Why is it that Facebook is so essential in some people’s lives while others do not embrace the concept of Facebook in any way, shape or form? Perhaps they think that Facebook is simply for reading wall posts – for seeing what people are doing at any given moment in time. Or perhaps they do not know what this social network actually has to offer.

I seem to have inherited a rogue social media gene. For the most part, the social media phenomenon (of awesomeness) eludes my parents and pretty much everyone else in my bloodline, who believe that Facebook is only for people who say things like OMG, LOL, and FTW.

For me however, there are a huge number of reasons that a person would utilize Facebook on a daily basis – wall posts being just one part of the Facebook experience.

We at Sites That Pop wanted to know why the people in our social network utilize Facebook and other social networks, so we did a Facebook poll (of which there are a number of formats available!). The top five responses to this question were:

1. To keep up with friends and family. Facebook has almost entirely replaced email correspondence, sending picture attachments and updates to friends and family for Facebookers.

2. To participate in Facebook groups, forums, etc. One may participate in discussions with people in various groups dedicated to specific topics – i.e. parenting, healthy living, sports, art, music, what have you. There is a Facebook group or page for just about any and every topic or interest you can imagine. (And if there is not a page or group for something you are passionate about, you can quickly and easily create one!)

3. As a resource to find out about events, deals, etc. Various retail stores, businesses, blogs, etc. have member/fan-only events, coupons, etc. which are made available only to Facebook followers who “like” their official Facebook page.

4. To participate in online social gaming. Farmville, Texas HoldEm Poker, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, CafeWorld, Bejeweled Blitz, Pet Society, SIMS, and Words With Friends are currently some of the most popular Facebook games being played.

5. As a social calendar. Facebook events can now be imported into almost any virtual calendar

In addition to these five, there is so much more that Facebook can do!

Hopefully, these five reasons help to explain why and how the general populace utilizes Facebook. I will be highlighting more specifically how Facebook can boost business revenue and different ways that businesses are using Facebook in my next blog post.

Stay tuned!

Elizabeth Repass Hollida
Sites That Pop
Social Media/Digital Marketing