Connecting 101: Facebook

One mantra I’ve adopted while working in social media is to connect with intent. With all of our previous Connecting 101 posts (linked at the end of the article), we have given you tips and pointers on connecting with others. We saved Facebook for last intentionally.  Facebook is the largest social network, topping over one billion users. More people gives you more opportunities to connect. However, like all of the other platforms, you do not want to connect with everyone.

I could personally write a novel on Facebook connecting. I tend to want to keep my business life and personal life separate. I’m sure you don’t want to see 20 pictures of my daughters at a University of Georgia football game, am I right? Be that as it may, I have a different set of “rules” I go by when connecting personally and professionally, so I will share with you my top connection tips for both.

Connecting Personally…

1. When connecting with someone on a personal level, make sure you know them.  I know this sounds silly, but it’s true! I get friend requests from people all the time that I have NO clue who they are…even if we live in the same town! For me, I have to be able to place how I know them – an online group, a conference, school, church, etc.  If I can’t, then sorry, we won’t be connecting today.

2. See who your mutual friends are.  There are some that I do know but do not agree with who they associate themselves with. People will not admit it openly, but everyone gets judged by the company they keep.

3. Are the only online to play Farmville or Frontierworld or Cooking World? There are some who are only interested in the online gaming and only want to be friends so they can move up to the next level. Unless you don’t mind your newsfeed being filled with endless game requests and “so and so just beat level 1,002”, I wouldn’t accept.  Unless it’s your mom. Then you have no choice.

Connecting Professionally…

1. I reiterate points 1 & 2 from above – since there are over one billion people on Facebook, for your safety make sure you truly know them.

2. If you connect with someone, do not invite them to every.single.page you manage. Same goes for events. There are those out there who connect only to spam you with “Like this page” or “Like that page”. That’s screaming a one-way relationship.

3. If your competition is wanting to connect, it’s okay, but be forewarned. I always joke to keep your enemies close, but your competition closer. Yes, it may seem like a good idea to accept your competition’s request to connect, but unless you’ve activated some really detailed privacy setting, they will get to see what you are doing. You may see it as showing what all you can do, but they will see it as things they need to do better or one-up.

Now it’s your turn – what connecting “rules” do you go by when connecting on Facebook?

Previous Connecting 101 Posts:

Connecting 101: Google+
Connecting 101: Instagram
Connecting 101: Twitter
Connecting 101: LinkedIn