by Monique Hodgkinson

Thirty years ago, I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, seeking new adventures, never really looking back. In 2004, I attended my 25th high school reunion — the same year that Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin launched Facebook from their Harvard dorm room. At the reunion, I discovered how much fun it was to catch up with classmates. Vowing to keep in touch, I  returned to the West Coast. You know how it goes: the best intentions of mice and men … Time slipped by. Fortunately, Facebook spread its wings.

Early Facebook was mostly a directory listing for college kids. When the development platform was introduced, Facebook became all fun and games. Literally. I know a lot of people who are farming in FarmVille, playing Mafia Wars, and sending each other entertaining quizzes regularly. But in all seriousness, a social media tool like Facebook has benefits both personally and professionally.

By 2006, Facebook had already become a social networking giant. Soaring even higher, the company opened its registration to the general public, age 13 or older. I was an early adopter, inviting friends and family to join and become my Facebook “friends.” Eventually more detail was added into the user profile, making it easier to network with faces from the past.

I am now connected to many  people that I graduated from high school with. It is finally easy to keep in touch! This has been a great personal benefit, because I am inspired by the talent, creativity, and insights that my colleagues share. All Facebook users have a “wall” where their thoughts can be posted, along with photos, videos, comments from “friends,” links to other Web sites, and more. I can also chat with friends who are online, and have spent countless hours bantering cheerfully as I have been getting reacquainted with old friends, or catching up with my local cohorts. Boiling it down to two words, Facebook is really fun!

Beyond your individual Facebook page, there are also fan pages and groups, which allow birds of a feather to flock together. Groups allow like-minded individuals to  comment and share ideas about    various causes, which works well  for non-profit organizations and special interest groups.

Fan pages allow companies to keep their fingers on the pulse of their customer base, generate new leads, and provide customer support. Additionally, custom fan pages can be useful to enrich the customer experience. Coca Cola, Skittles and Toyota Prius are examples of brands with effective fan pages — pages that are fun and encourage comments, thereby creating a much more interactive experience than more traditional e-mail marketing. Facebook makes it easy to send invitations to “fans” about events, sales and celebrations. At a fraction of traditional advertising costs, Facebook ads allow you to drive targeted traffic    to your page.

Whether you are on Facebook for business or personal use, be sure to make your posts interesting, invite dialog, and share your insights.

Monique Hodgkinson is the founder of Screen Caffeen. Specializing in Internet strategy development, custom Web design, and social media marketing, Screen  Caffeen will wake up your online presence. Visit screencaffeen.com, call 650-740-1491, or follow @stablesolutions on Twitter.