| "Will you be my friend?"...Barney the Dinosaur | | | | can decide whether to accept. With acceptance, the |
| Within the community of search engine marketers, a | | | | complete profiles of both parties are revealed which |
| herd mentality definitely exists. When multiple early | | | | will allow more meaningful relationships to develop |
| adapters talk about the same thing at the same time, | | | | because each party can now find commonalities of |
| we all go check it out. In 2006, when Facebook | | | | interests. |
| opened to everyone, I signed up, looked around, | | | | Every time a friend performs an action on their |
| yawned, and promptly forgot about it. Recently | | | | Facebook page, their action gets reported in a |
| however, many prominent members of the SEO | | | | mini-feed viewable on your page. By following all the |
| community that I follow and respect all started talking | | | | actions of your friends, you all become part of same |
| about Facebook simultaneously which told me that I | | | | community. Your friends will be adding applications that |
| was missing out on an important conversation that I | | | | you might find cool, joining interesting groups or |
| needed to hear and participate in. So, I went back to | | | | perhaps making friends with somebody that you would |
| Facebook, created my page and I now see its | | | | like to know as well. They can help drive your |
| enormous potential. | | | | discovery of facets of Facebook. Alternatively, you |
| Despite the wonderful openness and generosity that | | | | can easily discover Facebook yourself. |
| most SEM´s possess, building meaningful | | | | Many have commented that Facebook is just a big |
| relationships within the industry can still be a challenge | | | | timewaster. Being active in a group formed to protest |
| because unless you somehow end up working | | | | Scarlett Johansson´s decision to record an |
| together with a project (like us Portlanders with | | | | album of Tom Waits songs isn´t likely to help |
| SEMpdx), it´s very difficult to communicate with | | | | you grow your business. However, there is plenty of |
| people long enough for relationships to naturally | | | | opportunity to use Facebook as a vehicle for serious |
| develop. And while you might think you might know | | | | networking. I´ve used it to reach out people who |
| someone quite well from being a regular reader of | | | | might be interested in working for my employer and |
| their blog / column, they still don´t know who the | | | | the people I communicated with were totally |
| heck you are. | | | | comfortable with my method of contact. If I were |
| The way relationships develop on Facebook mimic | | | | looking for a freelance programmer or designer, I |
| much more closely how relationships develop in real | | | | would have many people that I can talk to or many |
| life. Your complete information is exposed only to the | | | | groups where I could post my request. |
| people in your "networks". Most folks are members of | | | | As a networking vehicle, Facebook has way more |
| their geographical network (and work network if | | | | potential than Linked-In. Linked-In profiles are very |
| applicable), though you need not be a member of any | | | | resume-like and most lack the features that distinguish |
| network and can keep your information private to | | | | one professional from another. Facebook allows a |
| everyone but your friends. | | | | user almost total freedom in distinguishing himself / |
| Messaging someone via Facebook is done at a much | | | | herself. If you are considering talking to a whole bunch |
| more personal level that most other forms of | | | | of different contractors, why not focus on someone |
| electronic contact. The recipient sees your profile | | | | who listens to the same bands as you? You are more |
| photo which humanizes the communication and they | | | | likely to make a personal connection with that person |
| are more likely to pay attention to their Facebook | | | | which should lead to a stronger working relationship. |
| messages since a Facebook inbox isn´t | | | | Much of the SEO community is now hanging out on |
| overflowing like a typical email inbox. By attempting to | | | | Facebook. If you want to get to know us better and |
| "friend" someone, you open up your entire profile page | | | | make our acquaintance, you need to be hanging out |
| to that person and they should get a good enough | | | | on Facebook too. Be our friends ...we´re all |
| sense of you as a person from your page so they | | | | groovy people:. |