My Facebook Experience

Assuming that you were able to read all the way through my rather lengthy Squidoo Lens introduction (yes, I know, it has alot of words....), now may be a good time to break out a nice bowl of popcorn. Rest assured, my modules don't get any shorter after this, however, Facebook is a massive pandora's box filled with near-unlimited potential, if understood, and utilized, correctly. This fact, alone, I hope will captivate you and keep you salivating for more (just like my South Park character, or one of Pavlov's dogs).

In the event that I bore you, and you don't want to read further (completely understandable), if we are to part ways, just know these things:

• You can use Facebooks' Groups platform to drive considerable traffic to your website and/or Squidoo lens.
• I use my 240,000+ member Facebook Group to do just that. My Facebook Group has grown by 500-1,000 new members, everday, consistently for over a year, as evidenced by the growth statistics that I have taken for my group since creating it.
• Imagine how much traffic you could gain for your website(s) or Squidoo Lens(es) if you could give your Facebook group enough of an appeal to make it go insanely viral?
• You can harness the incredible power of community, in order to create a logo to give your Facebook group the type of appeal that becomes viral, amongst Facebook's worldwide platform of over 175,000,000 active users!
• I include direct, clickable (and relevant) links in my Facebook Groups' Description, as well as, within the link placement functionality that Facebook offers. This means that if you have a Squidoo lens about LOVE, or a dating website, you may want to consider creating a Facebook Group called something like "1,000,000 Strong for Lovers Worldwide".
• In the unfortunate event that something happens to your Facebook account (disabled?), one of the very first things you should consider doing is assigning at least two or three fellow administrators. If your account is ever deleted, and you are the only admin assigned to it, then your Facebook Group will simply cease to exist. No matter how big it is, or how long you worked on building its membership, adding additional administrators to your Facebook Group can serve as an easily applied insurance policy, of sorts.
• I tailor the general theme of my Squidoo Lens(es) to meet the theme of my Facebook Group(s). Because of this, my links are welcomed with open arms, and viewed as a 'resource' by avid group members.
• I contact creators, and admins, of other similar Facebook groups, to see if they will include a link to my group, in their group. This isn't always successful, however, it doesn't hurt to try.
• I utilize well-thought-out, and creative, open-ended questions as the subject line for threads that are created within my Facebook group. Members will frequently contribute their own opinions, when you offer them the opportunity to do so.
• "Come see dirty pictures of me!"
• "What do YOU think about the economy?"
• "Best deals ever on Viagra!"
• "Welcome! Introduce Yourself!"
• "Buy ________ for only $19.95!"
• "How did you find our group?"
• "Look at my Company!"
• "What do you think of this Group, so far?"
• "Find the lowest prices on ____ right here!"
• "What do you think of this issue?" (Healthcare, etc...)
• Once your Facebook Group gets off the ground, you can utilize Facebook's Pages' Platform to complement, and drive traffic to, your Facebook Group.
• NOTE: There are some limitations inherent to the functionality of both Facebook Groups', and Pages', Platform. This is precisely why the best combination is an intelligent, and creative, approach, that utilizes as many aspects of Facebook's website, concurrently, to stake a claim (and, an influence) over as many members as you can. I will discuss those later, as well as, in my other, complementary, Squidoo Lens(es).

For all you chocolate lovers out there, let the rich, delectable, content on this Squidoo Lens captivate your taste-buds to the fullest. Whether your passion be indulging in the latest array of comfort foods, traveling, or, perhaps, politics, prior to making your Facebook Group, it's imperative that you determine these passions. There are, however, many things that you must consider, if you would like for your Facebook group to be a lasting, and beneficial, success.

In all practical application, the 'goal' you set for your Facebook Group should be directly reflected in your group name, as well as, your group picture, or logo (Need help creating a LOGO? I highly recommend you jump over to a community called the 'crowdSPRING' Community, where 13,000+ designers will compete to meet your request, at whatever price you set for your project(s)!). Mild controversy ensues with regards to what your goal should actually be, but, we'll cover that in our NEXT section.

For now, not only is it imperative that your Facebook Group be a reflection of your passion, but, it is also absolutely necessary that your Passion be something others share, as well. If we are to make the most of your Facebook Group, and further develop it into a marketing and promotional machine, you MUST make it appealing to others. Remember, we want to absolutely always encourage the concept of virality with regards to the consistent, daily, membership growth of your Facebook Group. This doesn't mean that you should 'sacrifice' your passion, in order for people to like your Facebook group, however, if you can find a 'happy-medium' that has somewhat of a universal appeal, that is always the most optimum and ideal situation.

When people visit your Facebook Group, they must:

• Be interested in it.
• Be instantly attracted to the appeal of your Group LOGO, or picture.
• Be willing to read through your, hopefully 'Catchy' Group Description.
• Be actively engaged enough, by your limited opportunity to impress them, that they'll, without question or thinking twice, be willing to INVITE all their friends.
• Become loyal to you, to your Facebook Group, and to your cause.
• Be enthusiastic about spending their time, on your Facebook Group.
• Be willing to translate that loyalty into return visits, and, of course, unhindered and unimpeded interest in whatever YOU, as the group creator, recommends or posts

• Build, develop, and nurture a Facebook Group that becomes massively Viral.
  
• Exploit that viral-ness.
• Successfully turn your Facebook Group into a brand by either creating your own LOGO or by doing what I did: engaging one of many high-quality LOGO design companies/teams to do it for you. Even still, fortunately, there are a variety of avenues that you can go to have a logo made, for your Facebook group. There are highly-skilled communities that will do it for you, as well. *this is a critical step!
• Increase quality traffic to your Squidoo Lens, or other websites, through the use of Facebook Groups' and Pages' Platforms.
  
• Once you have developed a sizable Facebook group, people/companies will actively seek YOU out and offer you money, in return for advertisement. (I'll explain more, about this, later in this lens!)
  
• Utilize creative ways to integrate your own affiliate links into your massive, viral, Facebook Group.
• Hold weekly/monthly contests, with products that other companies will supply, in return for advertising. (I'll explain more about this later, as well!)
  
• Once you create your Facebook Group, ensure that you take running statistics of the membership growth! *This is an absolutely critical step!

• Measurable (a numeric value, preferrably)
• Realistic
• Obtainable
• Sustainable

• To limit the use of their Groups' Platform, especially by those who would use it to market, and promote products.
• To hinder large groups from utilizing this platform to organize even further, in perhaps a political or protest manner.
• To ensure that any ONE person (YOU: the founder of the Group) doesn't have excessive 'reach', and further persuasion. It is very possible for Facebook Groups' Platform to give any one person a significant amount of 'power', so it always pays to be humble, and 'quiet' about your techniques, especially when you begin receiving hundreds of new visitors to your website(s) everyday.

• I include the day's date (April XX, XXXX) as the very first thing new members encounter in the group description section. This is such a simple step, and only takes 10 seconds (at the most) to change every day. For a very long time, I presented my Facebook group without the date, and, suddenly, one day, a light bulb went off. I had to ensure that my Facebook group was always current and conveyed 'new-ness' to every new member, if I had expected them to become excited, and passionate about it.
• As you continue to grow your Facebook group, you will naturally come across people who are passionate about it. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. For my group, I have assigned trustworthy admins, and we all essentially take turns cleaning up SPAM and changing the group's date, with every new day. Whenever I have to go away to train with the Army for any extended period of time, I can rest assured that they will upkeep the group: keeping it clean, updated, and current, while I'm gone.
• Update your recent news section, with news that is pertinent to your group's general theme. This should also be news that your group members will enjoy reading. The more you 'give' to your members, by tailoring your group as a great community, meeting-ground, and resource, the more they will give back to you.
• Ensure that SPAM is removed from your Group's wall as often as possible. It is typically best if you can assemble a very trustworthy team of admins that can police your group throughout the day, with very little absence. This may require working around each other's 'real world' schedules. Facebook is a huge part of many people's lives, however, it isn't the only thing they do in life.
• Remember, the more viral your group becomes, typically, the more SPAM you will encounter. They are directly related because users naturally want to peddle their products in groups that have consistent daily growth. Learn to manage it, and use your viral growth to your benefit, because the SPAM will simply never go away.
• If you can take the initial steps to executing the growth and development of your Facebook Group, you should be prepared for immediate popularity. As each new person joins your group, they will naturally gravitate to the list of Admins and moderators, to see the quality of people that are running the group. For this reason, it's important that you also have a Facebook Profile Picture that you reflects who you are in the best possible light. (I wouldn't advise having a fake image or picture that isn't YOU, as your profile picture)