A Slap in the Face Book

By Jeff Schechter

Last year, Facebook became the Number 1 social networking site in the world, passing up MySpace.  As such, it is used extensively for networking, especially amongst online marketers.  I use Facebook, along with Twitter and YouTube, as an important piece of my social media strategy.  I have made many great contacts on Facebook, and usually log in a couple of times a day.

Early one Sunday morning, I woke up and sleepily wandered into my home office.  I had a few messages on Facebook, so I tried logging in, but was shocked to receive this message...

* "Your Facebook account has been disabled for violation of our Terms of Service.  If you feel that your account has been wrongly disabled, please click here."

WHAT!?

My throat got dry.  I started getting sweaty.  I had made almost 3,000 friends already.  Without an account, I would not be able to direct people to my videos, articles, and press releases.  I would not be able to network with my contacts.  I wouldn't be able to joke around with my friends!  This was NOT good.

I had to do something...QUICKLY.  I started sending emails....first to the dispute center, then to the help desk.  Eventually, I received an automated email response:

* "We have received your email.  We will review your request and get back to you shortly."

That's it?  Ouch.  Well, at least a glimmer of hope.  So, I waited a few days.  Nothing.  So, I waited another few days.  Still nothing.  This was really beginning to frustrate me.

After some research on Facebook's site, doing some searches online, and through friends on Twitter, I learned that mine was not an isolated case.  Many of the Social Media sites have been disabling accounts.  I recently had some friends...fellow marketers, who had their YouTube accounts shut down.  You can read about it on my main site.  It's called "Playing Nice With YouTube."

It seems to be the norm that Social media sites simply disable your account without warning, leaving the user bewildered.   They have no regard for the user, and their Terms of Service (TOS) leaves you with little to no recourse.  In most cases, their reasons for disabling are legitimate....users are posting copyrighted material, promoting illegal activities, or just not playing by the rules.  But this was different.  What had I DONE?

I finally sent a letter with an angry tone.  I think I may have even mentioned something about contacting my attorney.  Yuck.  I hate doing that, but I was DESPERATE.  Finally, after 3 WEEKS, I got an email stating the following:

* "Hi Jeff, Thank you for providing this information. Facebook has limits in place to prevent users from running programs that automatically scan the site for certain content. Although this was not the case in your situation, viewing or refreshing pages at a rapid rate may cause your account to be disabled. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide more information about this system. However, after reviewing your situation, your account has been reactivated. Please significantly slow down the rate at which you browse Facebook and refrain from violating any of Facebook's Terms of Use. You should also avoid using systems or products that automatically refresh Facebook pages. Further misuse of the site may result in your account being disabled again. We appreciate your cooperation going forward.  Thanks for your understanding,User Operations Facebook."

So apparently, my infraction was "using their site too heavily."  Yikes.  Of course, I'll never do THAT again.

From my research, here are the things that may keep you from getting banned on Facebook:

1.    Don't use a fake name.

2.    Don't join too many groups.

3.    Don't post too many messages on a wall or in a group.

4.    Don't friend too many people too fast.

5.    Don't lie about your education or employment.

6.    Don't poke too many people (seriously...get a life!)

7.    Don't advertise your app on wall posts.

8.    Don't use duplicate text in multiple messages (no cutting & pasting).

9.    Don't use the email client too heavily.

10.  Don't post offensive content.

11.  Don't use any scripts to scrape information from Facebook.

Of course, if you do get banned, your ONLY recourse is to email them.  Here are three email addresses that I would recommend:

disabled at facebookcom

appeals at facebookcom

info at facebookcom

The lesson here is BE CAREFUL.  If sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are an important part of your marketing strategy (and they should be), then take the time to actually READ the Terms of Service (TOS) for these sites.  Make sure you are playing by the rules.  Do not abuse your account.

So, if you don't want your face slapped, PLAY NICE.

"Are You Missing to Provide the Same Guidance to Your Dog"

"Are You Missing to Provide the Same Guidance to Your Dog

Jeff Schechter (or "Shecky" as his friends call him) is a 6-year veteran of Network Marketing. He loves teaching fellow Networkers how to rock their MLM!

Click here for all of the training you'll ever need to ROCK YOUR MLM. All of the information is Free!

[http://RockYourMLM.com]

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How to Increase Your Number of Friends on Facebook

By Lee J.

A Facebook account is no good without friends to connect with. While you don't need thousands of friends, the truth is, Facebook is more enjoyable and more useful when you have good friends there. Among some of the reasons you'd want more friends are:

• More fiends means greater interaction
• More friends means more fun
• More friends means better chances of finding people you look for
• If you want to make new friends in real life, you can start with your friends list
• For Pages, more friends or followers and greater popularity
• For some people, more Facebook friends makes them feel better about themselves

Engage in conversations
What's the use of a friend who never interacts with you on Facebook? Be more active on the site. Post comments on other people's statuses, photos and whatever they share. And say more than just "Nice" or "Cool." Start a conversation. Your friends' friends will usually be able to see your comments, thus opening the way for making new acquaintances.
Search for people
Take advantage of the Facebook friend finder and search tool to look for people you know who may be on the site. You can tell Facebook to import your address book from a Web-based mail or an email client. Facebook will search those lists for you. You can send a friend request to those who already are on Facebook, and if not, you can send them invitations instead.
Send friend requests
Don't be shy about making friend requests. Decide if you really want to be friends with someone, and send the request. The worst that could happen is nothing. And don't take it personally if they don't add you. Some people are choosy about who they friend at the site, and you should be too.
Improve the quality of your page
If you have a Facebook fan page, make it better. And if you don't have one yet, why not make one? A fan page is yet another way to interact with people who share an interest in what you do. Make a page for your website or business, for example. You can meet many new friends that way.
Create an interesting profile
Your profile is the first thing people see about you on Facebook (unless it's through some comment you posted). Make your profile interesting to new viewers. Share a few things with the public(that is, either "everyone" or "friends of friends) so even non-friends can see. Based on your profile, they will learn some things about you and may want to become friends.
Join groups, networks or events
These are great for meeting people with similar interests as yours. Friendships are easier to start when you know you share a passion together. Think of your favorite hobbies and activities and find a group or network to join.
Don't forget that with friends, it's quality that counts and not quantity. Go out and make friends. But choose only those you really want to connect with. If you think of friendships as just statistics, you're going about it wrong. If you get a Facebook account, make it about real connections. Ideally, your Facebook friend should be buddies in real life too. Learn more social networking tips at Blog Lady.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_J.
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Increase-Your-Number-of-Friends-on-Facebook&id=6605933

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How Do I Blog on Facebook?

By Lee J.

Blogging is an effective way to express yourself and be heard on your favorite topics. Facebook social networking, on the other hand, is becoming the most popular way to connect with people, share and make friends. Is it possible to tap into the power of the Facebook social graph to launch a career in blogging? Maybe. While Facebook may lack the tools that a professional blogger would need, it has enough to get a novice started. And with hundreds of millions of users and your own friends and family there, it is perhaps the best venue to be in-- you know without doubt there's someone there reading.
So how do you blog with Facebook?
Blogging with Facebook Notes
The proper blogging tool to use on Facebook is the Notes application. It isn't directly accessible like the Status feature is. You find Notes in the list of applications on your Facebook home page, on the left column (click More if it doesn't appear at first). To publish a blog post or "Note" as it's called in Facebook:

1. Open the Notes tab.
2. Click Write a Note.
3. Compose your Note in the Notes editor.
4. Click Publish.

It can't be simpler than that. You can format your text in bold, italic, underline, bullets or numbers and quotes. You can insert hyperlinks and attach photos. Each Note can be saved as a draft, deleted and previewed. You can tag friends in your Notes and they can tag you as well.
Blogging with Facebook Statuses
Until recently, the Facebook Status feature was good enough only for a few hundred characters--- just enough to make a short update. However in late 2011, Facebook lifted this restriction. Now you can write Statuses as long as 60,000 characters. That's more than enough for a blog entry!
This change is beneficial for people who like to disclose lengthy thoughts. Because Statuses get more exposure than Notes, your blog posts stand a better chance of getting attention than the old Notes.
To blog with Statuses:

1. Go to the News Feed on the left column of the Facebook home page, or go to your Profile.
2. Click in the box that says "What's on your mind?"
3. Type your blog post.
4. Click Post.

And that's all there is to it. Nothing fancy. But beware of using the Status feature too much for blogging. People are used to short updates in the News Feed. Don't publish a thousand-word post and expect your friends to read every word of it. Use the new character limit wisely.
Learn more about how to blog on Facebook at Blog Lady.
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5 Easy Steps How to Connect Your Twitter Account to Your Facebook Status

By Kris Olin

Connecting Twitter to Facebook
If you enjoy using Social Media Websites chances are that you would have a Facebook account as well as a Twitter account. Both of these allow you to make updates to your status. By creating a connection between these two accounts you only need to write your message once as it will be posted to the other one automatically.

There are two ways of creating the connection between Facebook and Twitter. You can link your Twitter account to your personal Facebook account; or you can link your Facebook Page to your Twitter account. In the first option the message goes from Twitter to Facebook and in the second option it goes from Facebook to Twitter. For instance if you use Twitter regularly just write your message on your Twitter account and it will be posted automatically on your Facebook account. You will see it on your Facebook profile page and it will appear on the Facebook News Feed. Here is how you can do that in just a few simple steps.

Connecting Your Twitter Account to Your Personal Facebook Account

In this connection when you write a message on your Twitter account it gets automatically posted into your Facebook status and Wall. Here are 5 simple steps how you can make that connection. You need to be logged into your Facebook account in order to do this.

Step 1 - Locate the Twitter Application

The Twitter application as well as many other cool applications are stored in the Facebook Applications area. You can access it directly at the following URL (just copy and paste into your browser): http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543

Once you have located the application click the blue 'Go to Application' -button.

Step2 - Allow Access

By clicking the 'Allow' -button you will authorise Twitter and Facebook create the connection needed. Go ahead and... click.

Step 3 - Log on to Twitter

Next you will need to log in to your Twitter account to make the connection happen. Since we are creating a connection to your personal Facebook account you should use your personal Twitter account here as well.

Step 4 - Allow Twitter updates

In order to get the automatic update from your Twitter account to show up on your Facebook status you need to click the '+ Allow Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status' -button. This enables the connection and sends you to the next screen.

Step 5 - Authorization

This is a bit unnecessary step but you need to click the blue 'Allow Status Updates' -button to finalise the operation. The only good thing about this page is that it gives you the page URL where you can change the settings of this Twitter application as well as your other Facebook applications.

Once you click the button you will be back on the previous screen. From this screen you can also update your Facebook status. This will be posted automatically to you Twitter account as well. Please note that when you update your status on your Facebook profile page as you would do normally, it does not post to your Twitter account... and you're done! You have now connected your Twitter account with your personal Facebook account. Every time you write a new Twitter post it will now automatically show up on your Facebook Profile.

This article is Part 2 of the illustrated bonus guide 'Linking Facebook and Twitter' which you can get free by ordering the Facebook Advertising Guide.

Kris Olin is a Web Designer with a Masters degree in marketing. Kris is specialised in Web 2.0, SEO, Digital Publishing, Social Media Marketing, Facebook Advertising and Internet Promotion Strategies. He also consults with companies on their online marketing and provide training and website hosting solutions. Kris has a Masters degree in marketing from Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration and has studied design and advertising at the University of Columbia, U.S.A. Kris is currently living in Brisbane with his family.

Facebook Advertising | Social Media Marketing Blog: http://facebook-advertising-marketing.com

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Facebook For Your Business - Advantages And Disadvantages

By Darren W Chow
Regardless of the nature of your business, you cannot ignore the potential impact of Facebook in your business operations. To date, there are over 800 million Facebook users and nearly half of this number log on to their Facebook accounts on a daily basis. As we try to maintain the competitiveness and viability of our business, we need to take into consideration the immense potential of this popular social networking site as a powerful marketing tool and medium. It is easily one of the best options for business owners and managers who want to implement marketing campaigns to specific niches with pinpoint accuracy.
Advantages of Facebook in your Business
Unmatched customer coverage and reach - Facebook has more than 800 million users and over 350 million users use their mobile gadgets to access their Facebook accounts. If you are looking for an online platform with the most extensive reach, then it is definitely the top choice. While some sectors may argue that it is still way off the mark set by Google AdWords, we have to include in the equation the extent of usage of Facebook users in order to appreciate the true value of this popular social networking site.
Better targeting - Facebook has the ability to filter and organize customer information based on demographic variables - sex, age, educational attainment, etc. This translates to a more effective targeting for companies. Through Facebook, you can easily reach a specific niche.
Choose between PPC or CPM option - Other ad networks offer only one option. On the other hand, you can choose the most appropriate option for your marketing campaign if you decide to use Facebook in promoting your products or services. Thus, you may opt for CPM if you are more concerned with awareness and exposure or go for PPC if you are more concerned with conversion and relaying information to your target clients.
Disadvantages of Facebook in your Business
Higher Cost of PPC ads for Niche Market - This is one of the major issues raised by online marketers against Facebook. While considered to be a low cost option, the pricing structure of Facebook puts it at par with demographic and general terms ad campaigns. Obviously, there is still some room for improvement so that advertisers can be able to make full use of Facebook in their marketing campaigns.
Irrelevant and strange ads - Facebook continues its crackdown of advertising campaigns that are deemed strange and irrelevant. These are the main reasons why a lot of Facebook users are put off by these "invasive" and "nuisance" messages. Business owners and managers should exercise caution when placing ads in Facebook so that these don't get lumped with the rewards programs, humor sites and giveaways that flood the system.
Below Par conversion rates - Facebook is a social medium and it has not really evolved into something that would make it conducive in eliciting a desirable response from your target niche. Facebook users are not really motivated by their "thirst" for a solution to their concerns and problems. They visit the social networking site to "socialize" and touch-base with their relatives and friends. This becomes an issue if you are more concerned with high CTR and conversion rates.
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http://EzineArticles.com/?Facebook-For-Your-Business---Advantages-And-Disadvantages&id=6741152

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Advantages of Facebook Ads Over Google AdWords

By Adam Ada

First of all, I would like to mention that comparing Facebook Ads with Google AdWords is not really appropriate. Google is a search engine and Facebook is a social networking site. The intent and engagement levels of the audience are completely different for both the sites. In Google people actively search for information and products and on Facebook they are looking to connect with their friends. Keeping these points in mind, I would like to give a brief summary of what advantages do Facebook Ads have over Google AdWords;

Usually Much Cheaper (specially for Small Businesses)

Google AdWords is quite expensive even if you bid on low or medium popularity keywords (and especially keywords related to buying online). Facebook is a new system wanting to jump into paid advertisement. If you hit the right niches, you can get traffic for a fraction of PPC pricing. Facebook ads are much more cost-effective and very good for small businesses trying to gain a presence online without a big budget.

Advantage of using Images/Photos in ads

Visual aid will be provided to your ad through this feature. An image is worth a thousand words and the ability to show images in ads is a huge advantage Facebook has over Google AdWords. You can use images in Google AdWords by creating your own image banners but they don't convert too well. In Facebook ads, it is easy to upload a small image along with your text, which helps drawing attention of your target user. It is also good if you want to show images of your brand or product. I believe this is the most powerful feature of Facebook ads.

More flexibility

Facebook ad descriptions can be up to 135 characters long (versus 75 at Google AdWords). More space for creativity. In Google AdWords you can't use exclamation marks (!) while Facebook allows you to use it, this creating more effect in the ad. Restrictions are also less when it comes using many different words (copyright issues) in Facebook. On the whole, setting up an ad campaign on Facebook is much less frustrating.

Highly Targeted Demographics/Keywords

Facebook advertising helps you target keywords and demographic much better. AdWords doesn't know as much about user searching (apart from their cookies and previous searches). Facebook has an advantage of getting more information about the user because we login to our profiles first and then see the ads, so you can be sure that your ads are shown to people with profiles that contain your targeted keywords and demographics. Facebook provides the following 11 targeting factors for advertisers;

Location
Age
Birthday - this one is more recent. Try wishing a user happy birthday and offer them something special
Sex
Keywords - these are based on a user's profile information including activities, TV shows, Movies, Favorite Books. Even job titles are included n this field.
Languages
Interested in
Education
Workplaces
Relationship
Connections - to avoid showing ads to people who have already joined a group or become a fan of a page etc.

Take advantage of these targeting factors, because if you're not then you're missing out on the huge advertising potential of Facebook. Increase targeting to make an advertisement more relevant.

Facebook advertising does have some troubles such as there is no conversion tracking option and undoubtedly AdWords is great for this. Also, there is no ability to show ads at a particular time of the day. Business-to-business advertising also becomes less likely on Facebook (keeping the friends' social networking concept in mind).

If you are using Google AdWords or any other paid search platform, it will be a great idea to try Facebook ads. You will be surprised by the outcome and scope.

Article by Adam Ada of web marketing company - Ocular Concepts. Ocular serves clients in US and Europe through its office in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio

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Top 12 Tips on How to Use Facebook

By Pinky Mcbanon

Facebook, one of the widest social networking site that has been around the web for quite some time now. It has been a great way to start socializing with people, keeping in touch with friends and love ones, as well as a new way of starting a small e-commerce business. Indeed, Facebook has become a useful tool for people's lives. Here are some helpful tips for you to take note to enjoy Facebook!

1. Your Account - supposed you still have no account on Facebook and you want to have one. Well it's as easy as one-two-three. On its home page, you can already see their sign up form. All you have to do is fill it up and follow the instructions that they're gonna give. After signing up you can still edit your account by going to Account >> Account Settings.

2. Filling up your profile - after your registration, you need to fill up some of the boxes that will ask your personal information. I suggest you fill them up, but always remember to secure your privacy. Never expose too much of yourself to prevent your personal information to be known through out the whole web. You can always edit and customize your profile by going to Profile >> Info >> Edit.

3. Photo Uploading - everyone loves photos, so Facebook has a nice way on how you can show off your great smiles. One is the profile picture album, a custom album made only for your profile pictures. Just click Upload button and look for your coolest photo, and in a matter of seconds you now have a great photo displayed on your profile. Another one is the photo albums; this is where you can upload up to 200 photos per album. Facebook uses a nice photo uploader that makes it easier for us users to upload our photos from PC to Facebook.

4. Mobile Facebook - this is Facebook's feature that asks for your mobile phone number, it is not compulsory thing that you need to do. But this may allow you to experience Facebook even in your mobile phones, where you can receive updates via SMS messages. Another advantage of this feature is that when you forget your password, they can just send it into your mobile phones.

5. Facebook Chat - one of Facebook's edge among other social networking sites. It is the ability for you to chat with your friends via Facebook. You can see a small rectangular box on the bottom-right portion of your screens. There it indicates your friends that are online and available for chat. Just click a friend's name and a small chat box would appear, and you'll just type and start chatting.

6. "What's on your mind?" Status bar - this is Facebook's core, found on your home pages. A huge box saying "what's on your mind?", here you express what you want or update your friends on what ever thing you are currently into. In this box, you can also share links from other sites, videos and photos. Basically, it's just a shout out box where you say what ever you like.

7. The like button and comment box. - These features allow you to interact on your friends statuses. They are found below your statuses, photo, links and videos. The like button serves as an easy way of showing of agreement or appreciation to your friend's status. While the comment box is a free wall to share insights to your friend's status.

8. Wall post box - a feature like the "what's on your mind?" box. The only difference is you are posting something on your friend's wall. This box is seen on your friend's profile and looks like the "what's on your mind?" box.

9. Notifications and News feeds- this is another unique feature of Facebook. This is where you are get updates from friends. New feeds are seen on your home page, you can always click on "Top news" to know what's trending in your circle of friends or "Most recent" for the newest updates. On the other hand Notifications are updates that are related to you, like who likes your photo, who commented on your photo and etc. It's an updated that is always related to your recent activities. You can always check your notifications by pressing the "world" icon on the top-left portion on your screen.

10. Privacy settings - this is Facebook's way to assure you that you have full privacy and can only share your information with the people you know. You can use this feature by going to Account >> Privacy Settings. There you can see ways to edit your privacy settings that gives you protection from the minimum level of security up to supreme. Here you can also custom the people whom you want your information to be hidden.

11. Managing friends - at first you gain friends by searching them at the search box. After you found your friend, press the "add button" then wait for your friend's approval. You can also approve friends by checking your requests on the top-left part of your screen you'll see an icon with two people on it. There you'll see the people that requested to be your friend. You can also manage your friends by going to Account>>Manage Friends. Here you delete them or sort them by groups.

12. Messages - basically, messaging here in Facebook is quite simple. You just go to your friend's profile and click "send message to your friend's name". A pop-up window will appear where you can type in your message. Just press send and you're friend will automatically receive your message. You can check your messages at the top-left part of your screen where you will see a dialogue balloon icon.

Pinky is a mom of 3 school children. She is an Internet/Affiliate Marketer. A Systems Engineer, an Independent Medical Billing and Coding Consultant. And her blog focuses on stay-at-home moms, dads and students who wants to work at home, build homebased business. Visit her useful blog at http://www.momsworkathomeideas.com and her website at http://www.mommyisworkingathome.com.

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How to Delete a Facebook Account

By Nic Lino

Facebook makes it really easy to create an account, but hard to delete one. If you think just because you stop using your Facebook account, that it will eventually be removed from the system, think again. Facebook makes its money from advertisers that want to target people according to their interests. During the sales process, Facebook tells the advertisers how many people their ad will be shown to, based on the advertisers specifications. These numbers have to come from somewhere, and so Facebook values every account they own. They don't want to see you go.

For a long time it was unclear how to delete a Facebook account. Now they have a button for you to click that will eventually have your account deleted. They threaten that all of your information will be deleted including your pictures and all your posts. They want to put some fear into you so that you hopefully reconsider and keep your account valid.

A second method gives you a two week window in which to change your mind. You can go into the help center while logged into your account and follow the options until you come to Permanently Delete. At this point you will have to verify your password and a CAPTCHA image verification. Once you submit all the required steps, you'll have the process started. If you change your mind at any point over the next two weeks you just have to log back in to your account and it will be reinstated. For many people this might be the best method, because you might have second thoughts after deleting your account and you wont' be able to get it back once it's been purged.

Because of all the time people invest in their Facebook page, how many friends they have on their friend's page, and all of the time they spend on Facebook, there probably aren't many people that will go through with the deletion process. Many people are pack rats and can't throw anything away, especially something that brought them a source of entertainment.

Possible reasons for deleting a Facebook account are that you're sick of having all of your private information being used for marketing purposes. Also, you might be tired of having to get updates on your entire extended family, including your parents and grandparents. Maybe you just want to start fresh with a new account and limit the amount of information you put on Facebook

If you are serious about deleting your account, make sure you are logged into Facebook and click this link http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account and you'll be taken to the account deletion page. You still have to enter your password, so don't be afraid to click the link because your account won't automatically be deleted.

Dominic will one day delete his Facebook account, but not today. See his latest website marvel all about room air purifiers [http://roomairpurifiersshop.com/] and finding great Hunter air purifiers [http://roomairpurifiersshop.com/Hunter_Air_Purifiers.html] for refreshing, clean air in your home.

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How to Avoid Getting Banned on Facebook

By Andrea J. Stenberg

Although Facebook is a great tool for networking and promoting your business, there are some down sides. Facebook has some written and unwritten rules about networking and promotion. If you break one of these rules you may get a warning, or you could get banned entirely.

What Can Get You Banned

Your Facebook account can be deactivated if:

• You send "too many" friend requests in one day/session/week.
• You make "too many" wall posts in one day/session/week - especially if the posts have identical content and links.
• You copy and paste the same friend request message "too many" times.
• You send "too many" identical emails to individual friends and/or friend lists.
• You message your Group members "too many" times.
• You poke "too many" people (please tell me you're not poking people!)
• You message your Event invitees "too many" times.
• You join "too many" groups.
• You post "too many" promotional links

Notice a theme here? It's not what you do, it's how many times you do it. If you do any of these actions too many times, you look like a spammer in the eyes of the Facebook police.

So how much is too much? That's the rub. For most suspect activities there doesn't appear to be a permanent line in the sand. No 'if you send X friend requests you're okay, if you send X plus 1 you're out'. The line appears to move.

Not only that, there doesn't appear to be a set protocol Facebook follows to deal with offenders. Some people get warnings and others don't.

How To Avoid Getting Banned

However, it's not all doom and gloom. There are some rules of thumb that should keep you out of trouble with the Facebook police.

The number one rule is don't do things you wouldn't do if you when networking in person. If you attend a networking event you'd never run around the room to collect everyone's business card then head home and start spamming them. You talk to a small number of people and follow up with them. The next meeting you'd try to meet a few more people. It's a gradual process.

The same with Facebook. Even though you're using a computer you are still connecting with individual people so act accordingly. Try to make a personal connection with a small number of people during each Facebook session rather than building a large anonymous list of connections. It's about quality not quantity.

Second, personalize everything. Going back to the networking meeting analogy, while you might have a canned elevator speech, you don't go around the room having the identical conversation with everyone. You ask each new person questions, find out a little bit about them and tailor your conversation accordingly.

The same applies on Facebook. If you are pasting identical comments on everyone's wall, not only are you not building relationships, you're a spammer. However, if you take the time to read each person's page, find out a little about them and then personalize your comments you'll build deeper relationships.

Additionally, personalizing each message takes time. If you are doing this correctly and focusing on building relationships you won't have time to hit the "too many" wall posts.

Finally, take your time. Just as in-person networking is a gradual process, so is Facebook networking. If your goal is to get 3000 friends, expect to take months, not days. If you are promoting an event, invite people over the course of a few weeks, not in one day.

Facebook should just be one part of an overall marketing strategy. If you focus on building deeper relationships with a smaller number of people, treat everyone as an individual and take it slow you should do fine.

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to recording The Six Most Common Mistakes Baby Boomers Make With Social Media Marketing ... and how to avoid them when you visit http://www.SocialMediaForBabyBoomers.com

From Andrea J. Stenberg, the Baby Boomer Entrepreneur.

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4 Simple, Yet Powerful Ways to Promote Your Facebook Fan Page

By Robert Donald Holland

Facebook Fan Pages are the hottest thing on the web right now! Business owners, movie stars, and even churches are finding how effective they can radically change the way they interact with fans.

Not to mention the viral marketing exposure they can deliver for a business! Basically the more your "Fans" interact with your page, the more your page will be exposed to that person's friends!

However, promoting your Facebook Fan Page can be a bit challenging if you don't know what you're doing.

So I want to help you today by showing you 4 simple, yet powerful ways you can promote your Facebook Fan Page:

1) Create A Custom Username

** NOTE **
You must have at least 25 fans of your Facebook Fan Page to be eligible for a custom username.

A custom username is now pretty easy to come by on Facebook. And in fact, this strategy works great for your Facebook Fan Page AND your personal Facebook profile.

From a marketing perspective, a custom username (or custom URL) allows you to more easily brand your Fan Page on things like websites, business cards, documents, etc...

Also a custom username makes it easier for you to tell others how to get there (again, look at the 2 addresses above for example).

Create A Custom Facebook Username & URL

The way you create a custom username for your Facebook Fan Page (and also your personal profile) is by first visiting http:// Facebook . com / Usernames.

This page opens by default in the personal profile option. Look below the shaded box and click the link that says "Set a username for your Pages."

You will then be able to proceed and set your custom username for your Facebook Fan Page.

2) Embed your Facebook Fan Box

If you visit your Facebook Fan Page, and then look under your the profile picture, you'll find the following link:

"Add Fan Box to your site"

Go ahead and click that link, and you'll be taken to the dashboard for your "Fan Box". There are a lot of ways to customize this fan box, but you'll see 2 easy edits right in the dashboard and these are "Streams" and "Fans".

If "streams" is clicked, then the comments from your Facebook Fan Page will be included in your Fan Box. And obviously, if it's not clicked they won't.

The same for "fans" - if it's clicked, then your default number of fans is 10, and if it's not clicked then you won't see any fans.

If you look at the right hand side bar of this site (just look right), you'll see my Facebook Fan box. This is the standard box without "streams" checked, but with "fans" checked.

Once you're done selecting "streams" and / or "fans", there are options for embedding into your Blogger blog, TypePad blog, or other. If you have a Wordpress blog, then select "other" and then highlight the code in the text box that will appear. Then take that code and embed it into a sidebar widget, or wherever else you want to present your fan box.

3) Utilize the new "Get More Fans With SMS" feature

A lot of people have yet to realize that Facebook now allows people to send a text and instantly become a fan of Facebook Fan Pages! Go to your Facebook Fan Page, find the word "more" (it's in small blue print), click that and a drop down menu will open. Look down that menu and you will see "Get More Fans with SMS".

But wait... there are a few restrictions on this feature - which are:

* you must have your own custom user name (see #1 above)

That's really the only restriction.

If you have your own username, then you'll see this feature present. You can start telling others about, and you can even put a quick note on your blog or website with instructions on how to text to become a fan.

Look at the top right of this blog for an example.

The only other thing to remember with the "Get more fans with SMS" feature is that text rates do apply.

4) Add a custom Facebook Fan Page banner to your profile.

This one is my favorite! It's been a point of contention since Fan Pages launched, and that is the owners had no way to promote their Page to their personal friends on Facebook.

The "Fan Box To Your Site" does not embed into a Facebook profile. And without that, how else is someone suppose to promote their Facebook Fan Page to personal friends on Facebook? People don't want to be emailing their personal friends all the time talking about their Fan Page - most would perceive that as inconsiderate.

** OUR SOLUTION **

We finally had enough people ask about "how to" make this happen that we decided we were going to find a way - someway, somehow, to make this happen.

If you'd like to learn more about this process, then call us today @ 706-363-0335!

Robert Holland is the founder of Social Media SEO, a leading technology and social media blog that covers news, tips, and information for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts! Visit us at http://SocialMediaSEO.net

Become a fan of our Facebook Page at http://Facebook.com/SocialSEO

For consulting, content, and customization services, you can call us directly at 706-363-0335.

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Benefits of Facebook Advertising to Your Business

By Raymond S.

It's really difficult to get some exposure to your business whether it's offline or online. You also want those that are really interested in buying your products or services.

Maybe you've used all the traditional advertising methods such as SEO, writing some press releases, article marketing, paid advertising like PPC.

But have you thought about using Facebook to get potential customers? If not then you're really limiting your exposure because this can be a great source of targeted customers. The kind that you won't get by implementing common marketing methods.

What's Facebook advertising and why should you even bother with it?

If you've been inside Facebook then you've probably seen them. These are the ads that you can find on the right side of your Facebook pages. And most of the ads that are posted will generally be interesting and enjoyable to you.

You won't see the same ads as everyone else that's using Facebook at that time. The ads you're seeing are the ones that are specifically focused to the information that Facebook used from your options and other different sources.

These ads are simple but at the same time they're very powerful. Each one will have a title, text block and an image of your choice. These elements will all fit within a one hundred ten by eighty pixel box so it can fit right into the vertical right sidebar of Facebook.

So what are the benefits that you can get with Facebook advertising?

The biggest benefit that you can get with Facebook ads is the social networking aspect and the trending power. The clicks are also cheaper when you compare it to more traditional paid advertisements like using Google AdWords for PPC. There are also many horror stories where beginners get burned because they're not careful with the cost per click of their PPC campaigns.

However, this is not a suggestion to replace Google AdWords and you really shouldn't think about that. Your Facebook ads can also be exposed in mobile phones which is getting a more usage as years pass by.

Another point to consider Facebook advertising is that you can introduce a graphic element to your ads. It's clear that showing images or photos can really increase the interest of a reader.

One last thing that's a huge benefit is that you can write longer text in your Facebook ads. In Google AdWords, you can only write just over 70 words. In Facebook, you can write a headline that's over 20 characters and over 130 words for the body copy.

Do you want to discover the secret emotional motivator behind Facebook's market domination and learn how to use it to generate hordes of traffic to your pages? Then read my detailed Underground Traffic Blueprints review [http://www.undergroundtrafficblueprintsreviews.org/] by clicking here -> [http://www.undergroundtrafficblueprintsreviews.org/]

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How Facebook Advertising Can Effect Your Business

By Peter Garety

Facebook advertising is a very powerful marketing tool that can be utilized by anybody. It is open to everyone who is willing to get into business social networking. Using Facebook ads is an efficient way of getting some exposure over the internet marketplace and many business owners have already proven that. Through the proper use of Facebook ads, a considerable increase in customer-base and sales can be observed.
So, do you run a business of your own? If yes, then don't let yourself get left behind. Here are some of the best practices you can do in getting the best results out of Facebook advertising.
Of course, the first thing to do is creating your Facebook ad. Think of a catchy title for your ad, something that's 25-character long including spaces. Then, type the content for the body of your advertisement. For this part, 135 characters is the limit for the length including spaces. To make your ad more appealing, it is best that you upload an image that perfectly suits the message you are conveying in your ad. Following that, you will be asked whether you want people to be redirected to your own webpage or to a Facebook page, application, group or event. In addition to that, you will also have the chance to precisely target your audience by age, gender, location and more.
Basically, those comprise the simple steps of creating Facebook ads. But as you are in the process of doing so, you need to keep in mind what your advertising goal is. What do you want to focus more on: getting traffic to your Facebook page/own webpage or making your ad visible to as many users as possible?
If driving traffic to your page is more important, then opting for a pay-per-click ad is recommended. This way, you can be sure that your ad is highly targeted to the most relevant and appropriate audience. But for this to be possible, you need to have a landing page which can either be your Facebook fan/group page or a separate webpage of your own.
If making your brand/company's name easily recognizable is of higher importance, the better choice is pay-per-impression type of ads. By opting for this type of Facebook ads, it means that your goal is to have as many users as possible see your ad.
Another good practice in Facebook advertising is keyword targeting. Using keywords is a powerful way of narrowing down the target audience of your ad to Facebook users who share interests that best correlate with what you offer.
Users prefer ads that are simple. As much as possible, create your ad in a manner that is simple and easy to read. Steer away from long sentences and complex punctuations. Instead, stick to short yet precise sentences that are grammatically correct and properly punctuated. By doing so, your ad becomes more direct, hence more efficient.
Last but not the least, it is important that you always put yourself in the shoes of your targeted audience in creating ads in business social networking sites such as Facebook. Remember that in Facebook business, just like in any kind of venture, the convenience of users, who may be your customers later on, is top priority.
Seeing that Facebook is now the number one social networking site, engaging in Facebook business truly comes with a lot of benefits. You just need to be sure that you are doing the right practices in order to make your Facebook advertising experience really worth your while.
Take action today. Bring your social networking experience to the next level and get more customers to your business than you possibly can handle. Visit Crowd Conversion Review site now and learn more about Facebook.
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Is Advertising on Facebook Free? Things You Should Know About Your Business Online

By Victoria Murphy

It is no secret that Facebook is the most popular and largest social networking site these days. As such, it's a no brainer to advertise in such a very well-liked website that grabs the most traffic of all websites, next only to Google. For any business, company, or organization hoping to get exposure from potential clients, customers, buyers, or even just visitors, there's really no argument when it comes whether or not they need to advertise on Facebook. But for some, online marketing and advertising usually correspond to paying for services. So the first question would be: is advertising on Facebook free? Gladly and fortunately for all of us, it is in fact free!

But then again, it must be pointed out that Facebook actually offers two kinds of advertising: free and with a cost. What's the difference, then? Let's find out by reading on.

Creating a Business Profile

In order to effectively advertise in Facebook, you are required to create and build your own business profile aside from the personal profile that you may already have. Obviously, the personal profile serves as your personal page where you find friends, add them and then communicate with them in a friendly and wholesome manner. However, there's another part of the social networking site that many of us are not aware of and this is the separate business page. With it, you can market and advertise your company or business for free. But the process is quite simple. All you have to do is produce a company logo and photos of products and services you are offering. You can as well create videos. You then create a business profile and put in the stuff without any payments or fees.

"Like" the Business

One of the greatest advantages of linking and connecting your newly created business page to your own Facebook personal profile is that you can conveniently import and use your contacts. You can ask them to "like" your business page. When people become fans of your business page, they can also make and post comments and in no time, you get significant buildup in traffic.

Good Quality Content

You must be reminded though that a fan page must contain substantial and useful information in order for people to be encouraged in visiting the page repeatedly. Good content includes sufficient information that is well-written, videos, photos, and more. However, keep in mind as well to avoid hard-selling. Don't project a kind of image wherein you look like you're desperate enough to sell your products or services. The point is keeping your business page very interesting and fun.

So is advertising on Facebook free? It's a resounding yes! You see, there are a lot of other ways to be able to effectively advertise and in the process succeed in your online business. But be sure you're going to try out Facebook considering the well established fact that it is by far one of the most effective tools in grabbing attention and interest.

Victoria Murphy is a Facebook marketing expert who have gained success in her online business through years of research on advertising on Facebook. Her passion has led her to success and she's always willing to answer questions such as is advertising on Facebook free.

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Facebook Marketing Tips From the World's Top Facebook Experts

By Amy Porterfield

Facebook, with 500 million active users, is a powerful social media network that provides tremendous opportunities for businesses that use it well. To take your Facebook marketing to the next level, follow these tips from these highly respected industry professionals.
#1: Add Facebook to Your Website
According to Jesse Stay, author of FBML Essentials and other Facebook books, one of the best things you can do is bring Facebook to your website, with a few simple lines of code. The easiest way to do this is by adding the Facebook Like Box to your website. It shows your Facebook page feed, pictures of people who are fans and the number of fans.
#2: Try Out Inexpensive Facebook Ads
According to Chris Treadaway, co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day, Facebook advertising is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising in Internet Marketing today. The ads are targeted, and reasonably priced for all sizes of businesses.
It's easy to set up an ad on Facebook; just go to the ads section on Facebook and click on the "Create an Ad" button.
#3 Leverage the Friends of Your Connections
Once you have your Facebook ad ready to go, Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Social Media: Marketing to Win in a Facebook World recommends that you set up the "Facebook's 'Friends of Connections'" option, ad targeting that allows your fans to be featured in your Facebook ads. You can do this under "Targeting" where you'll see a place to display more details. In order to see this option, you have to be the admin of the Facebook Page.
#4: Provide Fun Opportunities for Your Fans to Connect
People are social and love opportunities to get together, so why not have a "happy hour" on your Facebook wall? Instead of serving drinks, give your fans an opportunity to post their links on your Facebook wall. Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, also suggest luring people in by arranging to have an expert present who can answer their questions right on your Facebook wall.
#5: Use Video to Gain New Fans
People love videos, and the great thing about it is that anytime a non-fan watches your video, a button pops up suggesting that the person like your Facebook Page. According to Ekaterina Walter, Intel's social media strategist, in order to take advantage of this feature you have to upload the video using the video tab inside of Facebook instead of embedding a YouTube video.
Anytime someone who is not a fan views your video on Facebook, they'll see the Like button for your Facebook Page on the video screen in the upper left corner. This is a great way to get more exposure and gain new fans.
#6 Use Your Facebook Page as a Lead Generator
Facebook expert Mari Smith recommends using Facebook as source for capturing leads. To do so, she recommends adding the Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) app to your fan page. This app enables you to add custom content, including an opt-in box, to your Facebook page.
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger promotes his podcasts on his Facebook Page through the use of an opt-in page. He has a separate page for the opt-in, which does a great job of bringing attention to the opt-in opportunity.
#7 Turn your Page into a Vibrant Community
Your Facebook Page can be a great place for like-minded people to meet and mingle. Involve your customers on your page as much as you can by asking questions and suggesting ways for them to share things on your wall. The director of digital strategy at SmartBrief, Rob Birgfeld, recommends asking what your fans would like to share with you and others rather than focusing on what you want to share with them.
BONUS TIP:
When it comes to Facebook, you need a tailored strategy that works for your business. As time goes by, Facebook proves to be more important. You're starting to see a widening gap of those who get it and those who don't.
If you are looking to increase your leads, drive more traffic to your website and turn fans and followers into customers, FBinfluence is your step-by-step solution for making Facebook Marketing work for your business.
Brought to you by Amy Porterfield http://amyporterfield.com
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When Will Facebook Go Public?

By Mike Strom

Facebook INC (FB) IPO is prominent in 2012, it is only a matter of time before Facebook will go public. It is not set in stone for a particular month, but set in stone for a particular year, which is 2012. Facebook plans to make its IPO debut sometime this year and many people aren't sure what month that'll be. Their files where registered with the SEC last month and everything is in writing for what will happen this year, possibly the biggest and most hyped IPO ever set to take place in history.

The highly anticipated (FB) Facebook Corporation is talking about going public. Facebook announced this last year and has met its final stages for IPO, its stock to emerge in the market.

Facebook INC, Facebook Stock Price will most likely open bids around $42.20 a share, as they're going to be the biggest private company to go public, with over $6.6 billion in assets, tremendous revenue and growth. The innovation of Facebook has made its run successful and their plans to keep innovating are customary to their Facebook growth strategy. A private newsletter I'm subscribed to, ran the numbers and say that the growth of Facebook will continue and rally up to 2016.

Facebook is weak in the Mobile market experience for users and are currently developing a HTML5 website that can account for the heavy use of Facebook with smart phones. Over half of Facebook users use Facebook with a mobile device. Plans to contract with Warner bros and sell 48 slots of movies online which in my opinion is mid-term goals for eventually making the Facebook experience a booming TV/Movie watching experience. Google TV is only an example of how TV's will be working in our future.

Risk Factor: "If we fail to retain existing users or add new users, or if our users decrease their level of engagement with Facebook, our revenue, financial results, and business may be significantly harmed." source: 10Q filings

Competition: Google+ and the largely regional, social sites that have strong positions in certain countries, including Cyworld in Korea, Mixi in Japan, Orkut (owned by Google) in Brazil and India.

Facebook became a corporation in Delaware, founded by Mark Zuckerberg in July 2004. Facebook is one of the biggest social media websites in the world, with over 845million active users over 43% increase from last year. Facebook INC keeps the tempo and pursues the key of innovation. Their biggest assets are the users who are engaged on the site, the developers who personalize and innovate more ideas to Facebook, their advertisers and marketers who keep the reach, relevance, and engagement of perfectly targeted ads based on the users interest, to maintain a lucrative campaign on the Facebook website.

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I Hope You Didn't Get Zucked On Your Facebook Stock!

By Lance Winslow

Well, as if anything couldn't get any worse for Facebook's stock there might be more challenge down the road - consider if you will that Goldman Sachs is now allowing you to borrow their shares on margin to short (FB) Facebook. The 10-days are up since Facebook's IPO and now anyone can short the stock, of course, you can't naked short the stock without risk, so you'll need some shares. Let's discuss this shall we?

So, has Goldman Sachs had enough of sitting on the sidelines watching this fiasco unfold like the rest of us? That might be a good part of it, or it might just be sour-grapes as Morgan Stanley took the lead on the IPO? Hard to say, but Facebook's IPO debacle leaves so many with egg on their face now as the accusations and lawsuits fly. NASDAQ may indeed, or at least indicated that they "might" make some investors whole for what went on that day, as congressional hearings loom and the second largest IPO and biggest IPO failure in history stalls the IPO market perhaps for months into the future.

Personally, I hope you didn't get "Zucked" on your FB stock, which is a newly coined term, obviously a play-on-word off of the Founder of Facebook's last name "Zuckerberg" but if you did buy in or were recorded as buying near $45 per share, things could get even worse, as the stock was down to $25 and change per share on the ninth day of trading, ouch! Oh, and CYA - this article author does not own any Facebook stock nor does he participate on the Facebook social network.

Facebook had a string of negative PR after their historical IPO, for instance the recent admission that many of its social networking teens were actually under 13-years old, and that the company wanted to harvest more younger people for the site? Why you ask, well I suspect to sell them breakfast cereal, toys, video games, etc. and of course many parents are outraged by all this - and investors are looking pretty silly and pathetic in the process if they are holding shares now.

Worse, some analysts are saying that 13 is not for the average age of their future target market. Yes, kids need a place to play, although one has to ask if the digital social networking space is the right place.

Still, even if Facebook started out bad, that doesn't guarantee it will end that way, many an analyst, as well as those inside the company realize that internationally they are still doing fine, even if not every social networking teenager and college student in the US is still so enthralled. What does this mean for the stock? It was off to a rough start and time will tell. Please consider all this and think on it. Remember CYA: I am not a stock market professional analyst and all stock decisions must be based on your own due diligence.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on Stock Picking Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Most Popular Mistakes in Facebook Advertising

By Jason Nyback

Since Facebook advertising is considerably new in comparison with the other traditional internet marketing and advertising methods such as search engine optimization, pay per click, and the like, it is understandable to make initial mistakes and at some point we will bundle in whatever we are doing and that is actually an invaluable part of the learning process, the best way of knowing the things that you should and should not do again. So in order to minimize losses and maximize the Facebook ads that you are willing to place, here are some of the most common mistakes that can be done with Facebook advertising.

You may notice that the makers and maintaining management group of Facebook is continuously making it sure that the most popular social networking website in the world remains to be user friendly and very navigable and this is one of the aspects that makes Facebook very popular - its easy to use and uncomplicated interface makes this website enticing to use whatever age group you are in and whatever Facebook function you want to use from uploading pictures to real-time chatting to updating your profile information. And one of the biggest errors that you can make is attaching a website to Facebook that is very complex and intricate, not in line with the ordinary browsing capabilities of Facebook's regular users and this would really pose serious issues with your capacity to encourage these people to read on and even purchase anything that you have for them since you would not even be able to convince them to go back to your website, much less tell their friends about your website.

So do not be surprised if your website traffic is a bit thin and your conversions are almost near to zero if you have a very technical website or if your web pages have not been arranged to allow free flow of surfing, devoid of any irritating pop ups and very complicated roundabout procedures in order for one to be able to even get around to buying anything off your online shelves. So if you feel that you have very good products and that they would really be useful to your target market in Facebook, it is high time that your website undergo a total content revamp, or at the very least a renovation especially on the processes, and maybe a little on the marketing and selling lines and tags ensuring that everything is interesting. It would be a pity if you have already enticed them to click on the link of your website only to find out that they were having a hard time accessing what they wish to see on your website.

What if you can't get more website traffic? Here's a "secret snowball traffic system" that has generated over 1,175,000 visitors for my tiny websites. Click Here Now to get this free video that will show you how to make it happen for your sites. http://www.jasonnyback.com/ezine

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Understanding the Facebook Timeline Elements for Creating a Successful Fan Page

By Brandon V Espinoza

Now that the Facebook Timeline and cover photo feature has already been introduced, what's next? What should this mean for every business? Can companies gain a more positive social experience from the feature? The answer is yes, and much more! New directional strategy for any social network always brings new opportunities, and the Facebook Timeline and cover photo features boasts unique characteristics and elements to take full advantage of the changes.

Take Advantage of Timeline Capabilities

The researcher, Simply Measured, drew its results from an impressively small sample: just 15 Facebook Fan pages. Doing so may have generated a fabricated sense of buzz, especially since the ultimate beneficiaries, Livestrong and Toyota, saw their engagement rates skyrocket 161% and 156%, respectively. Diving deeper into the data exposes that replies to status updates in fact fell with Timeline, but engagement with videos and photos were up an unexpectedly 65%. Adam Schoenfeld, CEO of Simply Measured expressed his theory that the bigger images on Timeline are leading to more engagement with vibrant material. That will inform marketers to post additional videos and photos.

With Facebook filled with all kinds of products, brands, and companies, before implementing a Facebook strategy, companies want to know whether it would beneficial to invest in a Facebook marketing campaign for the new timeline and professional cover photo. Moreover, they want to know whether they can deliver their company message professionally and appropriately. Businesses also at the same time look forward to impressing their customers with the cover photo and timeline strategy.

A thoughtful cover photo and distinct approach to the timeline is proving to be an advantage for businesses in this regard. The timeline change has progressed from an obvious pitch opt in Fan page front end, to a non-aggressive visual representation to standout, communicating a simple message. Neither old nor new Fan page layout is the same as before. For Facebook, the design layout is the initiative.

Change is an ever constant in this world; we all know that. We are also aware that change can sometimes be painful too. Now that your business has finally acquired your very own Facebook marketing strategy to work for you, the creators at Facebook began the inevitable - changing the rules! The reality, however, remains; if you want to keep engaging with your audiences and prospects on the social network, you have to learn to adapt with any changes especially the timeline and cover photo. You just cannot ignore these important elements. Thankfully, there are smart tactics regarding how you can make this timeline dilemma work for your business effectively.

For starters, embrace the visual focus Facebook offers by brainstorming a subtle message comprised with professional design skills to enhance your company brand. The 850x315 pixels of cover photo image space with timeline layout, allows you to create a viral recognizable brand of your business on Facebook.

In addition to the cover photo, Facebook timeline Fan pages, groups, and profiles have upgraded the following:

• A vertical timeline (wall) that posts status updates, highlights, and the ability to change dates in a two-way downward column
• A timeline to be sociable by sharing remarkable content exceptionally
• A larger layout design dedicated for applications, including editorial photos, and even dynamic videos
• The cover photo feature is a professional and unique element where a company or brand can display a creative photo that represents the company or brand characteristics

It would be in a company's best interest to shape an eye-catching message, symbol, brand, or identifiable picture to choose for their cover photo. Delivering a clear message in a professional manner for potential customers and clients to see is a positive representation of the company image. An important game changing strategy is to update your cover photo from time to time to keep your Facebook page fresh and upbeat.

Companies must understand that web users engage more with visual content naturally; which draws users in to anything interesting they can look at. Planning your editorial images comprehensively will generate the best engagement with fans, while attracting more followers that want to share your message.

Unique and entertainingly written posts will remain crucial as well; you may also want to provide subtle yet detailed correlation to compliment your visual content. The visually focused Facebook has provided the features necessary to create the best conditions for greater engagement. Visual focus is what companies and brands needed according to Facebook.

Always aim to be creative with the images you plan to display, because these dynamics either make a good or bad impression to your business from visitors and prospects point of view. With the new Fan page cover photo feature, including the thumbnail photos intended for the applications, you are now empowered to conceptualize an impressive page and implement it for effective Facebook results.

Conclusion

In this article you have learned the easiest ways to increase your exposure, gain, traffic, and create greater engagement with your Fan page or profile. By doing so, you will increase Facebook traffic flow through your site, and optimistically increase your search engine rankings as well. Minor adjustments like those you learned today can make a big transformation to your Facebook marketing campaign.

To review, make certain that you create a remarkable Fan page or profile cover photo that stands out. Also, give thoughtful time to mapping out your design, be unique and entertaining, and aim for creativity, avoid blatant promotion, selling, or calls to action and keep good standing with Facebook.

Brandon Espinoza is a passionate social media expert who loves to share his Internet marketing knowledge with others. For more information and education about Facebook for Business or Facebook for marketing tips that produce non stop traffic, see more at http://www.Facebookmarketingbookreview.Com

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Can Google+ Stop Facebook From Becoming The Top Site On The Web?

By Titus Hoskins

All the talk recently has been about Google+ and can it beat Facebook at the social networking game? But a more interesting question to consider is the heated Google vs Facebook competition. If you just examine the Alexa numbers alone, you will see that Facebook is beating Google hands-down in some very important traffic stats.
Actually, in both May and June, Facebook knocked Google out of the number one position a couple of times, you can see this if you compare the stats for Google and Facebook in Alexa. But where Facebook must have Google really concerned is in the number of "Pageviews" and "Time Spent on Site" - Facebook easily wins the day.
Google had to do something to compete with Facebook, otherwise Google would have to give up its position as the top site on the web. Perception is everything on the web and Google would lose both revenues and reputation, if it has to settle for second place.
Will Google+ become popular?
Google+ might catch on or it might not, anyone remember Google Buzz, Google Wave, or even iGoogle - those haven't exactly been knockouts with 3/4 of a billion users? Could Google+ go the same route?
Right now, Google+ is getting some good press and everyone seems to be clambering for an invite. Google says it's testing out the system with a few users at first - which is very hard to swallow. Given all the resources Google has at its disposal, they should be able to roll-out any system, with 10s or even 100s of millions, signing up.
Could this limited availability be a marketing ploy on Google's part and somewhat fabricated? By limiting supply, even on a free product, you create a built up demand for that product. Old marketing trip that still works wonders for any campaign.
Regardless, Google+ has some features worth considering if you like these social networking cesspools. I particularly like the "Circles" feature, where you can limit contact to a certain group of people - such as keeping your close friends and family totally separated from your work or business colleagues. This has been one of my major problems with Facebook... I don't want to mix the people I meet and work with online to have access to my family contacts and friends. In other words, you want to keep the people you "truly" know away from online acquaintances and contacts. Just common sense at play here, especially in regards to safety and security.
Besides these "Circles" Google+ is divided up into four other features:
Instant Upload - You can instantly upload your videos and photos to your account (in the cloud) and then decide which group or circle of friends you want to share them with.
Hangouts - Group video chat where you can talk to up to 10 friends at once. The person talking the loudest will be featured in the spotlight, with the others displayed below. Teenagers will probably like this feature the most, but it could also become popular for business conferencing.
Sparks - Tell it what you like or want and this program will bring interested related stuff to your attention. Used to spark discussions and sharing the stuff that floats your boat with friends and colleagues. This is basically a search engine disguised as socialized chit-chat, wonder if Google knows anything about search engines?
Huddle - Group text chat where everyone can talk at the same time. Makes it easier to get everyone on the same page and again' may become popular with the younger set. This feature can be used directly from your phone, if you're using an Android 2.0+ or an iPhone 4.0+ phone.
I believe the whole "Trust" issue could be a major factor in the success of Google+... I believe Google has built up a lot of trust with web surfers, this could bring onboard a lot of users.
But even with some good press and some good reviews, especially when it comes to the "Circle" feature of grouping friends, doesn't mean hundreds of millions will be leaving Facebook for Google+. Geeks and techies will no doubt jump ship faster than your regular "moms and pops" on Facebook.
Once you have all your networks built up in Facebook, most people are not going to jump ship just because another program comes along, even if it's from Google. Then again, we always have to remember, the Internet is very "fluid" and changes quickly.
MySpace was once the most popular Facebook!
But many web users will always think of Google as a Search Engine and leave it at that; they will keep their social connections separate. However, Google+ only has to cut into Facebook's numbers, to knock Facebook back down a couple of pegs. And/or to stop Facebook from getting to a Billion Users, which will have its own bragging rights.
Of course, I look at all this stuff from an SEO viewpoint, Google+ will give Google another powerful way to rank web content. It will be another large pool of data Google can draw upon to discover what content, sites, videos, articles... users are sharing and recommending. I don't believe Google gives a hoot about the social aspect, they probably don't give a hoot about you or your aunt Sue, but they do care about what you and your Aunt Sue are doing online, what sites are important to you and which content you're viewing.
I believe a major SEO shift is happening in the background...
Instead of just backlinks, Google is now looking more closely at your whole site and content, ranking it accordingly. Google MAY also be getting ready to switch more of their ranking signals towards their OWN data coming from 160+ million Google Chrome users, the new Google +1 Button and the even newer Google+ social networking platform we are talking about here. Plus, Google also has all that data from YouTube, Google Analytics, AdSense and AdWords... and of course, all that countless data from its own search engine and how people use it.
However, getting back to our original question, can Google+ be a "Facebook Killer" as many people are suggesting? Is this the end of Facebook?
It's way too soon to be making those kind of calls, but despite its rather awkward name, Google+ will eat away at Facebook's numbers and members. Perhaps, it just has to slow down the Facebook bandwagon enough so that Google can hold onto the top spot on the web. If I were Facebook, this new entry would cause me some concern and I would be adding new features like video chat and keeping a close eye on what Google is doing with Google Plus.
At first glance, I thought the choice of Google+ was a rather awkward name, but if you combine it with the Google +1 button it makes much more sense. Especially when you look at this not as a social network, but more as a ranking system designed by Google to help it provide higher quality rankings in their index. Nothing wrong with that and everyone benefits; besides, killing two birds with one stone is not a crime.
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The author is a full time online affiliate marketer who operates numerous niche sites, as well as two sites on Internet Marketing: marketing tools or try here free marketing tools Titus Hoskins Copyright. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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2012 Top 5 Must Have Apps for Your Facebook Page

By Mary J. Thomson

Facebook has taken over our lives and is now a part of our daily ablutions. What makes Facebook so unique is its wide variety of multipurpose applications which facilitate social networking as well as many other things such as entertainment, job searching, politics and travel.

Here are 5 must have apps that you should have on your Facebook page:

• Print To Target - Print Photos On Facebook

Keeping the notion that photos are memories, the Print To Target app offers users an ability to print any of their Facebook photos. The app allows you to print photos, calendars with your friend's birthdays. Photos can be mailed or picked up at your local Target. Now sending photos to grandma or grandpa is fun and easy.

• Words With Friends - The 21st Century Scrabble

Zynga continues to create the best and the most addictive games. Words With Friends is the new Scrabble and for most people it is truly addictive. Words with Friends has over 16,000,000 monthly users. In fact there is a good chance the person sitting next to you on the train is playing right now. The idea is simple you create words, get points and try to beat your friends.

• Pooldip - Job searching on Facebook Made Easy

Job searching on Facebook just got a lot easier with the Pooldip app. This non-intrusive job app lets you connect and follow recruiters. It is simple to create a profile or just import your LinkedIn profile. Pooldip keeps all of your professional information confidential. Pooldip has over 1 million jobs on their Facebook job app. Pooldip makes it easy to find and apply for a job on Facebook. With Pooldip you no longer have to visit countless company fan pages to see who is hiring, everything is in one place.

• MyCalendar - Facebook's Fastest Growing Calendar

If you are one of the millions of people who enjoy writing Happy Birthday on a friend's wall than you will love Facebook's MyCalendar app. This app is your own reminder book for all the important events around the year. Used by more than 35,000,000 Facebook users each month, MyCalendar makes sure you won't forget an important event.

• TripAdvisor - A Facebook Travel Kit

Already a renowned travel site, TripAdvisor also has one of the top travel apps on Facebook. Showing off your travels has never been so fun thanks to the TripAdvisor Facebook app. Users can show their friends their travels or research their next trip. Available in multiple languages, the Trip Advisor app has over 13,000,000 active monthly users.

In a world where everything is social and when Facebook has become the number one way to connect with people across nations, it is time we utilize everything that Facebook has to offer. These Facebook apps will optimize your time on Facebook.

So, what are you waiting for? Download these popular Facebook apps and enjoy everything Facebook has to offer today!

As an experienced researcher, my idea is to learn and share everything I can with my readers. Stay tuned for more business, travel and career ideas as I love to write about this subjects and more....

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_J._Thomson


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