It was Facebook’s 10th birthday earlier this week (February 4th, ’14). When I casually signed up during my university days, I didn’t realize Facebook would become so ubiquitous worldwide. Something that I would use on a daily basis in my personal and professional life.
Love it or hate it, Facebook has helped to define the past decade. During its early days, my friends and I felt like we’d discovered an exciting new toy. It was addictive. It fed egos. We were guilty of taking photos with the sole purpose of sharing them on Facebook, stalking keeping up-to-date with the status of a latest guy crush and having long conversations for everyone to see.
With Facebook’s popularity growing at crazy speeds – its membership opening up to everyone and making countless updates to its many features and applications – I remember Facebook fatigue setting in among my group of friends. Suddenly we wanted our privacy back. We realized it’s actually not normal to see an ex-boyfriend announce his wedding plans or to see someone you vaguely remember from pre-school showing off her three-month baby scan.
The Facebook experience may have initially been a shaky one but I soon found balance. Facebook is a dream tool for anybody working in the communications industry. Beyond its profile-raising potential, it can genuinely help to generate sales for businesses. I’ve been working at Gossip Genie for over a month now and it’s amazing to see how they generate leads (and make money!) for clients using Facebook and other social media channels.
Facebook’s potential keeps surprising me, too. For example, as part of our social media support for Clevermind – a voice activated iPad app which helps to stimulate the cognitive abilities of seniors and people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia – I came across an incredibly clever Facebook campaign that seeks to put people in the shoes of Alzheimer’s patients by simulating the effects of the disease.
On a personal front, Facebook has grown into a platform I love to use for travel inspiration. Many of the trips I’ve been on have been inspired by tourist boards’ Facebook pages or by holiday photos my friends have shared. That’s why I’m shocked if I ever come across a travel company without a Facebook presence – or worse, they have a page but aren’t using it properly.
Recording 1.23 billion active users and more than 6 billion ‘likes’ per day in December ’13, it looks like Facebook’s popularity will continue well into the next decade. Give us a call if you’re a business looking to use it in the most effective way!
