The Facebook Phenomenon

This week I made a facebook page all about me! Let me guess - you're thinking, don't I already have a facebook profile that's all about me? Well I do - but a facebook page is different from a profile. My facebook page is a professional page for potential employers, business contacts and colleagues. With my facebook page I can highlight my academic goals, skills, and work experience in a way that is easily accessible to anyone who is considering hiring me or wants to make sure I'm a reputable person. Another excellent reason behind creating a facebook page is that if or when potential employers search my name, they can see a professional, positive account of me. The facebook page is separated from my personal life and focuses on my career instead of what I did on the weekends, like my facebook profile does.

When I get my degree and become a registered dietitian this page will be very useful. Facebook pages are a great way to stay in contact with other business professionals. This is a good point made by  fellow student on his blog post. I can show it to clients to assure them that I am a professional. I can use it to stay in contact with experts in my field and business contacts. The facebook page I have created would be a fantastic forum for discussing and brainstorming nutrition ideas, tips and news. If I return to rural Alberta to pursue my career like I want to, social media sites like facebook will be vital for staying in contact with other dietitians and experts in my field. It will not matter how many kilometres I am away from business contacts I can still discuss serious nutrition issues with them in real time on my facebook page. If I am putting on a benefit or awareness campaign as a part of my job I can easily advertise and spread the word through my facebook page. Below is a photo of my facebook page.

Figure 1. Cassandra H facebook page
From C. Holte (personal collection. January 24, 2012)
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cassandra-H/255243997879436?sk=info

One super useful tool of a facebook page is the ability to advertise through them. Whether running a small business or trying to promote a cause a facebook page is a great professional way to spread the word. This is a point also made by Allison Reilly. Being in university, with my entire adult life ahead of me, it is completely reasonable to predict that someday I will want to advertise a function, raise awareness for a cause, or even open my own business. Learning how to make a facebook page is a valuable tool that will most defiantly come in handy in my future career and life.