The Age newspaper entitled “Facebook privacy: 10 settings every user needs to know” – http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-privacy-10-settings-every-user-needs-to-know-20110208-1akkp.html. Remember, Facebook tends to default to being “social” rather than private.
Paul stated his impression was that Facebook was “populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs.” Yes it is. And so is the rest of the planet. facebook is a microcosmic reflection of the real world in many ways (and a distorted model of it in other ways!)
Facebook is fine if you go in with your eyes open and you are circumspect in your approach. Unfortunately the naive and the stupid fall victim to themselves and those who prey on them most of the time. The real big issue is that many of the naive and stupid are under 18 years old and sometimes their parents either don’t understand the technology enough to be able to educate them or aren’t engaged enough with their kids to care (perhaps because they are too busy on Facebook
.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 16, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Dear Jason, as one of our earliest commenters, I’m elated to have you back after all (i.e. both) these years. And you come bearing gifts!
Thank you for your insights, which transcend the technical and embrace the anthropological.
A rare combination.
A word to our readers: this man knows what he’s talking about.
Best regards indeed. P.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 6:59 am
Thanks for the mention, Susan! Always a lovely surprise.
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Irma Zimmermann
March 17, 2011 at 8:32 am
Interesting read and thought I’d share: Facebook “Likes” More Profitable Than Tweets [STUDY] http://linkd.in/fI6a0f
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Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 8:39 am
Thanks, Irma. You’re the gift that keeps on giving!
Author
Carol Jones
March 17, 2011 at 11:41 am
PAUL,
Greetings again from rural Australia.
Yes, Paul. You’re sooo right. Can’t resist one more comment.
It’s about you.
Irma Zimmerman @TellJuicy and I discussed this on Twitter last night.
You’ve presented Facebook as a very provocative subject.
With a fiery debate to match.
Engrossing, differing and stimulating comments covering the entire spectrum are made by your dedicated followers.
Elsewhere, in the hands of someone else, this could have degenerated into a slanging match.
Harsh words. Four letter words. Insults. Everything you write about that can/does happen on Facebook AND too many other blogs and forums.
But never here.
Because of you, Paul.
You’re so clever in your ability to bring together diverse opinions without shedding a drop of blood.
Your personal involvement with every person who comments is part of your secret.
You are an ‘ART FORM’.
Which, I’m sure, is why we all come back again and again to read and comment.
Sharing a platform with diverse and fiery opinions is no easy feat. But you always pull it off.
I’ve no doubt you’re the envy of many people who observe you.
Because beautiful manners are alive and well where ever you reside.
Best wishes to you and take care,
Carol
Carol Jones
Director
Interface Pty Ltd
Designers of The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover
http://www.InterfaceAustralia.com
Ironing Diva’s stories are at http://bit.ly/TheIroningDiva
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 11:57 am
By Jove, Carol; that is some last word!
I can’t recall the last time I received such a glowing testimonial.
How absolutely generous and uplifting of you to go to all that effort.
I’m stunned, humbled and elated by your words.
‘Thank you’ doesn’t BEGIN to cover it.
Author
Carbonite Australia
March 17, 2011 at 11:59 am
I am bit late but thought I would add my post anyway. We started our facebook page about a 10 months ago. To date about 70 – 80 likes, so not great but the number of impressions that our posts receive has been growing really well and that is encouraging. The issue we have is that our website needs to push both twitter and facebook more (it is in the plans for the redesign).
The reason why we started our Facebook page was to enable existing and potential customers to find us within a network that they communicated socially. Twitter for us has worked really well so far, but the discussion is still very B2B, whilst for FB I am hoping we are tapping into the greater consumer market.
In terms of posts I treat it much the same way as Twitter, short posts and links to articles etc. I am quite disciplined in adding to the page every week so that it remains fresh. You can find us on http://www.facebook.com/carboniteaustralia
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 12:09 pm
It was worth the wait, Arthur. I’m delighted to have your comment as a valuable bookend to our discussion. I’ve always liked you, and now I just liked you.
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Irma Zimmermann
March 17, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Great touching base with you Carol. I agree what and how Paul handles each post is certainly and ‘ART FORM’ and keeps one coming back for more
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Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Well, you two just made my week!
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Judy O
March 17, 2011 at 2:00 pm
I’d like to make it a hat trick Paul and add my admiration of your mannerly, perfectly timed comments to promote intelligent debate. I’d also like to publicly express my gratitude for the encouragement and support you’ve provided to get me (a 62 year old Nana) blogging confidently.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Cor! For a bloke who designed an ‘Unfriend’ T-shirt, I seem to be doing pretty damn well for mates. Thank you, Jude. Your blog rocks!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Here’s a post from a woman who knows what happens when Facebook party invites go viral:
http://secureintheknowledge.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/all-the-wrong-moves/
Author
Stephen Hamilton
March 17, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Warning: this is long, and the most useful bit is probably at the end.
Facebook can be useful for personal use. I first signed up to look at photos my Mum took while she lived overseas. Having said that, I hate the stupid game invites, and the lack of transparency Facebook have regarding their privacy settings.
But don’t confuse your personal experience/opinion with the potential benefits for your business.
Facebook for business:
Keep in mind this ancient rule of selling – go to where your customers are (it is called MARKETing, after all).
Chances are, at least some of your customers spend a fair bit of time on Facebook.
Facebook can and does work (some business people manage to have a personal life!), but it requires effort, time, and more effort. Keep in mind you need to have a PAGE for business, not a Profile. A profile is for you personally.
Most small business are better of picking one or two as Paul mentioned, and mastering them. Don’t have a presence on any Social Media unless you’re actively engaged there.
If Facebook is your Social media platform of choice, understand the many methods of using it. Have a strategy – are you looking to increase brand awareness, start conversations, drive traffic to your website or gather intelligence about your audience? Beyond posting to your wall, consider using their advertising platform (not a advanced as Google Adwords, but similar). Have you customised a page in line with your brand? Do you run ‘Facebook only’ promotions to track the effectiveness from a sales perspective?
Malcolm expresses his disgust above, and I agree with his assessment more than I disagree, but from a business perspective, if you dismiss it out of hand you do so at your own peril. It doesn’t suit all business, but the need for pragmatic analysis of it pro’s and con’s remains.
The Privacy issues surrounding, and settings in, Facebook are complex. I don’t trust any corporation much, but Facebook least of all. Like Sarah mentioned above, don’t post anything you don’t want the whole world to know.
Carol above appears to suggest unless you have a large following (like high profile online personalities do), you won’t benefit. If I have understood Carol correctly, I would have to disagree. They started somewhere, and so can all of us. One can be an authority in a small group of people who share a passion or interest in a particular subject, but you need to stick your neck out and get started somewhere. I do agree with Carol that starting with some ‘real estate’ you own, such as a blog, is a good idea.
However, This debate appears to have missed the most important function of all that Facebook has.
The real marketing power of Facebook is this: the Social Graph it provides. This is probably outside the scope of many smaller businesses to leverage (and some wouldn’t want to anyway), but it can give marketers unprecedented visibility to see who knows who, who the ‘sneezers’ are, who are considered authorities on particular subjects, who is online, when, what they are (really) looking at, and what their ‘sharing’ behaviour is like. And that is just the start. Don’t believe me? Then go here to have a read for yourself: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/ (it is technically orientated).
Right or wrong, this ability to have people offer all sorts of personal information willingly for the purposes of data mining of marketers is why Facebook is:
a) Potentially useful to businesses of all types, and
b) Worth an absolute mountain of money
I have to run now, but I thought the Social graph aspect was a critically overlooked aspect of this conversation. I hope you find this informative.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Bloody hell, Stephen; when you dash off a note you don’t muck around!
Just when I thought it was safe to close the Facebook, you add a pivotal chapter.
Thank you x 10 for sharing your impressive knowledge and fascinating observations!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 17, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Our Bambi just tweeted this. It’s a ripper!
http://www.mymodernmet.com/photo/social-media-explained?context=featured
Author
Paul Hassing
March 18, 2011 at 7:39 am
Just got a comment via email from one of my oldest, most loyal clients. We met Andrew here, here and here. He says:
‘I don’t have the time nor the desire to expose myself any more than I have to – mystery has its upside when doing business.’
I admit to empathy with this view. You may recall Andrew is in recruitment, so the natural playing ground for him should be LinkedIn. At least, that’s the theory. If there are any other recruiters out there who are using Facebook to pull senior engineers like there’s no tomorrow, we’d LOVE to hear from you!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 18, 2011 at 7:45 am
… alternatively, are there any engineers (or other high-level technical professionals) out there who are on Facebook and would like nothing better than to be approached by Andrew with the job of their dreams?
Author
Paul Hassing
March 18, 2011 at 7:58 am
Parents’ Guide to Facebook:
http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/03/16/3165555.htm
Author
Paul Hassing
March 25, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Take care out there:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-vandal-jailed-20110325-1c9mq.html
Author
Paul Hassing
March 27, 2011 at 9:27 am
Another point of view:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/facebook-taps-the-vain/story-e6frf7l6-1226027677547?from=facebook
Thanks to Helen @imageempress for the heads up!
Author
Helen Robinett
March 27, 2011 at 9:39 am
Man you are quick to pick up on this stuff Paul! I have this week been unfriending a numbers of FB friends who are constantly spamming me with their marketing crap, codswalap and bulltish! OMG spare me the gargage! Get a life! I’m also rejecting creeps who want to have a relationship when my status clearly states I am IN ONE! How many men does one woman need. I reckon 1 is enough. However, back to the codwalap and crap, I am officially done with people bagging on about how good they are and begging for business. What they are really saying is that they are no good, have no clients and need you real bad! superstar marketing, rockstar, entrepreneurs superstars…… oh give me a break! Now that I’m all worked up, I’m off to the kitchen to make a birthday cake for my beautiful 18 year old nephew who IS deserving of my energy, not FB wackos!
Over and out!
x
Author
Paul Hassing
March 27, 2011 at 11:07 am
I hang on every word you speak, Helen. Including these latest highly amusing ones! I like how you call a spade a bloody shovel.
I hear you, and would add that in my experience with social media, folk with ‘ninja’, ‘master’, ‘expert’ and the like in their job title may not actually be that flash.
Thank you for playing!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 28, 2011 at 9:14 am
We’re certainly not the only ones having this debate:
http://www.chaaps.com/why-twitter-is-better-than-facebook.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Chaaps+(Chaaps)
Thanks to Carol @IroningDiva for the heads up!
Author
Irma Zimmermann
March 28, 2011 at 11:50 am
The Twitter vs Facebook debate continues
Yep, I’ll have to agree with the points in the last link Paul except the 1st two points. Facebook Business Pages or Fan pages don’t have the limitations that profile pages do allowing as many fans to find or follow you. Having said that I’m naturaly drawn to spending more time on Twitter – more flexibility, easier connections and I can follow my interests more readily.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 28, 2011 at 11:53 am
Thank you, Irma, for adding another bright facet to our debate.
Author
Paul Hassing
March 30, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Here’s something new: a Facebook-based competition for business-based prizes:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Propaganda-House/114500221938789?sk=app_6009294086
Many thanks to @dan_smith1 for the Twitter heads up!
Author
Paul Hassing
March 30, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Yet another (dubious?) use of Facebook:
http://ht.ly/4pf49
What goes on the web stays on the web, so this chap ought to be very careful. Especially in the US!
Thanks to Carol @IroningDiva for another beaut heads up!
Author
Paul Hassing
April 18, 2011 at 4:32 pm
The hits just keep coming. Literally.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/im-horrified-facebook-woman-preyed-on-schoolboys-20110418-1dkwd.html
Author
Paul Hassing
April 18, 2011 at 4:33 pm
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/mother-who-was-playing-facebook-game-while-son-drowned-in-bath-jailed-for-10-years-20110418-1dk54.html
Author
Nina Sunday
April 26, 2011 at 11:56 am
I recently attended the ‘Ultimate Internet Boot Camp’ to set up my own DIY WordPress website. It included a sales process incorporating blogging and social media (It was a full 5 days, 220 people, not as expensive as other similar boot camps, we were all 220 of us online simultaneously – a feat in itself.)
Post boot camp, a group of us started a Facebook GROUP page. We are continuing to coach and share ideas, much like a blog. It saves us an awful lot of money in paid coaching and is minute by minute support and answers to questions as they come up.
I’ve more or less abandoned the ‘friends’ side of things.
2. RECRUITMENT:
On the ‘drunken photos’ side of things, I saved myself by not hiring a junior whose drunken photos told me a lot about her (she was a friend of a friend of my 18 year old assistant!) So it’s a boon for employers who are recruiting.
3. SYNDICATION
When I post to my blog or an article is published on other sites, I can post more of it to Facebook. Twitter is really only 2 lines.
I’m exploring how to post once and have it channel through to the various pages and blogs I have using third party websites such as
Hootsuite, or Networkedblogs or Tweetadder. (No opinion on these just yet).
4. Next time I guest for MYOB, I plan to post it to all my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn followers to invite even more comments than we got last time. (Duh – I didn’t think of it first time.)
I’m starting to understand how this all works for business and PR.
Perhaps not an early adapter, but at least I’m an adapter not a luddite!
Thanks for starting this topic, Paul, you’re a treasure.
Author
Paul Hassing
April 26, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Thank you so much, Nina, for your comprehensive share. I feel richer for it and am sure other readers will too.
Author
Paul Hassing
April 28, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Ew!
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/preteen-girls-charged-over-facebook-sex-prank-20110428-1dxgb.html
Author
Paul Hassing
May 5, 2011 at 6:16 am
How low can you go?!
[STORY REMOVED ON STEPHEN'S EXCELLENT SUGGESTION.]
Author
Stephen Hamilton
May 5, 2011 at 7:43 am
Hey Paul. I love your work, but I feel I have to call you out here. You’ve linked to a collection of news articles involving people who have committed acts that are either stupid, or in some cases truly despicable. In one way or another, they’ve interacted on Facebook.
Facebook isn’t the problem here. The last news article you posted indicated this sick man also taunted his ex wife on the phone.
His behaviour is no reflection on Facebook, just as though there is no reflection on telephony.
I can’t believe I’m in a position where I appear to be defending Facebook, but I’m not. People will use whatever means they have to share their message. This regardless of how stupid or evil that message is, or if the medium is pen & paper, phones, Facebook, or even whiz bang tricorders that are yet to be invented.
These kinds of stupid, or worse, people don’t represent me, and how I may choose to use a tool like Facebook for my business. What I’d love to see (and in my opinion what would be useful) are links to stories about how to use Facebook, and related wins and failures so we can learn from them.
Again, I love your work, but I just can’t see any added value from linking to stories about morons and evildoers.
Author
Paul Hassing
May 5, 2011 at 7:59 am
Many thanks for your comment, Stephen. I take pride in shifting my position whenever presented with a superior, cogent, well-articulated argument. And you just gave me one. The horror stories shall cease henceforth. Thank you very much for restoring my objectivity. P.
Author
Stephen Hamilton
May 5, 2011 at 12:36 pm
You are an easy man to like and respect. Hats off to you, sir.
Author
Paul Hassing
May 5, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Thanks, Mate. The more I listen to my wife (and other wise souls like yourself) the smarter I get!
Author
Paul Hassing
May 5, 2011 at 5:27 pm
And now the good news!
My thanks to Carol @IroningDiva for this @dailytelegraph story of how Facebook helped one Aussie man make his dream a reality:
http://ht.ly/4NAZK
Author
Stephen Hamilton
May 5, 2011 at 8:08 pm
That is an interesting story. I would assume the remarkable story of this 86 year old lone motorcyclist must have really resonated with particular people.
Authentic storytelling will always attract an appreciative audience.
Author
Paul Hassing
May 11, 2011 at 9:32 am
A great RT and link from Sarah @globalcopywrite :
Nice post via @PRWarrior showing how frustrated SME took to Facebook and got big media attention in return: http://bit.ly/lXl96C
Author
Paul Hassing
September 26, 2011 at 11:50 am
Creepy or not?
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-tracks-you-even-after-logging-out-20110926-1ksfk.html
Author
Paul Hassing
October 4, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Creep creep, creepity creep:
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebooks-privacy-lie-aussie-exposes-tracking-as-new-patent-uncovered-20111004-1l61i.html
Author
Paul Hassing
October 17, 2011 at 3:18 pm
A fantastic piece just in from Fi Bendall:
http://www.bendalls.com.au/thoughts/is-facebook-turning-into-second-life/
Author
Paul Hassing Founder & Senior Writer - The Feisty Empire
June 1, 2012 at 7:52 am
Yesterday I found something that actually seems to make sense of Facebook:
http://www.zuumsocial.com/marketing-strategy-tool-features
I highly recommend the three-minute intro video.