Facebook...what is it?

I remember all the imaginary perks of going to College like dating sexy girls, crazy hookey adventures and Toga Parties. Surprisingly enough, the toga party is the only thing that held true, because the sexy girls were the nerdy girls from high school (they were in my Friend Zone, ha!)Then I found Facebook, the ultimate bragging right for a high school grad. A chance to say what you over the summer without saying anything at all. That exclusivity no longer exists because now its open to everyone. But what is it now?

Companies have fan pages, cliques and causes have groups, there are even game applications for the average facebooker to play. Still, what is it? Social Networking only works when you are networking. Look at Myspace, on the East Coast, thats dying if it isnt already dead. In my opinion, advertising killed myspace. Too much to look at, very little content and information, in fact, when there was alot of words outside of "Bio" and "Blog" section it wasnt very attractive. So When Facebook came to be and gave details without gimmicks everyone wanted to be apart of the "country club" of the internet. Now it feels more like the local sports bar, where everyone knows your name. But where does someone with no friends get to fit-in in a place like this? This is a problem for new business and performers with the "Fan page" feature.

Here's a joke I read online : "The Facebook news feed is my only source for news... Forget Libya, have you heard that my friend Eric Kemp is in a relationship? " Some folks barely care for the news, much less, your failed attempt at a viral video of you doing an awesome Drum cover to a Beetles Song. People will now only what comes on the news feed that has their friends attached to it. Solution...Get a friend to tell a friend. But how do you find an online influencer without becoming a Stalker? News Feed Optimization!!!! Kinda like Search Engine Optimization.

Facebook always was a place for me to say every and anything without saying anything at all. Only way people knew what I did was either via News Feed or they went on my page. News feed Optimisation is the only choice you have if no one want to go to your page ( maybe because there isnt a relationship status) and engage.

So here are 4 easy to use strategies that can help your posts be seen in the News Feed that I read:

1. Ask Questions! Make them fun, topical, relevant, and easy to answer. Remember, your fans want to be entertained and talk about themselves, so give them what they want!

2. Create a Poll! I love this strategy as it’s so easy for fans to answer. Ask them to pick from a, b, c, or d. Fans will be interested in finding out other peoples preferences are too!

3. Photo’s! Add interesting photos and videos to your posts and ask your fans to comment on them.

4. Manual Posts! Facebook actually gives better Edge Rank to manual posts, rather than prescheduled posts, in tools such as Hoote Suit. This can be more time consuming throughout the day if you are posting often, but well worth the effort. This is not to say that you should never preschedule, but using a combination of both would be a better strategy for News Feed Optimisation.

>>Sidenote: there was a 5th step, "Hit the Like button"...but thats like high-fiving yourself in public. Only the REALLY Creepily Cool kids got away with that. but Fans are more likely to hit the “like” button if others have already done so.<<

So now what is facebook? It's a playground and the best way to make friends is to make a scene. It's the world we live in. I wonder what world we'll live in next?