Should You "Facebook" Your Clients?
In this age of "instant information" and electronic connections, it's easy to forget that not everyone is really a FRIEND, in the true sense of the word. Should you add clients and colleagues to your personal Facebook page? My opinion is - no. If you feel you MUST, it has to be on a very limited basis and only if you can control yourself.
What do I mean by controlling yourself? I mean that if you're going to post every single annoying thing that you do throughout the day, or post every game step in every game you're playing, or if you have friends that may post random, possibly unacceptable things on your page, DON'T connect with your clients personally. Set up a separate company page for business activity or utilize other online business tools such as LinkedIn.com and Google plus to better maintain a professional image.
Clients can be fickle. Most of us that work virtually rarely or never meet many of our clients in person. There is a standard that most people perceive that you are a professional and that can be quite easily shattered with one random comment or post by you or a friend or family member. Clients truly believe that you are diligently working on their projects or at minimum someone's projects at all times. Viewing you playing a game or chatting and interacting with friends and family on what they may perceive as "their time" can be a challenging issue.
Maintaining a basic company page is easy and can garner you new clients, recommendations and an ability to market your business free and painlessly. It also affords you the opportunity to post news and interact with your clients on a professional level rather than integrating business with your personal page.
If you don't know how to create a Facebook page, step-by-step instructions are here: