Facebook fan page

[jan normandale]

this stuff is time consuming just like running a blog or your own webpage. Be ready for the "business of being in business" Answering questions, politely, timely etc. Dealing with all craziness of the jekyll / hyde nature of people on line hiding behind a monitor.

As Louis B Mayer said... "... include me out" ;D

Good luck which ever way you decide

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by jan normandale

this stuff is time consuming just like running a blog or your own webpage. Be ready for the "business of being in business" Answering questions, politely, timely etc. Dealing with all craziness of the jekyll / hyde nature of people on line hiding behind a monitor.

As Louis B Mayer said... "... include me out" ;D

Good luck which ever way you decide

If you want to do photography as a business, a facebook page is worth the time. I've sold many prints to my fans. Does take a while to build up a large fan base though. I have 466 fans, but it took 3 yrs to build that many, but It really isn't that much work.

[keytarjunkie]

I don't know about facebook. I use it socially, but not to promote my work. I'm a lot more active on tumblr though - I started a blog a couple of years ago for my photography class to share the images I was looking at, and it has more than 700 followers.

I also started a tumblr blog for my own work last august, and it's already up to 700 followers...I think by the may or june I'll hit over 1000.

Tumblr is way more about image sharing, which by the way I completely endorse as long as it's not for commercial purposes. I now have a small but moderately substantial following, and while I've sold prints before, I'll really start getting into it pretty soon I think.

[paulfish4570]

thanks, Chris.
http://www.facebook.com/Paulfish4570

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Paul, I went and liked your page. Here's a tip: if you do not want to post many photos directly to facebook, you can post links to them on your website, flickr page, RFF gallery, etc. That's how I post most of my photos on my facebook page, that way it takes people to my website where they can buy if they want!

[paulfish4570]

ah! thank you, sir. at some point, i will build a web site.

[seakayaker1]

No facebook, no Linkedin, pretty much no to any social network . . . . .

Love the recent articles about employers now requiring applicants to provide access to their personal pages on facebook as part of the interview process. You may end up with friends you never wanted or be linked to an activity that others perceive as offensive. Way to much big brother tapping into our personal lives and we lay out pieces of our lives for them to gather and interpret as they see fit.

Then there are courts in the US and UK that allow warrants to be issued to view facebook pages without the users permission or actually issue a warrant via facebook.

A new U.S. law-enforcement tool: Facebook searches. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...76B49420110712

U.K. Court Serves Papers on Facebook, Spurs Privacy Concerns. http://www.mobiledia.com/news/129101.html

Divorce attorneys, employers, debt collectors, all sort of people are linning up hoping to get access to the personal information laid out in the social networks.

I have a Flickr account and that may go by the wayside at some point in the future.

. . . . . also no texting, no tweeting, no smartphone.

Everyone can make there own decisons regarding how much of their life they want to put out on the net/airways. I find myself backing away from it all, to each there own.

[DSkjaeve]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

Paul, I went and liked your page. Here's a tip: if you do not want to post many photos directly to facebook, you can post links to them on your website, flickr page, RFF gallery, etc. That's how I post most of my photos on my facebook page, that way it takes people to my website where they can buy if they want!

Thanks for the tip regarding posting links instead
of photos. Didn't enter my mind.

[tbarker13]

I have a fan page in addition to my standard facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/timbarkerphotography

I use it for a variety of reasons. Part of it is quasi-marketing. But also I have used it to connect with some of the communities I photograph - roller derby, local theater, burlesque performers.
These days, I primarily focus on portraits and individuals. I find that it is so much easier to approach people out of the blue - when they can go to my page and see that my previous work includes people they know.

[paulfish4570]

many employers have been checking facebook, etc., for several years now. i do not post anything that would alarm anyone or any agency. i figure facebook is fair game for searches anyhow, because anything posted there has then been "published." published = on the public record.
i warn young people all the time that anything they post on social networks is considered published, and will NEVER go away, whether it is "deleted" or not.

[johannielscom]

This is my page, intended to reap a whole lot of LIKES to plug my upcoming photography business (you know the drill, click that button pls )

And I also created a Leica User Group on FB, to be found here. And a Rolleiflex User Group, here.

In both groups members are welcome and encouraged to post shots of and with their camera's!

[Michael Markey]

Well say what you will about FB but I`ve picked up some interesting stuff from this thread.
Thanks to all those who have shared their pages.

[paulfish4570]

Michael, i'd like to know what your facebook link is ...

[Michael Markey]

Not as interesting as these other , Paul I can assure you.
Most of my pics are what Al Kaplin called grip and grin but with me they include horses and are posted on a closed page within FB.

This is the link to my page though.https://www.facebook.com/

Oh that didn`t work ...ok I`m under Michael Markey

[paulfish4570]

michael, that gave me my page. i tried searching facebook for your name. i got lots of americans named michael markey, but no no one from lancashire ...

[Michael Markey]

Ok ...i`ll work on it.
Yes there are a few over your side

https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1148817624

[paulfish4570]

thank you, george.

[paulfish4570]

george, i think i "liked" your page. anyhow, if i didn't manage to do that, the cover photos are beautiful.

[dasuess]

As long as we're revealing our FB fan pages...

www.facebook.com/DavidSuessImages

[DSkjaeve]

Ah, I caved in.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Sk...10742259026516

[Turtle]

As Chris says, if you want to make money out of photography and sell prints, it is a powerful tool, or can be if done well.

As much as one might dislike social networking platforms, they are increasingly influential. If one has professional aspirations and is starting out now, it is worth getting on board. For well established photographers it is less of an issue as the building of that business took place in a different era. Sounds silly, but today and ten years ago were very different eras in some respects.

As for plagiarism of images and usage by FB, you do not lose the rights to those images, only FB has the right to monkey with them. Personally, I am not that bothered if they monkey with a 450 pixel image, if I get to sell a 40" print for very good money, or my promotions get people along to exhibitions where they do so. I think it is a case of weighing up the greater benefit.

FB claims that these measures they put in place were intended to prevent law suits resulting from internal use. It does leave all FB users vulnerable to having their content sold on, but I am not aware of any examples of FB selling on images for commercial purposes or using them in this manner. Do such examples exist? If they do, then it is a different matter, but it seems widespread fears have not been substantiated. Yet.

This might also be helpful as one pro wildlife photographer put this issue to FB https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=270204724175

I started one a while ago and have not pushed it yet, but I get regular hits on my website from FB traffic and they comprise a decent percentage of the total.

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

If you want to do photography as a business, a facebook page is worth the time. I've sold many prints to my fans. Does take a while to build up a large fan base though. I have 466 fans, but it took 3 yrs to build that many, but It really isn't that much work.