Author:  Mitch Keeler

It seems like every few years, a new big social network moves into the leadership role on the Internet.  There have been journals that were live, spaces that were mine, and now we have a book for your face.  Facebook is leading the pack right now in the world of social networks.  So how do you use it, and how can you make it work for your benefit?  This is your guide to the fantastic world of Facebook.

What is a Social Network? Now, you might say the first question I need to answer is, “what is Facebook?” However, since I have already claimed it to be a social network, it might be better to define that too.  A social network is a web site or service that connects multiple users so that they can talk to each other, share ideas, and socialize with each other in an online world.

So, let us say for an example I just got my new profile up and running, and it tells you tons of information about me.  I would then search Facebook for friends, colleagues and other people who share my same interests.  By adding them as a friend, I can follow what they post and they can follow what I post, so that we can can stay in communication with each other.

How Can Facebook Help Me, My Company, or My Web Site? When it comes to marketing yourself, you want to get your name out there in any way, shape, or form that you can.  Facebook is the perfect platform for this type of marketing because you are talking directly to a group of people that are interested in who you are or what you are doing.  It would be like if a TV show ran a commercial for soap, knowing only soap lovers were watching it.  You also have the choice now of having a customized name – such as:

• http://www.facebook.com/lunarpages

This makes it much easier to share with others so they can find your social profile online.  It also gives you one more link pointing back to you via the various search engines, which is always a good thing, especially considering how well Facebook ranks!

What is All This Stuff Showing Up Under the News Feed? This is the location where you will usually see what all your various friends are doing, sharing, or talking about.  If you have a lot of “friends” you are following on Facebook, this can get rather hectic very quickly.  Don’t feel the need to comment on everything that your friends share here.  Instead, you should maybe browse through it once a day or once a week and just comment on the things you like or find interesting.

What Kind of Stuff Can I Share? You can share just about any type of media there is out there.  You can post notes about what is on your mind throughout the day, you can share links to your web site or the web sites of others, you can post silly videos–the list goes on and on.  One of my favorite things to do is browse through photos of my friends, so I can see how much older we are starting to look awesome we have become over time.

What are Facebook Applications? The Facebook applications, sometimes known as “apps”, give you new tools to play with when it comes to deciding how you customize your profile or what you do with the Facebook service itself.  When you “install” an application to your profile, you are not really “installing” anything at all.  You are just adding a link to the tool to your profile and Facebook account in general.

You can add more applications by clicking on the “Applications” button at the bottom of your profile, and the selecting “Browse More Applications”.  What kind of applications are out there?  Most are kind of silly games, but others can be useful, such as the Twitter client (to share your Twitter posts on Facebook).

Any Last Words of Wisdom? Just remember, there is not really a “wrong” way to be on Facebook.  My last ‘bit of suggesting would be that you just have fun with it.  Try searching for old high school friends, get to know your co-workers a little better, or share your Lunarpages hosted web sites.  Don’t let the world of social networks intimidate you.  Also, if you don’t really “like” it, that is fine too, but it really is a useful tool for you and your business no matter what.

Don’t Forget to Come Join Our Facebook Group!

Lunarpages has a presence on Facebook too.  Come join our web hosting group, and feel free to discuss our web hosting options with fellow fans and customers of our various services.  Who knows, you might even make a few new friends of your own.

Want more social networking help? Lunarpages has also written a terrific guide to Twitter too. If all this micro-blogging stuff has your head spinning, it is the place to find out how to use Twitter to your advantage.

Want to advertise with Facebook Ads? Lunarpages now offers up to $50 in Facebook Ads Credits for you and your business! See our featured article, Free Facebook Ads Credits from Lunarpages for more information and to get started!!

Have any other Facebook questions?  Send them to me in the comments, and I’ll be more than happy to answer them all!