Rebecca: My Facebook Experience

Nick,

Once upon a time I was also a Facebook sceptic.

I first became aware of Facebook during my undergrad at the end of 2006. I found the invasion of privacy the site provided a little frightening and decided to not sign up. Slowly everyone around me started joining and using it more frequently, it almost seemed to take on cult aspects. Eventually, I started to feel that I was missing out on plans and conversations because I stubbornly refused to have my life exposed to others.

On April 4, 2007, I finally became a proud Facebook user. My use to date is predominately social. I would estimate that I regularly interact with 5 per cent of my “friends,” keep up-to-date with another 5 to 10 per cent and the majority are acquaintances which I rarely to never interact with. Many of this last group are people that I’ve shared experiences with in the past (such as met while travelling) and would feel comfortable calling upon if I had a reason, but they aren’t part of my everyday life. In this way Facebook has become a fabulous way of recording the people and events that pass through your life.

I will admit that I remain a somewhat primitive Facebook user. I avoid most applications and rarely add pages or groups that don’t directly affect me. For this reason, I don’t feel that corporations are fully benefitting from my use of Facebook. Still, I do believe there is a benefit for PR practitioners.

A past professor of mine actively and successfully uses Facebook to promote her company. I believe it is the only form of marketing she uses. She owns a small not-for-profit jewellery company, KSSelects. I am a member of the page and regularly receive updates when new products are available. The messages also explain how profit is being used, often to help children in Africa. The page has helped her to raise thousands of dollars, making her a huge supporter of social media. I agree with her view that there is huge untapped potential for organizations that properly implement Facebook into their integrated marketing programs. I hope to find more success stories in the next few weeks. Does anyone else know of companies that have created businesses solely through Facebook?

Check out KSSelects @ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=37505548297