Handbook

“What’s more important, having a website or having a Facebook Page?” That’s like asking which parent you love more. 

Facebook: is the immensely popular social media portal (half a billion people can’t be wrong) and an easy outlet to have a presence. Fan pages include tracking systems to determine message effectiveness, the Facebook brand is common knowledge and the biggest bonus; it’s free. However, it (and other social media sites) works on its own logic and is restrictive on how pages are designed and who they attract. It also takes a concerted effort to build a legion of followers – and THAT doesn’t happen overnight.

A website: is yours to own and tailor to your brand, your goals, your message and, if designed properly, can position you to list high in search engine rankings. But it costs real money (not Farmville bucks). Search Engine Optimization is an inexact science and it doesn’t automatically link you to a half-billion users. And if you do think having just a website might be preferable, look at changes made to search engine results. They too recognize the importance of social media, so much so, that they have tweaked their logic to crawl social media sites.

The answer: (just like mom and dad) is found in a harmonious coexistence. Search engines are organically based on their inherent algorithms (think a directory), where social media sites work on a vertical basis (think friend recommendations). Yes, either can exist on their own but they aren’t nearly as effective as a marriage of the two.

And one thing to consider: MySpace. Facebook is NOT MySpace. It’s too big, too well run and too popular to be considered in the same vein, but such is the nature of peer to peer relationships, they do change. Yes it’s fantastic to be part of the group, unless you’re a pilot whale or a lemming. It’s fun to go with the crowd, but it’s always best to have a home base.