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<span class="provip_member_name">Hazel Grace Dircksen</span>
Hazel Grace Dircksen
Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook
Seattle, Washington
Greatly helpful
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The Socialbees Guide to Saving Face on Facebook

A cheeky, but true list of DOs and DON’Ts that can make or break the image you build on Facebook.
Written Dec 01, 2008, read 4548 times since then.
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Do:

  1. Fill out your profile completely and accurately.
  2. Add a photo of yourself, but keep it real–this isn’t the place for glamour shots!
  3. Use your privacy & account settings. Facebook has the most advanced privacy customization of any social network!
  4. Tag your friends in photos. They’ll thank you for it.
  5. Mind your manners.
  6. Try to be a good member of the community.
  7. Be AUTHENTIC, transparent and true to yourself.
  8. Stay current on your news feed; it’s a window into the lives of people you care about.
  9. Poke friends – it’s fun!
  10. Add to your virtual network by reaching out to people with common interests.
  11. Share nicely – Facebook is all about discovering & sharing quality content.*
  12. Respect the inbox. Facebook is just like email, but even more personal.
  13. Join a network, but remember that Facebook is not everything. Know your network in person.
  14. Find your friends.
  15. Attract quality traffic and treat them like royalty. Practice your best customer service!
  16. Invite your friends. The more REAL friends you have on Facebook, the more effective it becomes.
  17. Know when to send a private message. Walls aren’t for sharing personal details.
  18. Proudly “Fan” causes and businesses you genuinely care about.
  19. Use Facebook’s targeted ad system to acquire fans.
  20. Have FUN!

Don’t:

  1. Hold out and leave your profile blank.
  2. Show or tell anything you wouldn’t want your granny to see… or a future client, partner or employer!
  3. Complain about Facebook because you failed to take advantage of the privacy settings.
  4. Upload embarrassing photos of friends. They’ll hate you for it.
  5. Be a jerk.**
  6. Try to be the center of the universe.
  7. Do anything you wouldn’t do in REAL life.
  8. Be an island and let life pass you by. Isolationism never ends well…
  9. Poke strangers – it’s creepy.
  10. Friend people without having a two-way dialogue first. You wouldn’t assume a stranger on the street was your friend. Don’t do it online.
  11. Flood friends with too many updates or requests in a short period of time – stick to one fan page or group update every 2 weeks.
  12. Message people you don’t know and ask them to become fans/members of your group, etc. That’s spam.
  13. Add random coworkers/people from your network. Just because you share a network, doesn’t make you friends.
  14. Friend strangers.
  15. Be fooled by short-term gains… trash traffic does not convert into $$.
  16. Ignore hints. If someone doesn’t respond to your request, it’s his/her polite way of saying no!
  17. Be a wallflower. Constant lurking is no way to make friends.
  18. Be a groupie. It’s great to support a cause, but be sure you actually know what it is – “fanning” everything dilutes your personal brand.
  19. Spam for fans.
  20. NEVER break the rules of etiquette!


*Quality Content: Facebook users frequently share content they find meaningful: photos of friends, news stories, cool videos, interesting websites, etc. (It’s okay to share your own content, but just don’t do it too often or you’ll look like you’re bragging or spamming, neither of which are particularly appealing!)

**Jerk: A person who sends out meaningless messages to strangers, adds noise pollution to the online world, demands that you become a fan – or sends mass messages out telling friends to become a fan of their page, posts their URL on other people/group/businesses walls, excessively pokes, sends wall posts on every occasion, adds every application and invites 20 friends to join, posts too much information, copies too many people who don’t know each other on direct messages, responds to direct message when strangers are copied – resulting in including them on un-needed messages – or otherwise, disrespects the inbox.

Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen

A consultant and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley, Hazel Grace Dircksen helps companies leverage social networking tools to expand visibility and reach new audiences. Her most recent company, Socialbees, specializes in crafting optimized Facebook page

Learn more about the author, Hazel Grace Dircksen.

Comment on this article

  • Sex Expert, Pleasure Coach 
San Jose, California 
Chrystal Bougon
    Posted by Chrystal Bougon, San Jose, California | Dec 02, 2008

    Thanks HG. Great article. Every new FB-er should receive your FB Etiquette handout.

    Great to see you tonight at our Biznik event. I am so excite you are hear to share your expertise and promote Socialbees! We're lucky to have you and your knowledge.

    Thanks so much, Chrystal

  • Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen
    Posted by Hazel Grace Dircksen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Thanks, Chrystal. This is definitely mandatory reading for all my clients. Understanding how to play the game properly is very beneficial for everyone in the long run and helps us preserve our fertile online networking grounds... we're really seeing far too many social networks go downhill because of various forms of business spam.

  • Marketing Consultant 
Moscow, Idaho 
Katie Lanston
    Posted by Katie Lanston, Moscow, Idaho | Dec 02, 2008

    Hi Hazel, love this article! I've just barely started using FB for business and am definitely noticing the abuses. Thanks for the hard and fast rules!

  • Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen
    Posted by Hazel Grace Dircksen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Thanks for reading and for your feedback, Katie. Facebook has some solid algorithms that weed out repeat offenders, but as good users, we also must take it upon ourselves to flag bad users to help improve the system so that Facebook continues to be a great social and marketing tool for us.

    Also, if you haven't already, make sure to take advantage of the super flexible privacy options on Facebook. These will ensure you are always in control of who can see your content or contact you and how they can do so. (I'll be posting details about how to use fb privacy soon!)

    Have fun on Facebook :)

  • Personal Trainer for Hair 
Seattle, Washington 
Dawn Renee Mallory
    Posted by Dawn Renee Mallory, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    I have never thought of FB for business... I will be interested in seeing what you say aobutit in future articles!

  • Writer (TV/film concepts) 
Akron, Ohio 
Alma Gray
    Posted by Alma Gray, Akron, Ohio | Dec 02, 2008

    While I appreciate your well-written article, my basic view is if a person is lacking common sense to the point of having to follow rules of engagement in social media, then perhaps it's best he/she doesn't participate.

  • Co-Founder 
Kirkland, Washington 
Anna  Choi
    Posted by Anna Choi, Kirkland, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Useful in a concise way. I always fear spending too much time on online networking and as a result have dead pages updated like 2-3 times a year. Pointless to say the least. I am motivated now to perhaps set up a structure of like 1 hour/week (what do you do?) devoted to online networking so I don't feel guilty during that hour that I should be doing something else.

  • Entrepreneur 
San Francisco, California 
Mark Cornish
    Posted by Mark Cornish, San Francisco, California | Dec 02, 2008

    Great post. Simple, basic, and very how-to (which I love). I am fairly new to using the social networking sites for actual social/business networking. From someone who is just new to these sites, some of your tips leave me wanting a better definition. Although your definition of a jerk was spot on! Keep up the good work of helping your fellow networkers out. Thanks

  • Multifamily Apartment Real Estate Investor 
San Francisco, California 
Stewart Hsu
    Posted by Stewart Hsu, San Francisco, California | Dec 02, 2008

    Thanks Hazel for sharing! Great advice and tips!

  • CEO 
Paris France 
Solofo RAFENO
    Posted by Solofo RAFENO, Paris France | Dec 02, 2008

    Almost OK on what you said on SN 'savoir vivre'. However, leveraging on facebook (and the others like LinkedIn & co) isn't enough for transforming awareness to new business and orders.

    Building up its own SN by attracting and transfering mainstream consumers' SN like facebook is the next step that any company should heading to.

    What for? You (or your company) will own the members database which will be always up-to-date.

  • Broker Associate, REALTOR® 
Los Altos, California 
Dawn Thomas
    Posted by Dawn Thomas, Los Altos, California | Dec 02, 2008

    Hi Hazel! I am so sorry that I missed Chrystal's Biznikker event last night-I didn't want to pass my cold around! I would have enjoyed meeting you, but look forward to the next one. I love your article about FB and wish that everyone would read it. Thank you for making it fun, yet valuable, to read!

  • Senior PR professional 
Seattle, Washington 
Scott Janzen
    Posted by Scott Janzen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Great article. Sometimes I think social networking is out of control. I spend the majority of my time on LinkedIn (business) and Facebook (pleasure), but I have friends who are on a zillion others. Facebook can be a tremendous timesuck, but for me, it's a terrific way to stay in touch with friends.

  • Inspire Action 
Bellevue, Washington 
Debbie Whitlock
    Posted by Debbie Whitlock, Bellevue, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Thanks for the insight, I am relatively new to facebook - these are great rules of the road.

  • Intuitive Healer 
Seattle, Washington 
Karen Floyd
    Posted by Karen Floyd, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Thank you for your article on do's and don'ts for facebook. I am new to facebook and linkedin. I'd like to know more about what you mean when you mention fanning.

  • Professional Organizer & Life Coach 
Los Altos, California 
Mary E.  Rossow
    Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Dec 02, 2008

    Hazel Grace - FABULOUS ARTICLE. Easy to read & "digest", and actually use as a real checklist to see how I'm doing in this arena. AND more importantly, to see what I HAVE YET TO DO! I've only had my computer for 9 months, so I was "Late to the party, yet first to the dance floor....... and I'm DANCING AS FAST AS I CAN!" Mary E. Rossow, Rossow Resources

  • Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen
    Posted by Hazel Grace Dircksen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Mary, I love that you use a checklist! That's so organized of you! It would be great to share something like this with the group. Please let me know if you have any questions about social networking :)

    Also, is that a puppy you're holding in your profile picture? I'm completely insane for dogs.

  • Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen
    Posted by Hazel Grace Dircksen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Karen, Businesses can create a special business page (essentially a fan page) on Facebook that is different from a Facebook profile (which should only be used to represent a person and never a business).

    Here's a link to my Facebook business page to show you what this looks like: http://www.facebook.com/socialbees

    You'll also notice, I've added a sign to the top of the page with an arrow pointing to the link that will allow users to become a fan.

    By becoming a fan of my business page, Facebook users can stay informed about events, specials, partner promos and blogs I post. This is also an easy way for my fans/clients to tell their contacts about Socialbees - when they become a fan their Facebook friends will see a story about it in their new feed with a link to my business page, which works like a super powerful free advertisement for Socialbees!

  • Life, Prosperity, and Small Business Coach. Author. Speaker. Trainer. Singer/Songwriter. 
Seattle, Washington 
Kate Phillips
    Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | Dec 03, 2008

    One more tip - I've been using the little + and - signs on the Facebook "feed" lately (hover your mouse to the right of the feed to see) to indicate that I'd like to hear "more" or "less" about certain things.

    You can indicate you'd like to hear "more," for instance, about your friends and main interests or "less" about people you met once or just know from online (unless they're really interesting!) It's a great new tool FB designed to make it less overwhelming and more useful!

  • Founder of Socialbees, A provider of optimized pages and ads on Facebook 
Seattle, Washington 
Hazel Grace Dircksen
    Posted by Hazel Grace Dircksen, Seattle, Washington | Dec 03, 2008

    Kate, I'm glad to hear you're taking advantage of your Facebook news feed options. I'll be posting more about various features and how to use them best soon :)

  • Professional Organizer & Life Coach 
Los Altos, California 
Mary E.  Rossow
    Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Dec 03, 2008

    Yup, it's a pup....... well, actually "SquirtyPants" will be 4 years old on Christmas Eve. He travels with me 24/7....... all client appointments, conferences, keynote speeches, social events, doctor, dentist, airplanes. This photo was taken at 20th Anniversary event for NAPO-SFBA. He has quite a following, and receives his mail online- FanClub@SquirtyPants.biz. We go caroling at VA Hospital, etc. He sings in the key of "D." I'm always happy to share him. Let me know if someone needs a tear licked away! ;) MER

  • business consultant 
Beaverton, Oregon 
Thomas Cox
    Posted by Thomas Cox, Beaverton, Oregon | Dec 04, 2008

    Not impressive.

    1. A "do and don't" list should not list the same basic point in both sections -- either say "do fill out the profile" OR say "don't leave the profile blank". Putting in both is redundant and reads like you're trying to pad the article.

    2. Leave the exclamation points in middle school. Overuse comes across as juvenile.

    I'd have preferred a shorter list with more content, and some reasoning -- the "why" behind each recommendation.

  • CEO / Author 
Mountain View, California 
Mike Hayden
    Posted by Mike Hayden, Mountain View, California | Dec 05, 2008

    Hi Hazel,

    Great. Thanks a lot. I posted a link to your article in my new handbook.

    Mike

  • Professional Organizer & Life Coach 
Los Altos, California 
Mary E.  Rossow
    Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Dec 05, 2008

    Messege for Thomas Cox of Beaverton, Oregon. So sorry to read that you found Hazel's wonderful article "not impressive"!!! I myself have not yet written any stuff for Biznik, though I can guarantee if you don't appreciate her style....... you will absolutely hate mine! In my missives, I'm sure you will find tons of overused and/or misused puncuation, dangling participles, possibly poor spellin' and any # of terrible associated "sins of the keyboard". On the other foot, I do enter my world each day with great enthusiasm for how I might coach, teach, support, or generally contribute to another human being's life. Sometimes I do, sometimes I miss the mark. Ain't it jus' the pits when some perfectionist picks apart your contribution!!! (Though I'm sure that's never happened to you!!!) Warm Socks, Mary E. Rossow, Rossow Resources

  • Certified Health Coach 
San Diego, California 
Gina Ruby-Puterbaugh
    Posted by Gina Ruby-Puterbaugh, San Diego, California | Dec 09, 2008

    Great tips for FB users. Thanks! :)

  • Professional Organizer & Life Coach 
Los Altos, California 
Mary E.  Rossow
    Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Dec 13, 2008

    Hazel Grace, For the past week I've been using the tips I learned from this article (in all of my networking groups, both virtual AND in person)....... so far, so good! ;) Rossow

  • Managing Broker | Residential Real Estate 
Bellevue, Washington 
Marika  A
    Posted by Marika A, Bellevue, Washington | Feb 08, 2010

    Good reminder for all of us using FB. I think everyone should forward this link to the ones that are just starting to use it. I did. Thank you Hazel!

  • Author / Promoter / Literary Agent 
New York, New York 
Wendy Adams
    Posted by Wendy Adams, New York, New York | Apr 14, 2010

    I found this very helpful Hazel Grace. I'm always looking for ways to improve how I'm preceived when networking and being an introvert makes it even harder because I ask am I not sharing and communicating enough. Thank you!

  • Brand Strategist, Marketing Coach, Speaker, Writer 
Seattle, Washington 
Maria Ross
    Posted by Maria Ross, Seattle, Washington | Jan 08, 2011

    As always, awesome. Socialbees rocks!

  • Professional Organizer & Life Coach 
Los Altos, California 
Mary E.  Rossow
    Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Jan 08, 2011

    HNY Hazel Grace!

    It's now 2 years later, and I just re-read your wonderful "Socialbees Guide to Saving Face on Facebook"... and guess what? It all 'still holds water'.

    Thanks for this early guidance, as I was very new to computers when I first read it, and I'm sure you saved me from some miserable mistakes. I've now jumped in w/ both feet, and am really enjoying both Facebook & LinkedIn alot.

    The worldwide connections are amazing, and I'll be writing a blog post soon about a Grantree Furniture company reunion in Las Vegas... it was magical... and all thanks to Facebook & LinkedIn & YOU!

    Warm Connecting Socks, Rossow

  • CEO from ladyimpress.com 
shenzhen, guangdong China 
lady impress
    Posted by lady impress, shenzhen, guangdong China | Dec 13, 2011

    it is a useful article,it tell me more about facebook.

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