“How to put “Face” Back into Social Media and why we don’t want “faceless” friends”

Have you ever had a “Facebook friend” who you’ve never seen what they look like? These are the kind of people who use their product or something else as their avatar and they are never quite revealed.

While back I had a heated discussion my Facebook wall about deleting Facebook friends who have no “Face” .  As a publicist it is a hot topic when it comes to Facebook publicity.  I personally delete individuals with no photo or use fake images to represent who they are.  I did not expect that this short usual note would bring over 69 comments and I promised my readers to write about it because I think I pushed everyone’s hot button. I am sure it felt like getting burned by “curling iron” and jumping from realizing it is HOT topic. People are afraid to talk about it and keep poluting their network with faceless friends.

People are afraid to talk about the problems with their  network of faceless friends…. I mean come on…… they have NO FACE!

Here is what I said “I am going to be deleting people with no facebook photos… We are here to connect with real humans and build relationships. So if you want to be friends please honor what Facebook is about.. It has “Face” in it.”

Wow in less than 24 hours 69 comments and my facebook friends expressed their views  and energy was very high. We loved our discussion and that is why I am writing.   We also talked about removing people with snobby attitude which is another topic by itself.

So who took the “Face” out of Facebook? If you really think about the true purpose of Facebook or any other social media platform you will see it is all about communication. It is sharing your ideas, thoughts, videos, stories, advice and much more. Facebook is growing rapidly and reaching over 700 million users. That is huge.

According the recent stats Facebook is much bigger than some countries. I knew it, we created an awesome city with cool people. We can build relationships with no boundaries no need for foreign passports and no need for visa approvals and long flights across the ocean. We can  meet our friends and learn about their life, their family photos, videos from their recent trips and feel what they experience.

Can you imagine being with your friends having coffee at Paris cafe or having a great coach teaching you the most cool business stuff, who lives thousands miles away but one mouse click away.  Have you ever thought  you would  be connected with hundreds and thousands of people using simple platform such as Facebook? You have just created your own little neighbourhood where you know your people. Isn’ it that powerful?

One word connects everyone is the “FACE”... Your face is your key to the door of powerful connections. Your image, your persona is what defines the true meaning of Facebook. People meet you by your face first and read about you second.  They connect with you by what you want your friends perceive you.

Establishing a persona is MUST. You are not a commodity. You are a BRAND!

Personally, for me creating a personal brand and being authentic is always the only way. It is about representing what I want to be known for on Facebook. When people mention my name, I want to be know as the creator of “SmokinHotPR Ezine”, the girl who came to America with 200 bucks to her name and started her life and business from scratch and created a new spin on PR  and inspired business owners to re-spark the fire with Online PR.

What do you want to be known for? What is your persona?  Think about it. For example every time I think about Facebook I think about Mari Smith. When people talk about shoes on Twitter I think of Zappos, and if I want to learn about wine and branding, I think of @Garyvee on Twitter with Wine Library.

The power of the “Face” carries true meaning of Facebook. It is about being authentic. It shows your values you have in your business, family and life in general. Using the right “face” you will connect with the right people. You will never have to lie to people who you are and your network will consist only of people who are your reflection. What do you see in the mirror? What do you want your friends to be like?

Facebook is about MEMORIES. Can you create photo albom without photos and faces?

Facebook is about MEMORIES. Memories you have created with your friends, school mates, college friends and you have reunited. It is a true union. Facebook is also a place where memories are created. It is about true connections, new friendships and sometimes I heard people finding their true love on Facebook. That could be another story! Your story is a memory you leave for people. Your face becomes your footprints!

Then why in the world people forget to put a photo or use images that have nothing to do with they represent.

Some people can argue and say we represent this company brand. Great!  Wonderful!  Then create a separate Facebook fan page, but remember no matter if you are CEO of the company or run a small bakery in town of 2000 people, everyone wants to know you. People constantly hear the teachings of false teachers who preach on how to use the Facebook and they confuse people.

I believe having no photo for long time or using fake photos is disrespectful to your friends on Facebook. Plus it is like showing fake ID when you are asked for. Honor the rules of Facebook and you will reap the amazing rewards of beautiful connections. If you don’t care or do not get it then it is a lie life you want to live. You do not see the true picture of what Facebook is about or any other social networking community from Twitter to Ning or even Myspace.

Even one of the top PR experts, David Meerman Scott made on his blog about US Airforce. It was called “The US Air Force: Armed with social media” The point was that fear sometimes keeps people from being personal and I think that if you choose to be on Facebook then you need to be YOU and not somebody else image or fake ids. If US Airforce can do it and encourage everyone to use it then you can feel safely to use your photos.

He said that that if US Airforce encourage their people to use social media being top security government agency then why in the world people find excuse not use real faces and do not use social media correctly as it is intended.

Yes I touched the nerve and glad people liked it. We are about connecting with real people not vitamin bottles or a picture of ocean or your cat. Nothing wrong with these photos or images but they have to serve its purpose and be in the right folders.

My advice : If you are truly serious about connecting with the right people and want to build successful relationships and make solid business connections, then you MUST clean your friends list and create an open space for the right people to join your inner circle. Once you de-clutter your facebook community you will feel relieved and clear about your purpose in life. You will be able to build your brand using your own photo and what you represent. Be you! It is much more simple and do not require to spend extra energy to be someone else!

Thank you for listening,

Tatyana Gann

Tatyana Gann is the founder of the Smokin’ Hot PR Ezine and Smokin’ Hot PR Boutique, providing publicity, online PR services and even private VIP consulting. Tatyana Gann is ready to bring you publicity tips, advice and PR services to help you gain more raving fans for your business and create smokin’ hot publicity! She has a simple formula for creating a publicity plan that brings results! Grab your FREE publicity weekly advice at: http://www.smokinhotpr.com/

(credit to Zedia.net)

“Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.”  Abraham Lincoln

What if Facebook had a Dislike Button… would it matter?

What does it matter to you? Does it REALLY matter? I am talking about our reputation, our publicity…What do we care about the most?  Being Enchanting or simply being honest?

Recognition…How important is it to us? What does it matter? How can we get more recognition for what we do and build our name in the world where every brand is striving to be known and talked about. In a brand new book entitled, ” Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions”, author Guy Kawasaki talks about being enchanting, nice, authentic and REAL.

After I read this book I saw what the true purpose of a business should be…It is not being TOUGH and CRUEL. It is about being enchantic, nice and dimplomatic that brings recogntion!

Personally, I believe in having class, being humble and gentle with people, but also being soft spoken, with a serving heart.

How did it affect you when Facebook introduced the “like button” to help make blog posts more noticeable? Or better still, how were you affected when they replaced “become a fan” with “Like A Page”?

• How did you view yourself?

• Did it feel like a kick in the booty?

• Did it affect your pride?

• What difference did it make in the way you present yourself within social media circles?

For a lot of business owners, it became motivation to show off. I mean in a good way. They were encouraged to bring better content and more helpful information that could serve the audience. It finally became about giving, serving, entertaining and caring.

I think a “like” or a “dislike” button builds awareness  of who we are today and how our audience views us.  It makes us think twice before we post content or express ourselves.  Our thoughts can control our tongue. The Tongue can sometimes be like fire, causing negative publicity for our business or it can be the fire that warms people hearts, opening them up!  You can truly create Smokin’ Hot PR for your business!!

It does not mean we should do everything to please others, but being professional is going to make a difference in how we are perceived. Being enchanting, being polite. But imagine…what if we did have “dislike” button on Facebook… how would it affect your business? I just imagine that a scarcity mindset would kick in for some folks and they would act out of fear!!!

Facebook truly is about bringing positive publicity to people and their businesses, while providing you a chance to prove it! It is about your reputation! Thank goodness there is no “dislike button”! We would have a lot of critics snooping around and disliking what we do… a lot of friends would become our judges… and they would become our “enemies” not friends!

Are you ready for Facebook to give you recognition and build your business? Treat yourself as a business owner and VALUE yourself! Then, and only then will Facebook provide you with all you need: the right connections, the right presence. If you want to portray yourself as a serious business owner, avoid games like “Mafia Wars”, “Farmville”, etc. Of course be yourself, but know the boundaries. Be respectable by respecting others. Then you will never have to fear being “disliked”, because you will follow your true calling! When you love what you do, you learn to show it to people around you, creating a true following while being recognized in your own circles!

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Tatyana Gann

About Tatyana Gann: Tatyana Gann is the founder of the Smokin’ Hot PR Ezine and Smokin’ Hot PR Boutique, providing publicity, online PR services and even private VIP consulting. Tatyana Gann is ready to bring you publicity tips, advice and PR services to help you gain more raving fans for your business and create smokin’ hot publicity! She has a simple formula for creating a publicity plan that brings results! Grab your FREE publicity weekly advice at: http://www.smokinhotpr.com/