How to Friend Mom, Dad, and the Boss on Facebook…Safely – NYTimes.com.
If you don’t know what Facebook is, or social networking for that matter, you should Google these topics and do some reading. I might even say to get an account and check it out for yourself.
This article is an important thought to consider when doing business on Facebook, which is traditionally not for business. It’s also a great tutorial of how to setup your account in a way that makes doing business on Facebook a little more professional.
As the article discusses, Facebook can be great for promoting yourself, but if you don’t learn how to use privacy settings, that big sales pitch you are doing for a $100,000 deal could go downhill quickly when they see that photo of you dancing on the table at the bar last night! Some say “don’t do silly things and there will be no pictures”, but that’s no fun is it?
In business, Facebook is a B2C model of promotion. So if your traditional advertising methods are to the end-consumer, Facebook could be a great addition to promoting yourself. But if you are selling business ads, this may not be the place to network.
For B2B, or any business, LinkedIn is the place to be as a professional. The site recently added many of Facebook’s features of social networking, but the site is all about resumes, connections, and staying in touch with business contacts. You could land a job or a new contract, as well as manage an on-line resume in one place. Any professional can find a reason to be here.
Jeremy Bloom’s Top tips for social networking in business:
- Get an account in LinkedIn regardless of who you are or what you do. This is social networking for any professional, and is almost a must have in today’s business climate.
- If you don’t know about this stuff at all, do some searching and reading about social networking.
- Understand that social networking on Facebook is not for everyone or every business. Every site is different, so learn the ins and outs before jumping in to any marketing activity on-line. Contacting a professional(me) isn’t a bad idea either!
- Get an account in Facebook. Even if you never use it for business, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced on-line, and maybe you will enjoy connecting with friends and family.
What do you think about business and social networking on Facebook? Please leave your comments below!
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