In the relatively short life of work-related and Internet-related software, and the even shorter life of social media, we’ve seen countless products rise to the top — only to be replaced a short time later by something else.
There was Word Perfect…now (and for a while) there’s Word.
There were WebRings…now there’s blogrolls.
We’ve come to accept that the latest new social media site and tool likely may not last long.
But, what about Facebook?
At the October 2009 Social Media Breakfast-Toledo, Curve Detroit’s Charlie Wollborg said that Facebook has staying power because of its “nesting” services. We post family photos and videos. We stay connected with friends and family. We’re not going to leave that behind.
However, I’ve always had a bit of concern over the business-related uses of Facebook. With its servers generally closed to Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other search engines, the only way I saw reaching members and gauging success was through 
apps and contests. And, I wasn’t alone in that view of Facebook being not business-friendly.
So I am glad to see several recent developments.
One is an opening up of Facebook to search, highlighted by Google’s recent announcements, via Inside Facebook:
This specifically means that any brand, famous individual or other Page owner who shares status updates or media like videos or photos from their Page will get this content showing up in real-time Google search results, which could increase SEO traffic for Facebook Pages.
You also can view AdAge’s story for details.
Combine the search engine news with a study about college students’ preference for Facebook, and you can easily see long-term success for Facebook.
Anderson suggests that this decrease in blogging and discussion-board visits may be because Facebook is quickly becoming more of a communications hub than a social networking site. He noted that its increasing variety of applications, functionality and flexibility enables it to deliver “one-stop shopping” in the otherwise fragmented digital space.
While Facebook may some day fade off into the sunset, it’s the shining star for now.
Point to Ponder: While Facebook may be here to stay and be tempting to use it for your business — with 350 million members worldwide — don’t rush to Facebook. Only start a Page, Group or Cause if enough of your customers and prospects are there, and if it suits your overall marketing objectives. Having a Facebook presence likely will benefit you, but just be sure it’s right for you and you know what to expect. Set objectives! I developed a simple how-to for creating a Facebook Page that you might find helpful.
Thank you.
-Mike
