Putting a face on Facebook
“Kicking It” (conte and pastel drawing), Copyright © Attaining Creativity 2008.
Purchase the original.
I admit that I am more of a Web junky than I would like to be. I need to check my e-mail box as soon as my first cup of coffee is ready in the morning, and I need to check up on blogs that I follow or newsletters I subscribe to.
Because of the various entrepreneurial newsletters I subscribe to, I keep seeing lectures and seminars on Viral Marketing. That seems to be the hot, new term these days – that or Web 2.0. Social websites like MySpace and Facebook are beginning to be used as the new networking source of the 2000’s. Along with Twitter (a software used to follow a person), these terms are being thrown all over the web.
So instead of putting out a couple of hundred of dollars on a seminar, I went to my local library’s website and looked for books (I love to physically read books in front of me, not on a computer screen). Even up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, my library system is keeping up with the times, and I had them deliver to me “Facebook: The Missing Manual.”
Although the book was published in January 2008, it is already outdated (that tells you how quickly this site is progressing). The book is geared more towards connecting with old friends and finding a job in the 9-5 world. However, as a starter and a great resource on how to set up privacy restrictions, this is a great place to start.
With the help of the book, I set up my profile and a page for my art business . I have to admit that when I first went into the Facebook website, I was perplexed as to how to make it an advantageous business tool. The book actually helped in providing me access to tools that remain a bit hidden in the regular layout of the website, and although I still don’t think it is the most intuitive site, I am beginning to feel more comfortable using it. Another great thing about all these new social sites and software is that they are quickly becoming interactive. For example, I can link my blog to my Facebook page and eliminate the double typing or copying and pasting. And maybe, just maybe, Twitter and Facebook might be connected too – that is a future research project. I have to admit that ever since I first heard about Twitter, I’ve secretly wanted to join. I just have to make sure that I’m doing plenty of art business related events when I do, so that my updates are relevant to my artwork and not just “I’m currently picking tomatoes from my front garden patch.”
As with any tool, it is mainly about how you use it that shows how relevant and useful it can be. And I do realize that it isn’t the answer to all answers. I still have to physically connect with people, show them my work, and make them fans the old-fashioned way (and limit my Facebook time to maybe 15 minutes a day, or every other day). However, having another “crumb” with my name on it on the web shouldn’t hurt either – it just gives people another venue to find me through.
So, check out my links – I would love it if you became a “fan”!
Update: As I’m moving my business forward in “bootstrapping” fashion, I’m always on the lookout of getting some valuable information for free (I know, I know, that’s tough). Besides checking out the library, if you are interested in how Facebook can help your business (and there is a business side to art and creativity), check out this FREE teleseminar: “The 1st Secret Behind Creating Facebook Connections”, hosted by Jen Blackert and Mary Pat Kavanagh, taking place on Friday, September 19th, 2008, at 2PM Eastern.
