Private: Like, Comment, and Share. – By Liz Donehue

I was in high school when Facebook was introduced to the public. In the fall of 2005, right when students were registering for classes or dropping classes (or even dropping out), Facebook became available for anyone with a .edu email address. Nine years later, over one billion people have a Facebook account and digital footprint.

Facebook users share pictures from the wee hours of Saturday morning, their thoughts on the gluten-free phenomenon, or secretly stalk an old enemy from elementary school (I’m guilty of all three). Most users engage with the site for social or entertainment based reasons. My mom can’t go to Starbucks without telling everyone she’s there. My ex-boyfriend posts photos of new quinoa recipes that he discovered while camping in a now defunct a hippie commune, and surely my aunt will completely lose it if she can’t invite me to join a seemingly endless supply of freemium games that involve fake farming and gambling.

In the beginning, we were apes grasping at a mysterious monolith. This online entity suddenly appeared overnight that requested information and materials such as hometown, current location, relationship status, and a profile picture. My god, a profile picture! Which one to choose? At first, we cautiously poked at this digital vessel. Today, we’ve become more comfortable with embracing what it would allow us to do – stay connected, and ultimately be discovered.

I was initially hesitant to join the site. But all my friends were listening to The Decemberists, getting their drivers licenses, and freely giving out their information to someone named Zuckersomething, so I did, too. What would start as an intermittent hobby turned into a full time unpaid internship.

As more people joined Facebook, the more time I spent navigating the website in its entirety, and as it grew, my time online quickly became a staple in my routine. The average Facebook user spends 21 minutes on the site each time they log in. Even as I write this on my computer, Facebook is refreshing on my smart phone. With realtime updates, Facebook users see a nexus of social material otherwise unavailable to them. Simply having a social media presence enables millions of people to connect with you. Essentially, an Indianapolis Facebook user who specializes in audio/video products may be connected to a packaging manager in Tampa without even knowing it, allowing for undiscovered avenues to be traversed.

Facebook isn’t just a time sponge when I’m in my dentist’s waiting room, or when I’m on the light rail, or when I’m in traffic because it’s too cold to take the light rail. Each time I’m on Facebook (which if you haven’t gathered, is all the time) enables me to see updates, bug fixes, and the implementation of new features, thus making my Facebook experience an instantaneous learning process. The site is in a constant state of adaptation, and without my immediate login each morning before getting out of bed or even finding my glasses, I would not be able to adapt and grow with it. But I’m not alone: 48% of users between the ages of 18 and 34 check Facebook as soon as they wake up.

While some don’t like the transparent aspect of social media (my ex-boyfriend has sworn off all forms of online communication by continuing to make his own shoes and grow turnips), a simple profile can increase awareness in your target market. Facebook users don’t need to become a robot by planting digital peas or going all in with a bad hand; simply creating a profile with the necessary information that applies to your profession can give you visibility, and in return, peak someone else’s curiosity.

Liz Donehue
Prospectr Marketing