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Musings
Facebook Is One Billion Strong
 
Facebook announced this week that they had reached one billion users. Their mission is to "to make the world more open and connected" and they have done just that. That is an amazing feat considering they are only less than 10 years old. One reason for this is their adaptability; there are so many applications for their forum.
The most common use of Facebook is for people to connect with their family and friends. It is a very easy way to send pictures to Grandma, and all your other friends. Three hundred million  photos are uploaded each day. There are ongoing complaints that there is a lot of junk posted; but you have the option to hide the stuff you don't want to see.
One of the most significant is the program Facebook has  created to link organ donors with people in need. They also manage an online registry to simplify the process of registering.
Another significant is Facebook's involvement with disaster relief. Besides being a big megaphone for what's happening, 600 million people check in each day, they have a good record of helping people find lost family members and possessions.  They are beginning to focus on how they can help in the event of a calamity, as they did during the Joplin, Missouri tornado.
The fastest growing area is the marketing of businesses on Facebook. You can use a dedicated page as a virtual office. There are close to 50 million pages hosted by Facebook. You should maintain separate personal and business pages and post  accordingly. Use your business page to promote your products, educate your customers, and build relationships.
Dave Steer, Manager of Facebook's trust and safety team said, recently, "There's a thirst for information," "Now the onus is on us to quench that thirst."
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