In my last blog update, I covered some point which I feel make up the “etiquette” of Twitter, in a bid to help users new and old to wrap their head around some of the “don’t” of using this particularly powerful social media tool.

This time around, I’m shining the light on Facebook…

Facebook

Facebook is probably the most ‘social’ of the big 3 social media outlets I’d urge a business to use (LinkedIn and Twitter being the other two).  While LinkedIn is specifically for business, and Twitter is almost halfway between; Facebook is at the other end of the spectrum – all the more reason to get your head wrapped around the etiquette of using it for business purposes.

• As tempting as it may be, don’t go round adding every single individual you come across on Facebook as a friend if you don’t know them, or don’t have any reason to add them other than to increase your friend count.  Firstly, it’s just bad practice; and secondly, that person may very well be someone you really don’t want to connect with.  With Twitter, connections are one-way until reciprocated – on Facebook, it’s a two-way thing suited to an actual friendship or connection.
• This should be a common sense point, but don’t spam people!  The reason I mention it rather than assuming people will have the sense not to do it is that Facebook present so many different ways in which to annoy the living hell out of your friends list.  Friend requests, recommendations, group invites, application spam, wall posts… the list goes on.  Be mindful of just how much you’re asking of your “friends”, otherwise you’ll soon find yourself without any.  For the twentieth time, I do not want to come to a foam party… I do not need to know how many sheep you have slaughtered today in Farmville…
• Don’t live your life through Facebook.  There are few things more cringe-worthy than seeing someones emotional breakdown played out through status updates.  I’d wager that every single person reading this has at least one friend on Facebook who constantly complains about their boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband etc with a barrage of over-emotional updates like “Stacey Burns just cannot take this anymore”.  There is a time and a place; and neither of those will ever be on Facebook.
• Decide how social you want to be from the offset.  For some people, keeping their personal life and their professional ones seperate is an absolute necessity.  If you have any concerns whatsoever that embarrassing photos of you drunkenly baring your bits will be uploaded to Facebook, or if you have the sort of friends who will post abusive messages on your wall, then perhaps its worth considering having two profiles – one personal and one for business, and never the twain shall meet.
• And last but not least…. don’t poke your business connections.  They don’t like to be poked.