For the last few weeks I have been trying out Facebook. I tend to push myself to learn a new application every few weeks and this month it happens to be Facebook. Now I started facebook with business contacts (I know most people use it for social networking, but I focused it on business) What is interesting is who has pro-actively found me in facebook and then what their facebook networks have contained. Some were definitely all business and have a number of business networks while others were mostly social. I even managed to learn a few new things about my family.
All and all I find facebook a really strange application. It forces me to think differently and definitely doesn't have that portal, one place for everything, feel to it. In fact I would dare to claim that it is not even intuitive.
Given it is designed for the younger generations I wonder if some of our frustrations with Microsoft Dynamics CRM is more human (old age) issues than application issues.
People want that one screen concept and yet rarely does the younger generation stay still long enough to look at one screen. Even without a desktop of monitors they have their cell phone, their iPod, an XBox 360, a playstation, a laptop and depending on how technical, they perhaps built a custom gaming machine in their spare time. For the younger generation who is less technical they could care less about building a machine (or security for that matter) They just want to do everything at once now.
So is it possible to combine the technology application offerings to meet the needs of the very old, the middle age and the next generation? or will the generation gap get in designers way?
Facebook when not used properly is a huge distraction for the 95% of the world out there. We see it everyday with receptionists, brokers, order takers and many more professionals that use a PC everyday in their work. With that being said the 5% out there, just check it every once and while and out of that 5%, maybe 1/2% understand how to leverage facebook as a tool to reach new markets, link up with colleagues and generate opportunities to become the "go to" or industry expert.
I personally use Facebook as a way to put me in front of other Small Business IT folks not only in Calgary, but across Canada. I have started up a Canadian Small Business Group with approx. 155 members from all across Canada. I use Facebook as a tool to drive traffic to my blogs, articles and websites to generate opportunities. I join affiliate programs, post events on Facebook and drive members to my affiliate sites.
Yes, I use it as a social networking piece as well, linking up with High School buddies and friends I haven't seen in a while, however, that is just an extra benefit to the service it brings.
What makes me wonder sometimes, is the pictures that people put up, really tells me about a person. The drunk party pictures or rude sayings really turn me off and tells me alot about a person before I even meet them.
We also use it as a hiring tool, before we interview people, we can check them out on Facebook, to see what they are really like...again, do they have that drunk picture up or a professional picture.
Just my 2 cents...
Stuart Crawford
403.710.4357
stuart@stuartcrawford.com
Posted by: Stuart R. Crawford | September 13, 2007 at 08:01 AM
Interesting blog - I'd be keen to read your insight with respect to how business people could use Facebook?
Posted by: Matthew Crook | September 13, 2007 at 06:55 AM