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Useful Facebook Features Besides Social Networking: Best Ways to Use Facebook

Updated on December 17, 2017
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Facebook has become part of every day life over the past few years for many people, as they have found the popular social networking site to be a convenient and fun way to keep in touch with friends and family (their social network). While the social networking aspect dominates people’s use and view of Facebook, to get the most out of the Facebook experience, it is important to understand that there are many useful Facebook features besides social networking that are often overlooked. Some of these features benefit Facebook users, such as artists, job seekers, and those wanting to keep up to date on their personal interests, while other features benefit advertisers and local businesses trying to reach potential customers.

Get To Know The Useful Facebook Features Besides Social Networking

Using The Facebook News Feed as a Personal News Feed

In addition to Facebook being famous as the hub of Internet social networking, Facebook’s “Like Button” feature has gained a great deal of notoriety, and has become a household word that any Internet savvy people understands. As a Facebook user casually surfs through Facebook and hits the Like Button, when they come across something that they like, the act of hitting the Like Button automatically puts the object of their like (be it a music group, an author, an actor, a company, a social movement, whatever) into their Facebook news feed, which pushes updates about their likes every time they log into and use Facebook.

Hitting the Like Button allows Facebook users to stay up to date on developments that are posted to the Facebook page that is the object of their like, which can be quite useful as a personal news feed for Facebook users. The personal news feed provides Facebook users the ability to follow the latest developments in things they like, no matter how popular or obscure their interest is. Selecting the Like Button pushes news to Facebook users about things that they like, such as: the latest news from their favorite music groups, news about their favorite actor’s next movie, or what is happening in a social movement that they support. Instead of having to spend precious time searching the Internet for information about what one likes, Facebook acts as a personal news feed that organizes the news a user wants to read regarding their interests and then feeds it to them as they use Facebook, which can be a very useful Facebook feature.

Using Facebook To Publish and Catalog Artistic Work and Build a Following

Artists from many walks of life, from photographers and cartoonists to writers and poets, amongst many others, utilize Facebook to catalog their artistic creations and share them with friends and fans. While there are many avenues on the Internet available to catalog and organize artistic creations, Facebook has the added value that it can also be used as a medium for sharing works of art with friends and followers to keep them up to date on one's latest artistic creations and obtain feedback. Some artists have even built a successful Facebook following from new fans that enjoy their works of art, which can help their artistic motivation and assist them with making a living from what they love to do.

Using Facebook To Find a Job

Facebook can be used in many ways to find a job. Being active on Facebook and networking with friends and people in an industry that one is seeking employment in is a powerful way to use Facebook during a job search. A large percentage of jobs in the Internet era are found via networking, and Facebook makes job networking even easier and more powerful than it ever was in the past. Using Facebook to find a job includes regularly updating one's job seeking status to friends on Facebook, so they can use their contacts and social networks to help the job seeker find their desired position. Also, joining Facebook groups that are associated with the industry that the job seeker is looking to land a job in is an important aspect of networking, since it is a good way to get close to those in the field who can offer advice and tips on job opportunities, as they become available.

Beyond networking, Facebook offers a service that is akin to Craig's List called Facebook Marketplace. Many different types of jobs are posted on Facebook Marketplace, and can be easily search to find one that fits a job seeker's criteria. Facebook also offers the advertising option for jobseekers who are willing to be proactive and advertise to the Facebook community that they are looking for a particular type of job. Advertising for jobs on Facebook can be effective for both freelances and full time job seekers.

Using Facebook To Target Advertising

The act of hitting the Like Button while using Facebook has a powerful advertising aspect, which is what really makes Facebook such a valuable franchise. With 901 Million active users and growing, Facebook continues to accumulate an enormous database of targeted consumer preferences that can be utilized by the advertising industry to target advertising to potential customers that already have a positive predisposition towards an advertised product or service. It is no coincidence that the ads one sees on Facebook are so aligned with what one likes.

It is nearly impossible for businesses that are trying to use their advertising dollars effectively to ignore this powerful way that the data collected from Facebook’s Like feature can be utilized to target potential customers who are more likely be interested in buying their product or service than those reached via blanket advertising campaigns. Businesses large and small can benefit from Facebook’s targeted advertising offerings.

Using Facebook To Promote a Local Business

Facebook collects geographic information about where Facebook users live and work, which can be utilized by local businesses to target advertising to people in their local area. This ability to target advertising to a very specific geographic area solves a major problem faced by local businesses that have few advertising dollars to work with. Instead of paying more than they need to pay to blanket an advertising market that falls both inside and outside of their service areas, local businesses can use Facebook to advertise to people that are exclusively within their service area.

When combined with Facebook’s Like feature, local advertising via Facebook can be even more effective. For example, if one runs a business that sells camping gear, they can screen for people in their area that have indicated through Facebook that they like camping. Just about any product or service that Facebook users indicate that they like can be utilized by local businesses to effectively target their advertisements to people in their area who are more likely to respond to ads that are tailored to their preferences.

It is important that local businesses also keep their Facebook profile page up to date with current and accurate contact information, since many Facebook users also utilize Facebook to search for local business contact information.

Additional Useful Facebook Features Besides Social Networking

While this article tried to cover all of the major Facebook features that are beyond casual social networking, there are likely other features that have been overlooked,. Furthermore, it is likely that additional non-social networking features will come into being on Facebook over time. Please feel free to use the comments section below to share your thoughts regarding useful Facebook features besides social networking that make using Facebook more useful and powerful.

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© 2012 John Coviello

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