When I tell my friends I’ve been doing a lot of research on facebook, I usually get harassed. “Sure you are researching facebook, Sammon” they say. “I’m sure updating your status with a quote from Step Brothers counts as research.” As much as doing that has it’s own benefits, the reality is that facebook is constantly changing. The audience is evolving along with the features on the site (like them or not).

I believe you really need to get to know a product before you figure out the best way to use it. I’ve been on facebook since late 2004 so I consider myself a veteran. However, with all the changes made to the overall site, fan page and growing popularity of the applications, I needed to take some time to play around with these things and figure out how to utilize these features. I wrote off the fan pages and the group pages and emphasized using a profile in a previous post a few months ago. So I’m taking time to explore these things.

In my brief time researching this, I would encourage you to start a fan page rather than a profile now for a business. Facebook has incorporated a lot more features to get your more exposure in the regular news feeds (which is huge). I would create a page and start to build up a following. Use it like an email list and update your fan page with pictures and stories relevant to your business. Try some contesting!

The application section is interesting. I tend to avoid them because initially they cluttered up your page and most were annoying (with the exception of the “Which Golden Girl are you application”). And of course why would I look to something as a marketing tool if I couldn’t stand it. I discarded this impression and took some time to add a few applications and play around with them. After reviewing a few, I’ve actually warmed to them. I’ve found ones that I’m interested in such as “Athens (Ohio) gifts” or “Cleveland Browns Fan” applications. Developers are actually encouraged to create applications with features that facebook hasn’t incorporated.

Overall, I came away feeling better and thinking more about how I could utilize facebook to help market a product or organization. I would encourage you to do the same. At the very least, you can take a survey and know which golden girl you are and proudly showcase it.