I can guarantee you that this won’t be as useful as How to Manage Twitter, but then, I’m telling you so that you have an understanding of what I’m doing with my personal time on Facebook. I’ll admit right up front that I was quite a Facebook hater for many years, but that I turned around in the last few months, due to two changes: the improvement of fan pages, and my personal discovery of lists. If I didn’t have these two things, I’d not be able to function.
I should also state that I don’t use very many tools. I know that Tweetdeck and Seesmic Desktop allow for FB updates, and I’ve sent one or two from there, but that’s not where I think the meat of Facebook is, and so I don’t use those tools in that way.
How I Manage Facebook
First, I should apologize. I probably can’t friend you in Facebook. I’m right up at the 5000 people limit (I removed about 600 and so I’m hovering around 4751). It’s not you, it’s Facebook. I’m sure you’re wonderful and I like you just as much, even though we can’t be friends. Now, on to the info.
I have three main areas I sit on, and I keep them open in 3 browser tabs. The first is my list called “Short List.”
This is approximately 185 people and it’s only for people I know personally and that I want to stay closely updated on. I read that voraciously. If I run out of updates, I drop into the general population and see what’s going on there. It’s changed how I see the world and what I know about people who matter to me. (It’s probably closer to how you use your Facebook).
From a “push” perspective, I update Facebook separately than Twitter. I talk much more personally on Facebook, and I’m not out to win any friends. I just say what’s on my mind there. My blog also imports there, as do my photos, as do my Google Reader Shared Items, as do my FriendFeed actions, and a few other things. I use Facebook to collect a lot of info from a lot of places, so you get a fuller view of me.
The second place I camp is on my own Profile, to chat with people in the comment stream:
I have enjoyed chatting with folks in the comments section, though again, it’s not in any kind of business perspective. It’s just me being people. What I feel is that Facebook is like the afterparty from the big performance, and I’m just chilling backstage.
The third place I camp is on the Trust Agents community, which is a Facebook fan page.
As of this writing, we have 2190 people, of which about 30 or 40 are actively talking about Trust Agents and ideas around the book. That’s been the most rewarding. You might recall that I deleted my fan page a while back. I still stand by that. But the passion of talking about ideas instead of “having fans,” is a really good thing.
I also love the birthdays feature. My secret is that I don’t wish people happy birthday in Facebook. I send a personal email and/or a tweet. It makes it more lovely, in my eyes.
What It All Means to Me
I don’t use Facebook for business. I tried buying a Facebook ad to test out how well it would convert new people to the Trust Agents community. I spent $500 and got hundreds of thousands of impressions and only a handful of new members. I tweeted once and got another hundred. In fact, I wouldn’t think of Facebook much for business, except that Louise Rasho of Microsoft Office Live showed me some great examples of fan pages that do seem effective and useful. Beyond that, I haven’t seen tons of great success on Facebook as a direct business conversion tool.
Where it shines, however, is as a relationship tool for business people in two areas: sales and customer service. In sales, it’s a relationship tool, not a marketing funnel driver. You use it to get to know more about your prospects, and to keep your customers warm. As service, it’s another outpost to talk with your customer base, and a place to share some extra information, should that be useful.
On sum, I use it mostly for personal, and it’s worked out well as a great augmentation to my LinkedIn presence. You might see it differently. I’d love to know.
And You?
How are YOU using Facebook? What do you like about it? What’s not so useful? What would you change, if you had the ear of the team?
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I really love facebook and I'm happy to have this article that was posted in here. This seems to be relevant because this shares more relevant topics on hotw to be a good user on this.
Chris, I had invested hundreds of hours on Facebook, only to have them disable my profile for having too many friends that shared “a similar physical characteristic” ???
I thought about creating a new profile, but I have moved on. Their ToS are nebulous and their appeals/customer service is nothing more that auto-responders. Now I spend my time on Twitter. I'd love to see some Facebook-like features added to Twitter, but I don't miss the inane quizes and gifts.
What I really would like to see is social network interoperability. I think Google has the best chance of providing us with an open SN, where users own their data and can take it with them where ever they choose.
I recently discovered the “list” feature and love it. It's a great way for me to check updates from 1) customers 2) friends 3) vendors/other business and 4) everyone else.
I have found fan pages are a great way to reach new customers and promote certain products. Since I run so many niche stores, I have different fan pages for the different segments. I'm still working on the best way to brand/utilize them, but find they are getting some traffic and fans and am enjoying them. We'll see if they really do lead to more sales.
Chris,
Thanks for this post. I know it is a couple of days old, but I'm sifting through 1000+ post in my Google Reader. I just wanted to reaffirm your adoption of lists. It made my life better as well. I have my “top peeps” who post great content, but some not that often. It helps me keep track of these important people. Also thanks for the birthday suggestion. I used to post on peoples walls, but I going to follow your advice.
Be well, Brian
I like what you said.
Thanks for your time and attention Chris. It makes sense and I've worked the two items into my Facebook strategy.
I don't even use my real name on facebook.
I signed up for Facebook orignally to get access to some tech forums that required a Facebook account to gain access but don't understand the facination with posting inane crap at any given moment about your day/life for other people to here. (to the point where it will be a few months go by that I realise there is an outstanding friend request).
I agree with you on the apps and the apps/presents/gifts.
i.e Some one has given me a “chicky hug” or a virtual chocolate sundae
Am I going to eat it (virtually as well) <rolls eyes>
If there was a way to block everything on the wall except comments that directly relate to me I might use it.
Until I can do that in facebook I'd much prefer to keep in touch with people via the phone/SMS etc.
I'm just not that interested in something a common friend has said about someone else.
I don't even use my real name on Facebook such is my concern about Facebook's business model and privacy policy.
I signed up for Facebook orignally to get access to some tech forums that required a Facebook account to gain access but don't understand the facination with posting inane crap at any given moment about your day/life for other people to here. (to the point where it will be a few months go by that I realise there is an outstanding friend request).
I agree with you on the apps and the apps/presents/gifts.
i.e Some one has given me a “chicky hug” or a virtual chocolate sundae
Am I going to eat it (virtually as well) <rolls eyes>
If there was a way to block everything on the wall except comments that directly relate to me I might use it.
Until I can do that in facebook I'd much prefer to keep in touch with people via the phone/SMS etc.
I'm just not that interested in something a common friend has said about someone else.
For facebook administrator can U please update Your system uploading pics or anything ETC please do it know B-coz its too BAD ???
Thanks for this Chris. I enjoyed seeing another's perspective. I often wonder if others see it the way I do or ? I am on Twitter, Linkedin, Myspace and some others I don't even remember the names of. I kind of signed up for all of them at the same time. I was focusing on myspace at first and then something, I can't even say for sure, made me migrate to facebook. I think it was the ease of use. I understood what I was expected to do to set up my profile. It took me a little while to get it on myspace and on twitter I never did get it. In fact every time I tried to post a comment it would not let me. I gave up after four or five goes at Twitter. It might even be that my account was not functioning but even that should be simpler to resolve. So I was outa there. I kept coming to facebook. Then I found people I knew and the friends grew and grew. I found people talking to me. I like talking. I was hooked. Then the Station Fire happened. I suddenly found myself using facebook to tell people what was going on. People from our foothills were not getting any news locally, the authorities were absent, the media for the first week was absent. It was really bizarre, like they were on holiday. So people from all over the place were going to my wall to find out what was going on. I connected myself up with some key officials and between that and the info I could gather from a local blog, my own visibility made the news on facebook very important to people. They were reaching for it and I could put it there for them. It was an awful time for a lot of people and they needed to know what was going on, every minute. So I posted it for them every minute, every change, the wind direction, the fire department updates, the smoke, everything. I have actually removed most of it but there is still some of it on my wall if you keep clicking older posts. So for me facebook opened up a whole new world. I really like it. I have gotten some new clients from it but that was never my purpose originally. It just made connections to people possible. I am a people person. I really like it.
Thanks for this Chris. I enjoyed seeing another's perspective. I often wonder if others see it the way I do or ? I am on Twitter, Linkedin, Myspace and some others I don't even remember the names of. I kind of signed up for all of them at the same time. I was focusing on myspace at first and then something, I can't even say for sure, made me migrate to facebook. I think it was the ease of use. I understood what I was expected to do to set up my profile. It took me a little while to get it on myspace and on twitter I never did get it. In fact every time I tried to post a comment it would not let me. I gave up after four or five goes at Twitter. It might even be that my account was not functioning but even that should be simpler to resolve. So I was outa there. I kept coming to facebook. Then I found people I knew and the friends grew and grew. I found people talking to me. I like talking. I was hooked. Then the Station Fire happened. I suddenly found myself using facebook to tell people what was going on. People from our foothills were not getting any news locally, the authorities were absent, the media for the first week was absent. It was really bizarre, like they were on holiday. So people from all over the place were going to my wall to find out what was going on. I connected myself up with some key officials and between that and the info I could gather from a local blog, my own visibility made the news on facebook very important to people. They were reaching for it and I could put it there for them. It was an awful time for a lot of people and they needed to know what was going on, every minute. So I posted it for them every minute, every change, the wind direction, the fire department updates, the smoke, everything. I have actually removed most of it but there is still some of it on my wall if you keep clicking older posts. So for me facebook opened up a whole new world. I really like it. I have gotten some new clients from it but that was never my purpose originally. It just made connections to people possible. I am a people person. I really like it.
I was wanted, since you've deleted your fan.. do you direct your blog visitors to your FB profile? If so, do your unknown visitors go on a customized list? I read an article that said that if you want to get more attention and readers, its good to have a FB page yadda yadda.
So, how do you handle friend requests, especially from those who've added you after seeing your blog?
I think that Facebook Fan pages are actually more powerful than groups, as you can subscribe via SMS, embed into a web page or update via Twitter.
That said they are a great way of getting a group / small community of people together on Facebook (fast)
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