I haven't ever set up a fanpage.  My facebook is more or less private- I use it for family and friends.  Would I have to give more public access to *my* page, or do I set up a new profile?

I worry about FB's copyrights, too.  They take non-exclusive rights to anything posted.  How can I use FB but still protect my content and control ownership?

And how do I make enhance my reader's experience, instead of being one more thing to keep up with?

Do people have trouble with readers commenting on FB, other readers commenting on the blog post, and having 2 conversations going on over the same article?  Is there a way to pull FB comments to the blog post or integrate them so the conversation is in one place?

Not a question, just an observation.  I cannot TELL you how annoying it is when people tweet a link to a post, which takes you to FB, which then requires you to click a link to the actual blog in order to read the content.

I mainly want to know.. as many of you have now heard.. how to grow your fan page. I'm about to do an extremely rare giveaway on my site (rare for my site, not the giveaway itself) and I just can't decide if I want to be one of the bloggers that give extra entries for "liking" on facebook. Does that work and do people like that?

Bobbie - You can use your giveaway to promote your fan page without bribing readers with an extra entry. Personally I don't like the extra entries because they can be an administrative nightmare for bloggers, your giveaway takes more time to enter, it won't seem fair to your readers who aren't on Facebook, and it's a bribe. I like to keep my giveaways simple with only one method of entry (my Google Docs form).

That's my take on it - of course the next question is "So, how do I use the giveaway to promote my fan page?". You encourage readers to share your giveaway on Facebook. Add in something about your Facebook Fan page and encourage your readers to "Like" it. Share your giveaway on Facebook Fan page walls like Freebies 4 Mom. Ask your readers a question in your giveaway post, and request that they head over to your Facebook Fan page to answer it. Facebook is a place to have conversations, so you basically are getting the word out that you are ready to talk to your blog readers on Facebook for a more interactive experience.

You're the best Heather, thanks!

Hope you can join me on Thursday at 8:00 pm for the Twitter party - I'll be tweeting tips and answering questions

People rarely stay in jobs forever these days. With so much churn in the industry you’re bound to walk into projects half-way through and have to make the best of an existing situation. As a digital or social media professional this may involve the exciting challenge of taking over a brand or organisation’s Facebook page. Sure, you know where all the buttons are and can sniff your way around insights – but it’s worth trying to glean some information about that specific page before your predecessor disappears into the wild blue yonder.

1. What is the goal of the Facebook page?
2. How does this tie into overall business or organisational goals?
3. Who are the target audience (s)?
4. Why would anyone like this page?
5. Is there a creative strategy and content calendar?
6. What resources are available for supporting media and marketing?
7. What is the history of the page – the high and low points?
8. What are the reception possibilities, if any? (That is, how may Facebook feedback be absorbed back into the organisation – ala social business)
9. Who is the team looking after the page? (e.g. posting the updates, responding, moderating, handling tech, copywriting, design)
10. What are the KPIs and how are they being reported on?

protect it now