Facebook has become one of the most addictive social media phenomena to sweep the world! It has over 400 million users to date and is growing every day. These days Facebook is growing at the rate of 450,00 to 600,000 new users per day. That was around 700 new people while you were reading this.

Not only is Facebook a great way to hook up with friends and family, it is an excellent tool for businesses. The Facebook Fan page is a definite must.

Why do I need a Fan page?

1. Pages are public. Some Fan pages are not behind a login therefore search engines can index the page. Hopefully, people will stumble on the result in SERPs, visit the Facebook page, and then get to your site via the link.

2. Pages include links. Because the pages are public, you can get some nice facebook.com link credit.

3. Send “updates to Fans”. One of the greatest features is that you can send “updates” to fans whenever you want. It’s a nice way of building a database of interested users. Send messages about new products, updated website, etc.

4. You control the page. Making the page before a Fan or a competitor is critical. You want to be able to send the messages, edit or remove sections, and control the information to an extent.

5. News feed. When someone joins a Fan page, it’s published in their News feed for all their to read (unless they have turned this off). It makes someone joining your Fan page somewhat viral.

6. It’s free and easy. Making a Fan page takes just a few minutes – add some information, URL, and upload the logo and you’re done.

So, if you are interested in creating an awesome Facebook Fan page, continue reading the Essential Facebook Fan Page Resources. It is full of great information to get you on your way.

My great friend and Social Media Marketing mentor, Erika Rich (now that’s a mouthful!) wrote this post the other day. It is full of great information for the Internet Marketing Newbie like me.

A small excerpt:

I came across a pretty good blog post this morning looking for permalink do’s and don’ts from my pal Vicky over at PrairieHarpy. The title is “10 Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies” and it was written not too long ago (December 2009) by Shari Weiss and is an exceptional list for people just getting into Social Media Marketing.

It made me think about some things that have been rolling around in my head awhile and inspired me to get some of these thoughts out in writing to share with y’all….

Make sure you get over to her blog to read the rest of it. You won’t regret it.

Social Media Kick in the Pants by Erika L Rich

I have been using several bookmarking sites and I have found Digg to be a great site.  I found a great article about Digg and would like to share it with you.

“Digg! Digg.com that is. I love this bookmarking site. They have a great community and this is the first site I choose to use now when I see an item on the internet that begs “digging”. I decided to wax eloquent on Digg.com because Larry Brauner wanted to know what all his Facebook friends’ favorite service was. Digg is mine.”

Continue reading this article

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Maybe the Dalai Lama was just a few days too late in signing up for a Twitter account which could have saved Tiger Woods a whole lot of trouble. If the Dalai Lama had been tweeting, Tiger, a Buddhist himself, could have been in touch with His Holiness through the Internet. Maybe the message that self-discipline is among Buddhism’s highest values could have given Woods the extra strength he needed to fight off the temptations of sexual promiscuity.When asked about Tiger Woods, the Dalai Lama stated that he did not know who he was. Just think, they could have been following one another with tweets via Twitter!

I don’t blame the Dalai Lama for being hesitant about setting up an account. After all,  last year’s fake account for the Dalai Lama tricked over 16, 000 people into joining it.  But this account is legitimate.  It has Twitter’s seal of approval and has almost 100,000 followers so far. On February 21, Evan Williams, Twitter´s founder, met with the Dalai Lama and persuaded him to join. Williams later tweeted that the Dalai Lama laughed when he heard Williams´s advice to use the social networking site. The next day, the Dalai Lama´s office in Dharamsala, India, set up a Twitter page and sent the first message with information that the Dalai Lama has visited Los Angels.

When Tiger’s sex scandal was explained to the Dalai Lama, he said that all religions have the same idea “when it comes to adultery.” “Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that’s important. . . . Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.”

Tiger seems to agree, saying that in the past he had “drifted away” from the Buddhist values of his upbringing. “Buddhism,” he said, “teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint.”

This seems like a great way for Tiger to curb his appetite for the pleasures of this world. I hope he can learn from his mistakes and find whatever it is he needs to recover from his downfalls. He may want to consider what Brit Hume had to say on Fox News Sunday, “He’s said to be a Buddhist; I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’”

Whatever he chooses, I wish Tiger Woods the best and hope for a true recovery and reconciliation in his life.

I began using Facebook almost a year ago, and it has proven to be one of the best things I have ever done. At first, my two teenagers didn’t think it was cool for a 43-year-old mom to set up a Facebook account. They said I was too old and that it was just for the kids to use. Well, did I ever prove them wrong!

I got everything set up; my interests, my views on religion and politics,
hobbies, and my home town. I found a nice picture of myself and loaded that up too. My account was set. “But now what do I do?” I thought. It was all blank andI had no idea what came next. My daughter Haley finally broke down and helped me out.

We looked up names of friends and sent out friend requests. But at that time not many of my “old” friends were on, so I had to add Mark and Haley’s friends at first. They were thrilled that I was on Facebook and gladly accepted my friendship.

My list started growing. Friends from high school started popping up with notes such as, “Hey Tracy, remember me?,” and “What have you been doing for the last 25 years?” It was great! Friends I haven’t talked to for over twenty five years started pouring out of the woodwork and friending me. It was like a huge class reunion on-line.

I now have almost 300 friends and more keep coming. I love reading their statuses and quickly finding out important things going on in their lives. I send a comment here and there and love to get responses. It is a great way to keep in touch with people that you never would have normally. Posting pictures is also a wonderful way to share your family and fun things you have done with your Facebook friends.

Facebook is where my boyfriend Mark and I found each other again. We were friends in high school and we hadn’t talked in over 25 years. But one day…. there he was on my screen saying, “remember me?” Well, I’ll save that story for a later time, but it just confirms to me how great Facebook is.

My advice, “Get started!” Don’t be afraid if you don’t know exactly what to do. Play around and you will get the feel for it. You will be amazed to see how many people are out there waiting to talk to you. Who knows? You may find your high school sweetheart who has been thinking of you for all those years and now has a chance to talk to you once again.

I would love to hear your stories about friends and Facebooking. Leave me an email about your experiences! tracy@tracysworld.com

As you know by now I, Tracy Matlack,am the type of person who likes new adventures and challenges.  I guess that’s why when approached by my good friend Erika Rich with an idea about internet marketing, I was ready to jump in with both feet.

I have a lot of experience in working with computers and the various types of software, but I knew nothing about social networking, marketing,or blogging. To be honest, it was overwhelming to start, but my friends Erika and JoAnn Guida have taken me under their wings and have guided me through the process. There is a lot to learn!

Little by little I am getting the feel for it and am learning the ropes. I can see the big picture of what they are teaching me and how it all fits together. Now, instead of being confused and overwhelmed, I am getting excited.  The opportunities are endless.

Being a single mom of two teenagers, it is my dream to work and make a living from the comfort of my home. That dream will become a reality with a lot of hard work and determination. I have great expectations for my future and can’t wait to see the results of my efforts!