Can Facebook Be a Home Business Isolation Solution?
by Martin Neumann ~ September 25th, 2007
It finally hit me a few weeks ago just how much of a factor Facebook has become in our lives.
Do you want to know why I think that?
Well, I’ve been on the Internet doing my “things” for more than 10 years now. And you know what: during that time my online and offline world never met, never collided - heck, most of my offline world (eg: friends and family) thought I was pissing away my time and life at this thing called the Internet. Bah! That’s for another column.
Well recently, those two worlds for me have collided.
The point of impact in this collision? Facebook!
When your Brother-in-law (who’s on Army duty overseas) and your cousin who lives 5,000 miles away finds you on Facebook and wants to be Friends then you know the two worlds have collided, or … are nicely welcoming each other. Online world: may I introduce you to my offline world. And so on…
It’s become a big revelation for me these last few months about how Facebook is really the one and only Web 2.0 app that has broken through the echo chamber and is working the mainstream with aplomb.
Facebook and the Home Business
You’ve read about it, there’s been post after post after post, it’s been written about by mainstream media and your everyday citizen journalist/blogger.
It’s called “isolation”. The home business owner faces it constantly, if not every day.
Yep. Isolation can be a big issue for the home-based business owner. I know because for years I upped my nose at this isolation clap-trap only to realize that yes, even me, your humble Aussie home business Evangelist, got caught up in isolated insulation that was just not plain healthy. It hit quick, it hit hard and I had to do something about it.
Of course, I quickly figured out that getting away from the computer for a round of golf, or a walk down by the beach or going out for a drink or three did the trick.
Stuck in the home office, it’s background music or radio, or taking an hour off work to do some IM’ing or Skyping or pottering around in the garden.
On the outside, it’s getting to a crowded coffee shop with pen and paper in hand or off to the library (which I religiously do every Monday morning). Daily interaction (often missed when one opts for working from home) is almost a must for the majority of us to keep some sanity in our lives.
Now back to Facebook. With Facebook, this can be taken all to another level. Because lets face it. Competition is fierce. There are times when you are building your business (from home) when every hour counts. You just can’t up and leave it all behind. You’ve got to spend the hours in front of the computer building your business, doing the hard yards.
And that’s where I found joining Facebook handy.
Spending an hour a day at Facebook has improved my mood and my productivity remarkably. You can let off steam just by being yourself, seeing others being themselves and basically being the social creature that we all are.
It also helps that the Facebook Developers have released a Facebook Toolbar for Firefox - and for one who literally lives online in their many Firefox tabs this not only tips Facebook over the edge, but is something that I highly recommend every home business owner gets into - your professional and social life has never been easier to manage than it is now.
September 26th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Great post. Interesting idea that Facebook can help with home office isolation. I have been working out of my home office now for almost 3 years. I can tell you I have never felt isolated. In fact, quite the opposite. Being able to spend time with my family and not at a “downtown†office is well worth any isolation one might feel.
BTW, love the new design and look. Great job!!!!! I would love to talk to your designer about a job for me.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hey Grant, thanks for dropping by.
Yeah, I was like you for a number of years - isolation never affected me, in fact, being an introvert at heart I found solace in it.
Lately, though, when I’ve attended a few meetups, small conferences and networking sessions I did get the feeling that I was missing out on some social interaction. I got the same sort of feeling with Facebook.
But I can only take all this interaction in small doses. :-) I still prefer my own home office any time. Suits my personality, independence and productivity.
BTW, I notice you’re starting up a blog network - and focusing on your niche. Great idea! You’d know the saying” “go deep, not wide” - and you’re going deep into your own niche. Together with the passion in your Sept 23 post, and this thing can only be one giant success. All the best.
September 26th, 2007 at 11:30 am
I actually found this post to be very interesting. I do not really use facebook at all, but now I will look into it.
As far as isolation goes, it all depends on who you are. There are those who just love to work on their business all day.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:14 am
Hi
This is my first time to visit your blog.
Your post is interesting, I am a home business owner and I would love to check facebook to see what it can do for my home business.
The design of your blog is cool.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Facebook is definitely a great tool for home office promotion, everyday its inching up on google and yahoo and one day when they figure out how to finally advertise appropriately it will be as useful as adwords.
February 13th, 2008 at 2:37 am
There is no way facebook will ever touch google, they are on 2 sepearate levels, you don’t facebook something you google it.