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If you’re frustrated with the constant changes Facebook is making; you’re not alone. Personally, these changes feel like Mark Zuckerberg is shaking the heart of my social networking existence. I mean “if it ain’t broke; why fix it”; right? However, as my Facebook activity has been shifting from personal to professional use, my perspective on these changes is shifting as well. Maybe these Facebook programmers do know what they are talking about; it’s only a multibillion dollar company that has taken over the number one spot in internet traffic.

If you saw the movie “The Social Network”, you were able to see the evolution of Facebook from its infancy to becoming an established player in the social networking world. Originally designed for college students, it is now becoming a popular platform for businesses; especially for marketing and communication purposes. Because of these new Facebook users, changes are being made to provide an experience that better serve businesses. Now that I have transitioned from a college student to businesswoman, these changes make much more sense to me.

Let’s take a look  at a few modifications Facebook has made in efforts to provide better business functions on the site.

Profile vs. Page

A key difference between a Profile and Page is users can simply “like” a Page while they must “friend” a Profile. This makes Pages a much better solution for businesses. A recently released tool by Facebook allows users convert their personal profile into a Facebook Fan Page. This is also helpful in separating personal from professional Facebook use.

Identification of Business Page Admin

Facebook gives businesses the ability to have open communication with their customers. It is important for these customers to know who they are talking to. Recently, Facebook has made it possible for companies to list admins or page owners with links to their Facebook profile. This humanizes a company by letting people that are engaging in conversation know exactly who they are speaking with. Page owners can also add admins such as employees in their social media division.

Creative Opportunities

A new masthead for pages now features the five most recently added images which, when clicked, expand to full size but keeping users on your page instead of taking them to the photo page. This allows for visual branding of your business. Although this feature allows for only the first five images to appear, brands are accepting this randomness and developing creative combinations of pictures.

Beyond these three changes I touched on, there are many more changes Facebook has recently implemented to make your business page more effective. Management of your page has become easier as well as the ability to partner with and promote other businesses.  Has your business benefited from these new Facebook functions?