Professionals on Facebook? This question came up during a “Social Networking for Business” class I was teaching. It was phased like this. “I have been married for 40 years and I’m not looking for a girlfriend. Why would I want to be on Facebook?”
Professionals I meet often question me about Facebook and ask if it is appropriate for them to use. They say “I am a professional. Should I use Facebook?” Here are the basics on Facebook so you can decide for yourself if this is a place you want to be.
Launched in 2004, Facebook is a popular social media tool with over 400 million users around the world. It is currently the largest social networking platform. To get started with Facebook, create a user id and password. Once you are a member, you can begin to enter your profile information. Include only the information you feel comfortable sharing with the world. You may choose to post a photo on your profile. A professional photo is the best choice for those in the business world.
Begin searching for others you may know and request a connection with them. If they accept, you will be online Facebook “friends”. When you receive friend requests, evaluate them and decide if you want to connect. It is acceptable to decline requests from those you do not know or choose not to connect with. If you change your mind later, you can easily “unfriend” someone.
In Facebook, you can post status updates to let others know what you are doing, comment on others profiles and status, share photos, play games and complete surveys. Just remember what you write and photos you post may be seen by many others.
The reason people gravitate to Facebook is because it is a fun way to connect with others. Check it out for yourself, then you can determine if this is a tool for you.This week we will be covering the business applications of Facebook at our class at the Shah Center. By the way, the student who was unsure about the benefits of Facebook is one of my most vocal evangelists for using this tool to build business.
Tags: business, Facebook, professional, profile, social media, social networking
Amazing, it pays to do some background reading before jumping in with both feet!!!!
April i like your expression ‘unfriend’ as suppose to block
it is much more human i think
Thanks for your comment. We will be talking more about ways to make the most of Facebook for business in our class tomorrow at the Shah Center.