Internet Wonderland For Quilters - Facebook

Facebook is largely a social bulletin board. It permits you to connect to people one by one or in groups and leave messages for them. It will permit you a personal and a business page. It can connect to all kinds of almost random people. Facebook offers a moment to moment commentary of people's lives. It's a great way to take their pulse, hear their desires, see their dreams, feel their fears and tell them what is happening right now. It also has a platform for instant messaging. Most people with smart phones have constant access to the run of information on Facebook.

It's a fabulous and incredibly fast way of passing on information. Its limit is in its somewhat random format. People repost your posts in all kinds of unexpected places. It can represent huge exposure. But you have no control on where that information may be posted next. It also is a great engine that drives people to your blog, your site, your Pinterest account and to your web site, because all of those sites can be set up to automatically post on Facebook whenever you post to them. You click on that post and you are there instantly. It's a clearing house of information. You can post videos and pictures as well.

How does Facebook function for different groups, stores and people?

For Groups

For a guild or group it's better than a telephone tree. Is the meeting postponed? Is Jill's daughter sick? Do you have a recipe for quiche? Did the meeting place change? It's all there in an instant and anyone can make the post. Anyone within that group can read the post, at their own convenience. It's fabulous instant communication.

For Stores

Facebook reminds everyone what is happening today. Did new fabric come in? Did you remember the class on Wednesday? Have you signed up for the shop hop? Or the midnight sew? It's a way to put out constant reminders, letting everyone know what's happening moment to moment.

For Teachers/ Designers/ and Artists

It's a place to talk about what you do in a day to day way. You can build awareness of what you do and who you are. You can meet with others in and out of your craft, and share inspiration, ideas, thoughts. And it's a great place to tell people where your work will be and what is happening.

For Manufacturers

It's a wonderful place to educate people about your products, where to use them, how to find them, how they work, why they would want to buy them. You can invite the posts of other clients using your products, and connect them to your website or tell them about the conference you'll be at. It's broad spectrum communication.

Remember that almost any other social media can be streamed through Facebook. It's a place to put all of those images/comments/sites and videos where others are reminded that they are there and shown where to find them. It puts you front and center on the bulletin board. You can't deny its power to communicate.

You may want to time what you post on Facebook. So very much goes up on Facebook that it's easy to be overlooked. You might want to post at the top of the stream right before they get their morning coffee. They get your information there, just as they’re planning their day.

Facebook Concerns

Facebook is also a place where a lot of people post their feelings and ideas, personal and private, which is why the privacy settings really matter. Personally, anyone can say anything. Publicly you may not want to. It really matters. You can't gage the reactions. What feels like a private place in your living room is as public as Times Square in New York at high noon. Do keep in mind, you're in public. Choose your posts wisely. You might want to keep your private page and public page as separate as possible.

Facebook provides day by day instant by instant contact with all kinds of people you want to reach. It reminds them that you're there. It shows them what is happening. And it's a place you can use to drive traffic to almost any other site or media you want to use.

How often should you post?

Facebook is a day to day media. If you can find a small thing to put up every day, you remind your customers and clients of your presence. And it can drive traffic to every single other media you use. Often people will share a post they find exciting, interesting and fun. Do that too if it feels right.

Will you need help with Facebook?

Facebook isn’t hard. But it isn’t completely intuitive. There are books and tutorials available. A half hour with either of those should get you up and running. Again, it takes some time. Short smart posts regularly will drive them to your sites.