By Timothy Arends
Facebook is hot right now! It is one of the Web’s most remarkable success stories. It is the most popular Internet destination for young people who have plenty of time on their hands to socialize. It is also a popular vehicle for marketers and businesspeople to promote their wares and to make contacts.
Facebook is the hottest thing on the web right now, but tomorrow it could be blown away by something newer and more exciting. Today, however, any social networking site that hopes to compete is going to have a hard time matching the popularity of Facebook.
Facebook has a number of powerful features that allow you to create pages specifically for your businesses, build a fan base, set up groups, promotions and events, cross promote your Facebook page with your blog, and measure your activity with Facebook Analytics.
All of these features are free, but if you wish to give your business an extra boost, you can pay for Facebook advertising (which is highly targeted, by the way) using a system somewhat akin to Google’s AdWords. You can also measure and optimize your activity for best results.
If you are feeling creative, you can dress up your Facebook page with applications, of which there are over 52,000, most of which are produced by individuals and third-party companies.
There are apps that can allow you or your visitors to track packages, add and view YouTube videos and promote your Twitter streams. You can find apps by visiting the Facebook application directory at http://apps.facebook.com/appsdirectory.
Indeed, Facebook is more than just a social network: it is a marketing platform, a picture sharing site, a commenting system, a timeline of your life and much more.
Facebook has become a brand and the single most essential online community. Although its growth has slowed somewhat, with 1 billion members it is the largest social networking site ever and is the place for people to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, hang out with like-minded people, make business contacts and market products and services.
A good way to start is just to get yourself on Facebook; oftentimes you will find that old friends will seek you out and initiate contact.
They may find you through a name search, by one of your hobbies or interests, by the schools you attended or simply by searching for the nickname you are known by. If you are searching for friends you can do the same. Start with a full name search, and, failing this, try out a few nicknames your friends may have used in the past.
Another way to make friends is by looking for those who have similar hobbies and interests. For example, if you have an interest in the Mac or anything Apple related, you can do a search and you will be amazed by the number of matches that come up.
Third-party software can help you network on Facebook. For example, Flirt by Falkor Inc. adds a Mac-like interface to the popular social networking site and is specifically designed to aid you in finding those who share your interests.
Want to access Facebook from your iPhone or iPad? Hundreds of apps will allow you to update your status or game score to Facebook, but a few are designed specifically for interacting on the social network. The venerable Facebook by Facebook Inc. Itself (free) provides an alternative interface to the site. Facebook Messenger, also by Facebook Inc. (Free), is designed for texting your friends at no charge. Followers By NoApostroph3s LLC (also free) allows you to follow and unfollow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and more.
Facebook is a phenomenon not only in the US but across the world, which means you can connect not only with people in your own country but with Facebook members across the globe and from many different cultures.
Although you may never meet many of the people face-to-face that you find on Facebook if they live on the other side of the globe, Facebook gives you the opportunity to make friends and business contacts both in your own community or across the world.
Tim Arends is an Internet, Apple and computer user for nearly 20 years. He provides freelance writing services on technology, social networking and the Internet to bloggers, Internet marketers and app developers. Hire him for a complete content-creation strategy for promoting your business.