Facebook is a social networking site that connects people to other individuals, as well as brands and organizations. It is a more private network than Twitter that is driven by status updates, the use of games and applications, and the sharing of content such as links and photos. Before creating a fan page or group, be sure to read Considering Social Media and complete the Social Media Planning Guide (PDF) to see if Facebook is the right fit for your needs and resources.

How should I use my Facebook fan page?

Share content (e.g. event listings, news stories, pages from your site profiling programs or individuals). Post photos and videos. Post links to related organizations or information. Ask questions and solicit feedback. Engage and enlighten.

Also, people are likely to post to your wall. Check your FB fan page regularly (at least a few times a week) to respond to questions or remove inappropriate postings (e.g., the ad for the local pizza place, other commercial postings, spammers, other offensive content). Facebook now allows you to mark posts as spam, which moves them into a separate tab and removes them from your wall.

People may post reasonable criticism (e.g., "Last night’s event was too crowded and the music was too loud!" "I am annoyed that I didn’t get into your program, what gives?"). To build credibility and authenticity, it is usually best to allow these comments to stand and respond, allowing other users to see the exchange (note: other people’s posts to your fan page’s wall do not show up in your fans’ update stream).

Be mindful of Facebook’s Terms of Service and policy for reporting abuse.

Should I set up a fan page or a group?

Fan pages are an external-facing way of connecting with a brand or entity outside of a personal account. Pages can host applications, allowing them to be more personalized.

Groups are designed for more personal interaction around a common interest. Groups have more permission levels than Pages, which are public and indexed in search engines.

Do not set up a personal Facebook account to represent a group or organization. Not only is it not in the best interest of using the tool to promote your cause, but Facebook may react to this misuse of its service by deleting the account.

For more information, see this Mashable blog post.

How do I set up a custom username for my Facebook page?

Go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ and see if your desired username is available. A username cannot be changed once it is selected. Make sure you are setting your page username and not the username for your personal account. Learn more from Facebook’s Help Center .

How do I link to other Fan Pages from my Fan Page?

If you are set up as an administrator on your organization’s Fan Page, go to the page you would like to link to from your Fan Page page and click "Add to my page’s favorites." If you are an admininstrator on multiple pages, it will ask you to confirm which Fan Page you would link to link to the current page from.

We encourage you to only link to other university-related Fan Pages and not pages for external, non-Tufts brands or services.

What should I consider when naming my Facebook Fan Page?

When establishing a Facebook Fan Page, which is an external-facing channel, you want the name to be something easy for search engines to find. Think of what people might search for to find information about your topic or organization. For example, if creating a Facebook Fan Page for the Tufts football team, good names might be "Tufts University Jumbos Football" or "Tufts University Football," not "Jumbo Pigskin" or "Jumbo on the Gridiron." This name cannot be changed once it is selected.

Once selected, this name cannot currently be changed, though Facebook may remove this restriction down the road.

What should I consider when picking my profile picture?

Facebook allows a profile image with dimensions as large as 180×540 pixels. This allows for some creative flexibility in how you use your profile image.

When picking a profile image for your Facebook Fan Page, be advised that Facebook is not very flexible in letting you customize your thumbnail. Also, be sure it is either an image in the public domain or an image that you own the rights to.

Do not use the university’s main wordmark or seal as your Facebook or Twitter image.

Last updated: Nov. 2, 2010