Facebook – The business of being present while absent

Whether we like it or not, Facebook is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Many business owners struggle, not with having a Facebook page but more with ‘what the hell to do with it’, their language not mine.  

As I see it, the diaspora of society can no longer just be geographically applied, for as we engage more with computer screens and smartphones  we’re operating increasingly in a mode of being present yet absent or when visiting the online spaces being absent yet present.  Therefore platforms like Facebook quickly become the community we increasingly engage with, in which people are scrolling rather than strolling along and peering into the virtual frames of friends, businesses and or groups. 

I like to tell business to treat Facebook like a shop window, create the visual or comments to make people stop and perhaps walk into your shop, in Facebook terms, begin to engage.

True social engagement begins when an action is undertaken to either like, comment or click on a link. Business needs to understand this, they also need to reciprocate the engagement just as you should when a person is physically in your business space.  This is done by liking, commenting and sharing back. This actively increases your presence while being physically absent and your business name begins to become increasingly present in a person’s online or digital community.

Of course there is the element of paying for a greater Facebook presence but that we will discuss perhaps next time I post.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting commentary and tips on some methods and experiences from research and case studies, so that we can create a greater awareness on this ever increasing aspect of digital life.

If you have any questions you want answered or included in my research journey on behalf of yourself or businesses you advise, do note them in comments below or PM me.