Blog of Monica Valentinelli, Writer & Content Consultant

Posted on March 26, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli

Usability: The Good (and Bad) of Facebook

Whether you’re a freelancer or an author, online marketing is key to making sure you’re putting yourself out there in cyberspace. One of the ways that I’ve done this is through Facebook.

The Good

What I really like about Facebook is that it’s pretty easy to set up and get Facebooking. Here’s my Facebook profile page. If you have LiveJournal, you can easily copy and paste your interests and other info to set up your page. Very easy to find and friend folk, just like in other arenas. My number one reason for using Facebook is the ability to share blog posts with your subscribers. I really like how Name of the Wind author, Pat Rothfuss, is using Facebook. See his Patrick Rothfuss Celebrity Profile Page, personal page, and the Pat Rothfuss Facebook group of fanatical minions. Online marketing at its finest, Pat’s personality really shines through.

The Bad

For me, Facebook can be a big time sink. Every app you put in you have to, or are prompted to, share with someone else. Groups are a great concept, but I’ve found that posting can be intermittent and not as successful as the ability to message within Facebook. Some of the apps are truly addicting, like the (fluff) friends application and can waste a lot of time if you’re not careful.

The Conclusion

So if you manage your time and use it right, I think Facebook can be pretty useful as long as you minimize your apps and choose the right applications to integrate with your blogging efforts. (That reminds me, I should probably scale back a few apps myself…) On a networking scale, I’ve made a few great connections and have generally found people to be very friendly, accessible, and fun.