“Discover social networking sites advantages and disadvantages”

The Negative impact of Social Networking Sites is a big problem and it is up to us to learn how to handle our presence and be a positive influence on our family, friends, biz partners and our clients.  We do not often think about what we say, the way we vent or the photos we post that do not reflect our personality, but we do it for the sake of fitting in with the “tribe”.

Well, I believe it is time to set the rules straight and show you some of the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites. I’ll also include a few golden nuggets of information to make it easier for you! I want to show you how to get started fast, but before that, you MUST understand the rules that apply to anyone who wants to master social media marketing. Everyone needs to follow certain social networking sites’ rules, because they apply to EVERYONE, regardless of their celebrity status (or they will have NONE!).

My favorite social media platforms are Facebook and Twitter. Today, I want to share with you my inside information on how to conduct social media marketing the right way while showing you a few do’s and taboos.

All of these can affect our life, our productivity and our influence in social media.

Lets start with Facebook :

1. Set up a free personal account with Facebook.

Simple.

Go to http://www.Facebook.com/Tatyana.Gann, connect with me first and then click create personal profile.

Advantage: you can control who your friends are and who views your profile.

Disadvantage: only 5,000 friends are allowed on a Personal account and it is NOT as SEO friendly, comparing to a Facebook Business page or Fanpage.

2. Photos:

Make sure you add your personal photo.

I use the photo above for my fan page and stick to it! I also use this photo for  my LinkedIn profile. 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 with over 600 million users. That is HUGE!

Major advantage of using your photo- your publicity persona. Your friends see your personality, your business and personal life. It is like a reality show, but only in photos!

According to recent statistics, Facebook is much larger than some countries! I knew it!…we have 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!

3. Facebook is your neighborhood. Treat it right!…

Can you imagine being with your friends having coffee at a Paris cafe or having a great coach teaching you the most cool business stuff, who lives thousands of miles away, but only one mouse click away.  Have you ever thought  you would  be connected with hundreds of thousands of people using a simple platform such as Facebook? You have just created your own little neighborhood where you know your people. Isn’t that powerful?

Compared with other social networking sites, Facebook is a very friendly platform. You can create hot discussions and even debates, share videos with no limitations on comments. It is a huge advantage for this social networking site.

4. Have a real photo and photos of you with other people. Pictures are worth a thousands words.

One word that connects everyone is “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 them to perceive of you. Publicity photos are a must in your Facebook presence.

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

What do you want to be known for? What is your persona?  Think about it.  When I think about wine information on Twitter or Facebook, I think of @garyvee on Twitter and his WineLibrary TV: Gary’s Wine Video Blog which I love to watch and read.

6. Facebook is about MEMORIES. Can you create a photo album without photos and faces? Facebook is about MEMORIES. Memories you have created with your friends, school mates, college friends and those with whom you have reunited. It is a true union. Facebook is also a place where memories are created. It is about true connections and new friendships. Sometimes, I have even heard of people finding their true love on Facebook. That could be another story! Your story is a memory you leave for people. Your social media presence becomes your footprint!

7.      Your Choice: If you choose to be on Facebook, then you need to be YOU and not someone else’s image or fake id’s.

8.      Make YOUR Facebook presence empowering: It is a place for people to escape, feel special and not to hear negative thoughts, or trash. They get enough of it from CNN.  Why not be the person your Facebook friends search for every day and want to interact with and learn from?  You must present high intellectual and stimulating content, but also fun to read. People tend to have a very short attention span, A.D.D.! That is one drawback of a social media presence. We have thousands of friends and we jump from one person to another. Take a step back and see whom do you want to connect to and learn from and how you can contribute to them. Be realistic. It takes time. Rome was not built in one day!

You never know who is watching you! If you are seeking new clients or seeking a new career, being professional is very important.  Being real does not mean using vulgar language! Some marketers do not understand that it ruins their credibility and especially the ones who have already created “their millions” believe they are entitled to a special throne. I believe it creates a very negative impact for social networking sites.

9.      The Goal is to connect with 10-20 people a day. I personally do not use software to find Facebook friends. I use groups and fan pages to connect with like-minded people who are constantly engaged in conversations.  Your goal is to determine your buyer’s persona, what they do, their income, their lifestyle, their interest, where they shop and so on.. Then you can create the content they search for and are interested in and present it to them on a plate with a pretty pink bow! You must learn to open one door at a time because it can lead to new paths in life. Be strategic.

10.  Do you have passion? Silly question, right? Nope. If you are not passionate about what you do and who you are on Facebook and try to live the life you WANT people to see you as, then dear friend you are set to be burned out and then say Facebook marketing does not work! Passion for what you do is the key.

Enjoy Facebook !

Tatyana Gann

Tatyana Gann is the founder of Smokin’ Hot PR Ezine, and SmokinHotPR 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 the simple formula for creating a publicity plan that brings results! Grab your FREE publicity weekly advice at: http://www.smokinhotpr.com/