A few thoughts on Facebook.

Recently, I attended a networking event about using Facebook for business. It was interesting because I use Facebook as primarily a social tool: interacting with friends, family, and long lost connections. That being said, these connections are helpful for business, and sometimes my friends refer me for writing, but business is not my focus on Facebook. 

And, I'm not entirely convinced you should use your personal page for business. Here are just a few reasons why:

-Friends can post unflattering, unprofessional pictures of me,

-They can say nasty things on my wall,

-I want to keep my professional and private life separate (some things should remain between friends).

My concerns aside, I do think you can--and should--use Facebook for business. Here are my suggestions:

-Create a profile under your business name. Allow people to become "fans." Keep your personal profile social, your professional profile for business.

-Use Facebook advertising: you can really narrow in and focus on your target market.

-Create a group: gather like-minded people and interact with an audience that's interested in you and your business.

So, while I'm not exactly opening up my personal profile for business colleagues, I'm considering using Facebook for business using the methods I described above. Any thoughts? I'm interested to see how others are using Facebook for marketing, networking, etc.