Facebook Presence – Who Are you on the platform?

Facebook Presence – Who are you and who should you be?

Facebook Presence – Who

Who are you on Facebook? Are you a:

• Private person?
• Public figure?
• Business?
• Business owner?
• Fictional Character?
• Something else?

It’s critical you decide just who you are. So, all of these are possible and valid ways to express yourself on Facebook. Since most of us wear different hats in life, we’ll need those hats on social media.

When to combine, when to split

Your personal timeline/presence on Facebook is where you can assert the most control. While the quality of the privacy and security protections the platform provides is open to discussion, this is your space. A good example of how to use that space would be a musician. Friends are likely fans, but not all fans are friends! You can choose to be the guy/gal who keeps up with your family and friends from high school on your timeline. So, giving “fans” access to that part of your life means a lot of exposure.

Splitting personal and professional separates “friends” from “followers.” It also doubles the effort. So, dropping everything into your timeline is easy. The split-personality of a timeline and a page requires extra thought. A “page” for your professional side offers more than just a public platform. The page’s features are different from the personal timeline.

How many splits?

Since you have multiple interests, you’ll consider multiple pages. Groups for hobbies offer places for discussion. Avoid over-posting in groups by creating a page for your passion. I created a page for my model railroading interests. Other modelers and railfans follow that page. Those with no interest in the hobby don’t see the content. Same for my foodie/cooking interests. Those interests are truly personal. My History page ties into book sales, so it’s different.

More splits mean more maintenance, though. So, keep that in mind. Ask yourself, do my posts on a particular subject bother my friends? Do professional colleagues and/or fans want to hear about my hobbies?

It’s OK to experiment

Start by posting on your timeline. Because you take your friends seriously, see how they react. Take time to plan out your “professional” presence. We’ll help with that as we go along.