Facebook: will you be my friend?

I'm seeing quite a few business colleagues who have normal 'personal' profiles being used as business pages. Apart from the fact that you run the risk of Facebook suspending your account if you do this, there are very specific benefits to doing things the 'right way'!

I accept people as 'friends' on my personal account because they are - guess what - friends. I know them personally. They might, indeed, be friends that I have met through my business activities, networking events and so forth, but I know them as individuals, and am happy to share with them the things that are personal to me. I don't expect to be a 'friend' of a business; I don't want a business to see my personal postings, nor to see theirs. I am interested to see what they post as a business. So I'm much happier 'liking' a business page than I am asking them to be my friend, if that's not what I am. (Asking somebody you've never actually met before to 'be my friend' feels too reminiscent of the playground for my taste!)

If you're a business, and feel that you need a Facebook page, but you really don't want to be visible on Facebook to your real-life friends, you can always create a Business profile. You won't use Facebook as a 'friend', but you simply have access to your Business page and all that goes with it.

However, if (like me) you have two faces on Facebook - your personal and your business side - you can simply create a business page and set yourself as the administrator. It gives you a head start on acquiring 'likes' for your page, as it's likely that many of your real 'friends' will support you in your business, or even have been on the receiving end of your services. If it's appropriate, you can post as your business and then share that post to the wider circle of your friends.

So, if you do have a presence on Facebook, but you're actually using it only to promote your business, I'd strongly recommend that you convert your profile. Facebook now has a tool to make this straightforward.

And if you need help, just let me know!