If you have a Facebook account, chances are you are a fan of something or someone. But, if you’re hesitant to join in the social media hoopla (don’t worry, I was too) here’s how fanpages work. When you set up a Facebook account for a company, you actually create a fanpage, where Facebookers from all over the world can become a fan of your company and suggest their friends become fans also. Any status updates from your company show up in the newsfeed of all your fans. You can use this to make fans aware of specials, introduce new products or use special Facebook fan only discount codes!

Many national companies have utilized fanpages, such as Macy’s, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. However, not everyone has an attractive fanpage. What makes these companies stand out from everyone else? These companies, and several others, have integrated a section, such as the company homepage, About Us or Contact Us pages right into Facebook. You can check ours out here!

Not only can you have your homepage be a part of your Facebook fan page, but you can also have all of your fans and fans-to-be default to particular Facebook tabs. For example, many fans-to-be are directed to the homepage or About Us tab in the fanpage, while actual fans are directed to the fan comments tab or a tab introducing new products or specials.

So, how is it done? Facebook uses a special language, FBML (FaceBook Mark-up Language) to code the insertion of your website page. There is a special application in Facebook (FBML app) that translates the code of your website into FBML so your content can be viewed in Facebook. You can search Facebook for the application and follow directions or, if you are anything like me and this stuff is just way beyond your realm of geekiness, call us at Cornerstone and one of our gurus would be happy to help get you set up with an appointment for your very own Facebook Facelift! (no surgery required!)

Since the beginning of YouTube back a few years ago it has, by every indication, become the number two search engine in the world. With more than 85% of all people with Internet access using the web now to research everything from products, services, and companies I see it also being used to answer questions, to find how to do something and even teach you Calculus! Yes math through the use of streaming media! My teenager can now have access to a host of virtual teachers online 24/7/365! All I can say is I’m jealous because I had to do it the old fashioned way!

I have a high school senior that had a horrible teacher this year in AP Calculus and when he exhausted the conventional means of getting help to understand what was being taught in the classroom, I caught him one night on YouTube having the answers to his questions explained in remarkable detail right online by another teacher half a world away. At first I was upset but then before I could say anything I had to admire my son for taking the initiative to use the Internet to solve his homework problems. The end result was an A for the semester and we are still waiting for the AP results.

Our Po!nt: While many see little, if any, value in the Internet this second generation of Interneters have embraced it as part of their everyday lives as a resource base to find answers in a click. Wait, after 17 years of Internet use I have done the same. Like father, like son (he’ll hate that if he reads this)! As always we welcome your thoughts and comments on this or any topic.