Studio 5 contributor Sue Neal explains how to share your voice through social networking.
Social networking websites provide a good platform for people to share their voice and connect with others that otherwise they may not be able to,
Now social networking websites like Facebook, offer
Pages for groups and organizations making it simpler for you to make connections with the people you want to share your voice with.
These Pages provide an internet home base for sharing information through text, photos and videos and connecting and interacting with people who are interested in what you have to offer, whether it’s…
• a hobby
• a favorite charity
• a course of study
• a passion
• a political view
• a business
Facebook offers two types of Pages; Group and Fan Pages. If you already have a personal profile, the Group that you create will be connected to your personal profile.
More information about the differences between a Group and a Fan Page is at the bottom of this article, but to summarize, a Group is great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause or hobby.
Fan Pages are better for businesses, brands, celebrities, or entertainment that want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to your personal account and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.
The following are 5 examples of sharing voices through Facebook Fan Pages or Groups:
Q’s Creative Card Classes
If you have a business you can use a Fan Page to communicate regularly with your customer base. I use my Fan Page to keep my students up to date about upcoming classes, new kits and tips on paper crafting.
Insomniac Craft Club
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=209934099853&ref=ts
Ana Cabrera started a Group Page called Insomniac Craft Club for all those crafters who stay up into the wee hours of the morning getting creative. What a great place to feel connected at 2am!
Zoe Soul Spa
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoe-Soul-Spa/279323394657?ref=ts
Zoe Soul Spa is a great example of using both their blog and their Facebook Fan Page to network their message and their business. There voice is helping women who are striving to find balance & abundance in their working lives. Zoe Soul Spa offers inspiring messages, individual coaching and speaking services.
http://zoesoulspa.wordpress.com
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/pages/Marlenes-Healing-Arts/259706761723
If you have a skill or knowledge that you’d like to share whether it’s part of your business or not, a Fan Page or Group is a great place to gather friends and share your voice. Here, Marlene shares her knowledge in short, concise posts on a regular basis, much like a newsletter.
Differences between a Group and a Fan Page on Facebook
Fan pages are visible to unregistered people, so it will turn up in search engines, groups will not.
Think of Group pages as more of a club (in the real-world), Groups are a place for a little more interaction between the moderator and group members.
Fan Pages or more for people who follow a certain person or organization or business. They are interested in posts, but don’t necessarily want to interact.
Facebook considers groups to be an extension of your personal actions. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile
Groups limit the number of messages/posts to less than 5000 members, Fan Pages have no limit.
Groups offer far more control over who gets to participate. Permissions settings make it possible for group admins to restrict access to a group, so that new members have to be approved. Access to a Page, however, can only be restricted by certain ages and locations. Again, this makes groups more like a private club.
Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.
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