Articles: Internet Business Startup Strategies

You are about to discover the information resource that will change your life.  You are about to find out exactly how to use Facebook Business Aplications  to make tons of money and be financially secure for the rest of your life.

This is not a mistake, it's not a joke, and it's not just another 'too good to be true' fairy tale being hyped just to take your money.  This is a real, comprehensive, innovative way that hundreds of people JUST LIKE YOU are making money and living the life of their dreams. 

Exploiting This Mega Networking Site For Cash And Traffic

Chapter One _

1
Welcome to Facebook For Cash

Take a moment to think about why you log onto the internet. If you’re like most people, you do a combination of activities.

• Do research and find information.

• Check email.

• Browse websites and play games.

• Connect with others.

• Meet new people.

• Keep in touch with friends and family.

• Networking for business.

• Start an internet business.

These basic motivations have not changed much over the years. However, the way these tasks are performed has. Websites come and go. Trends come and go. But the one thing that remains the same is that the internet constantly evolves.

Web 2.0 Revolution

The most drastic change with the internet has happened over the past few years. Websites like Facebook and MySpace are largely responsible for this change. Now, the internet is a social place. People form communities. They keep in touch with their friends and families, and use their time online to meet people from all over the world.

This idea is so important to the way the internet works that it even has a name. Experts and aficionados call it Web 2.0. Basically, a Web 2.0 site is anything that fosters a sense of community whether it is a social site like Facebook, or a website that is powered by Wiki technology. In fact, it affects everything from content sites, social bookmarking, and even blogging.

In its most basic form, a Web 2.0 site is anything that encourages people to do other things besides simply get information. Making comments, rating and voting, and adding friends to your profile are all Web 2.0 activities. If the activity is designed to help you socialize and helps foster a sense of community, it is considered a part of Web 2.0.

New social websites are created all the time. Facebook has the advantage that it is already a well established site with a considerable user base.

Web 2.0 for Business

While this idea started as purely social, it has turned into something that businesses are embracing as well. Each time the internet changes, businesses need to change, too or else they won’t get the sales they want.

Now, in order to find success with sites like Facebook, a business needs to think about the very elements that make the site special and unique. The site is a place for people to socialize and participate in communities. If the business wants to sell their product or service, they need to build a community around it.

For example, if you’re a writer and you want to sell information products to help other writers, you can start a group on Facebook that is designed to teach other writers. If they like the group, they’ll likely buy your product.

One huge advantage to using Facebook for business is that you have access to the profiles and information for a lot of users. For a business owner, this will help you target the demographics of those who will be interested in your product or service.

Facebook is Growing

Facebook is one of the largest social networking and Web 2.0 sites out there right now, and it just keeps growing. It started out as a site primarily for college students and has grown into a world-wide phenomenon.

Unlike some social sites, Facebook actually embraces the idea that people can use their site to build their businesses. The founder and developers are devoted to providing a positive user experience for everyone on the site, business owners included.

But, there’s an art to using this site in that way. If you don’t embrace Web 2.0 and the way social networking is, your efforts to build a business using Facebook will be in vain.

And that’s what this ebook is about. It’s your complete guide to learning how to use Facebook to build your business. This includes building a customer base, testing out a product, and using the site’s features to help your business grow.

In Facebook For Cash you’ll learn:

• Information about Facebook. This will help you gain an understanding of the site including the history and some basic statistics.

• Basic features on Facebook. Section covers the basic elements of the website and how they work.

• Getting Around. Basic functions of the site including how to sign up, find friends, and use the services that Facebook offers.

• Social Networking. Facebook is a site that is used for social networking. But what does this mean? Learn all about it in this chapter.

• Facebook Applications. Talks about what applications are and how they can benefit the business owner.

• Basics of Facebook for Business. Chapter covers the basic philosophy behind using Facebook for business.

• Developing a Product and Customer Base. There’s a secret to using Facebook for this purpose. This section goes into detail on how to make the site work for you.

• Grouping it Up. Basic information about groups and how to use this information to help your business.

• Networking is Vital. How to use Facebook for networking. Includes how to use it for business.

• Wrapping it Up. FAQ on questions that may arise while using Facebook for business.

In order to truly succeed at building a business online using Facebook, you really need to think about things differently and go against conventional wisdom.

The basic idea is to keep the purpose of Facebook in mind (to build community) while marketing your product or service. In order to do that, it takes a specific process. Everything you need to know will be outlined in this ebook.

Key to Your Success

This process is the key to your success. If you don’t take the time to understand how Facebook works and the philosophy behind it, you won’t reach your goals. This applies no matter what you’re trying to use it for – whether for business or for pleasure.

The Importance of Friends

You can define your friends on Facebook in any way you want. They can be people you already know, want to get to know, or share interests with. Once you add someone to your friends list and they accept you, your experience on the site is intertwined.

Once you create your profile and start adding friends, features like the News Feed will keep you updated on everything that they are up to. In doing so, you can add the same applications they have and keep track of what they’re up to in general.

If you have a business, this idea can help it grow, but there will be more on that in a later chapter.

Everything is Inter-connected

One thing you need to understand is that everything on Facebook is connected to each other. And all of the features on the site are designed to help enhance your experience there.

That’s why when you view things like your News Feed, or your Groups page, you are automatically given an alert as to what your friends are up to. This helps build your community.

No matter what you want to do, this is the single most important concept to grasp. The rules never change whether you want to socialize on the site or use it for business. You need to remember that the site has a series of inter-related parts that are used to build the community.

You can also think of it as a spider web, where the design starts at the center. The center of your personal web is your profile. The things you put on your profile help build your personal web by attracting others who are interested in what you have to offer. These will become your friends. Once you have a list of friends, groups, and networks, your web will increase.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed

Facebook is filled with all kinds of resources, applications, groups, networks, and profile elements. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by them. Instead of joining every group that interests you or adding every application, make sure that it’s really something that will meet your goals for the site and enhance your experience there. If not, simply don’t use that feature.

Read the Terms and Conditions

There is one more side note before you get started using the site. You must pay attention to the terms and conditions, especially if you plan on using your account to promote and build a business.

You can read their complete Terms of Use at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

Just remember to abide by them or else your account may be deleted. And if you’re trying to build a business using Facebook, if you’re account gets deleted it could really affect your earnings.

2
Introduction to Facebook

The simplest way to think about Facebook is to call it a social networking site. This means that the site was designed as a way for people to meet and interact with each other. So, no matter what you want to accomplish on the site, this is something to keep in mind.

The biggest thing to understand is that Facebook was developed with its community in mind. In fact, that idea was so important that in the beginning stages of the site it was only open to people within certain networks.

It started with the college students who attended Harvard University and eventually expanded to include other universities and schools. Now, the site is open to anyone, as long as they are at least thirteen years old.

So, What is Facebook Exactly?

In college lingo, the “face book” is something that gets handed out to new students. It’s a list, possibly with pictures, of some of the people on campus to watch out for. It is designed as a way to break the ice and for people to get to know one another.

The founder of the site, Mark Zuckerberg, had these in mind as he was naming the site. It’s a place where people come together to keep in touch and get to know each other.

Facebook is a Free Service

It’s also a free service. It’s free to sign up and use the site. However, some features such as their gift-giving feature cost money. For each gift that you send, you pay $1.

That means that funding and revenue comes from advertising, banner ads, and sponsored groups. For example, they have a three year deal with Microsoft that started in 2006. They’ve also had an agreement with iTunes in the past where they were giving away free music samples.

For advertisers, Facebook presents an ideal demographic. Even though all walks of life are on Facebook, the majority represents the coveted 18 to 35 demographic that advertisers crave. That’s why advertising is so important for the site.

What Can You Use Facebook For?

Facebook is one of those sites where you can define your own reasons for using the site. It’s helpful to consider it a blank slate, or canvas. Here are some things you can use the site for:

• To keep in touch with friends and family, and find those who you lost touch with.

• Meet other people who share your interests.

• Share photos and videos with others.

• Network to help generate business, find a job, etc.

• Use it to grow and enhance your existing business.

• Take advantage of the resources on the site to help you develop products.

• Form groups and networks filled with like-minded people.

• Build a customer base for a product or service.

• Share information and learn from others.

• Create profiles highlighting your interests.

Those are just some examples of the things you can do. Some people create an account to do a combination of activities others use the site for a specific purpose.

That’s one of the great things about the site. It has so many features and capabilities that you can adapt it to suit your needs. Plus, it has a large user base that you can draw from to create your own networks and communities.

Who’s On Facebook?

Right now, pretty much everyone can go on Facebook, as long as they are the right age. The original demographic was college students because those were the only people who were allowed on the site. Then, membership to the site was expanded to high school students and trickled into other countries as well, such as Mexico, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Now, all kinds of people take advantage of the site because membership is open to everyone, all over the world. In fact, millions of accounts are created each month. As of February 2008, there are about 75 million users in the system. The Facebook website states that the amount of users they have doubles about every six months.

A large user base makes Facebook ideal for networking and building a business because it means that there might be a lot of people out there interested in what you’re offering. You just need to learn how to attract them to you and get them to participate in the community.

A Brief History of Facebook

A lot has happened to Facebook since it started out as a website. There have been rumors and talks of takeovers, as well as the some rapid growth. And, when it comes to social networking sites, Facebook is definitely one that is growing at a very rapid rate.

Facebook, or thefacebook as it was called in the beginning, was launched on February 4, 2004. Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University student, started the site as a way for his fellow Harvard students to get to know each other. At this time, the site wasn’t open to anyone else besides students. At this level, it was just a hobby even though he did have some financial backing.

At the beginning, Zuckerberg was treating the idea as something that could be done at the same time as his schoolwork. However, the site started to expand rapidly and it eventually turned into something that couldn’t be tended to properly while Zuckerberg was still in school.

So, where did the initial funding come from? Over the course of their existence, they’ve received money from individuals like Peter Theil, Accel Partners (a web 2.0 startup company), Greylock Partners, and various advertising deals through companies like Microsoft and iTunes.

The site started to grow at a steady rate. Students who were signed up for it began recommending it to other students. By the end of the first month, around half of the student population had an account there. It spread by word of mouth.

The people who signed up for it would recommend their friends. After a short time, it expanded to the Ivy League Schools, other colleges and universities, and high schools. At present, the site is open to everyone but this didn’t come about until 2006.

After the site was live for only a short time, Zuckerberg brought on Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes to help it grow even more. A few months after the initial release, Zuckerberg and Moskovitz both dropped out of Harvard to give the budding site their full attention.

Facebook as we know it today had its beginning in August 2005 when the company bought the domain, Facebook.com, for $200,000 from a company called AboutFace. They changed their name from TheFacebook to Facebook at this time.

By 2006, the site had expanded considerably. More schools, businesses, and universities were part of the network. In September 2006 membership to the site was open to anyone who was thirteen and over. Being part of a network was no longer required.

It was also in 2006 where rumors that the site was going to get bought out started to circulate.

Buyout Rumors

In March of 2006, rumors started circulating that Google was interested in acquiring Facebook. They made an offer for around $750 million (check on this) but in the end Facebook declined, saying they were holding out for $2 Billion.

There were also rumors that Microsoft wanted to acquire Facebook. In the end, Microsoft ended up with an advertising contract and they also currently own some shares – 1.5%.

The ConnectU Lawsuit

Facebook once came dangerously close to getting shut down. ConnectU, another Harvard based social networking site, claimed that the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stole some of their code.

The end result is that the case was dismissed. Zuckerberg denied the charges and the case was dismissed due to a technicality. The lawyers who were representing Facebook indicated that their stance was that the charges were false.

The Idea of Community is What Fuels Facebook

Even now that the site is much larger, this idea is still the cornerstone. Much of the success of the site and of the people who start their businesses and use Facebook to promote it and get sales and clients understand that the basis is in the community. The idea is to create something that people will want to share.

The Evolving Nature of the Site

Since Facebook is focused on making their community happy, they are constantly changing things around and adding new features. As they realize that their users have a certain need, they do their best to accommodate them with these new features. That forms the basis behind what it looks like today.

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Table of contents

1
Welcome to Facebook For Cash 6

Web 2.0 Revolution 6

Web 2.0 for Business 7

Facebook is Growing 8

Key to Your Success 9

The Importance of Friends 9

Everything is Inter-connected 10

Don’t Get Overwhelmed 10

Read the Terms and Conditions 11

2
Introduction to Facebook 12

So, What is Facebook Exactly? 12

Facebook is a Free Service 12

What Can You Use Facebook For? 13

Who’s On Facebook? 14

A Brief History of Facebook 14

Buyout Rumors 16

The ConnectU Lawsuit 16

The Idea of Community is What Fuels Facebook 16

The Evolving Nature of the Site 16

3
Facebook and Social Networking 18

What is Social Networking? 18

Why Social Network Online? 18

How Does Facebook Fit In? 19

Find Like-Minded People 19

Ethics of Social Networking 20

Tools for Social Networking on Facebook 20

4
Beginner’s Guide to Facebook 23

Signing Up for Facebook 23

What would you like to accomplish? 24

Basic Features of the Site 25

The Profile 25

The Wall 26

Messages 26

Inbox 27

News Feed 27

Mini Feed 27

Status 28

Gifts 28

The Marketplace 29

Pokes 29

Events 30

Applications 30

Facebook Photos 31

Facebook Videos 32

My Notes 32

Creating Your Profile 32

Finding and Adding Friends on Facebook 33

Doing Searches on Facebook 35

5
Networking is Vital 36

Joining a Network 36

Network Pages 37

6
Grouping it Up 39

Why Get Started with Groups? 39

Facebook Groups for Business 39

How to Find a Group to Join 40

It’s Okay to Be Particular 40

How to Join a Group 41

Facebook Groups for Business 42

7
Facebook Applications 44

Types of Applications 44

Finding Your Applications 45

How do you Find Applications to Add? 45

Facebook’s Applications Page 46

Adding Applications 46

Popularity of Applications 47

Applications and Social Networking 47

Developing Applications 48

Creating Applications for Business 48

8
Facebook for Business – Basic Philosophy and Tools 50

The Basic Philosophy 50

Gain Exposure for Your Product or Service 51

Build a Sense of Community 51

How Can You Use it For Business? 52

A Note about Links 53

Create Your Profile 53

Gain Exposure for Your Product or Service 53

Tools You Can Use 54

Social Ads 54

Facebook Pages 55

Facebook Beacon 55

Facebook Insights 56

Facebook Platform 56

Facebook Polls 56

Use the Features that Make Sense 57

9
Building a Product and Customer Base with Facebook 58

Business and the Blank Slate 58

Start with an Idea 59

How to Build a Community 59

Creating a Product to Sell 60

Beta Test a Product on Facebook 61

Shift Your Thinking 62

You Don’t Want to Be a Spammer 62

The Community and Your Content 63

The Viral Nature of Facebook 64

You Need to Participate 65

How to Measure Success 66

A Note about Demographics 66

The Community and Your Customers 67

Make Privacy Work for You
68

Understand the Viral Nature of Facebook 69

Monetize Your Facebook Account 72

Specific Ways to Monetize Your Profile 73

Don’t be Afraid to Outsource 74

Join Groups Designed for Business Owners on Facebook 75

10
Wrapping it Up 76

Basic Steps of Running a Business on Facebook 77

Learn from your Mistakes 78

The Future of Facebook 78

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