Facebook can be a useful tool for organizations but also presents some risks. It allows rapid worldwide communication and sharing while being free and easy to use. However, it can also pose security issues and be distracting or unprofessional. When using Facebook, organizations should identify their goals in increasing awareness, messaging, or branding. They can utilize profiles, pages, or groups effectively and boost impact through engaging content, competitions, and analyzing user interactions. Overall, Facebook provides benefits but also limitations that require consideration.

1. Facebook – uses and misuses
Chris Trace BVetMed MRCVS
RVC and WikiVet

2. What is Facebook?
Where have you been?
2.7 billion daily likes and comments…

3. What do you use it for?
What benefits do you feel
What limitations do you feel
Facebook could/does have
Facebook has had for use in
for use in your institution?
your institution?

4. Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Weaknesses:
• Free! • Potential security problems
• Easy to communicate rapidly • Perhaps considered unprofessional?
worldwide • Users may not want to mix
• Can share what you like work/learning and social
• Opportunity to market • Could be a major distractor
• Many people use it already
• Users generally know how to use
the platform, so no learning curve

5. Profiles, pages and groups
Profile Page Group
• Set up for a person • Set up for a cause, • Set up for a specific
• Can become friends topic or organisation purpose generally
with other profiles, can • Cannot become friends • Cannot ‘like’ pages or
join groups and ‘like’ with profiles, but can become friends with
pages. comment on them. Can people.
‘like’ other pages

6. Profiles, pages and groups
Group
Collaborative
Profile
Dissemination
Page
Security

7. Identifying your need
Do you want to:
• Increase brand awareness?
• Get your message across?
• Create a brand image?
Do you want to:
• Work together on a common goal?
• Give people a place to discuss a topic?
• Limit who can join the conversation?

8. Increasing your impact
Key is to turn splashes into ripples...

9. Ways to increase impact
• Holy grail is to increase number of likes, comments
and shares – your fans then act as your ambassadors
• Quizzes
• Photo competitions
• Caption competitions
• Engaging content – drives traffic to your site
• Viral content

10. Using the analytics
• Facebook pages have built-in analytics
• Viewed Reached
• Virality
• Demographics
• Example