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How To Shake Hands On Facebook

By Mari Smith | April 18, 2008 |

Ever since I joined Facebook in July 2007, I’ve been an evangelist for including a personal message each time I make a Facebook Friend Request. No exceptions.

Likewise, I’m equally passionate about receiving a personal message from incoming friends.

Still, it continues to amaze me how many Facebook members miss this critical step. It’s the equivalent of attending an in-person social or business networking event, going up to a complete stranger, shoving your business card in their pocket (without saying a single word to them, or without even making eye contact) and walking away.

Hello? Where’s the rapport in that? Where’s the beginning of a new relationship?

image Recently I received what I deem as one of the BEST incoming friend request personal messages.

I was so impressed with this gal’s warm greeting, I wrote a Facebook Note about it and tagged a few select friends to help spread the word. Little did I know how popular the topic is! We’re at 38 comments and counting!

To view the Note, you’ll need to be my Facebook friend.

Feel free to join in the conversation thread on Facebook or here on this blog post. What are your personal thoughts about, and experience with, personal messages on Friend Requests?

I’m including below the content of the Facebook Note. To see the lively conversation, view the Note on Facebook.

Okay, I just had to share this one…

great_friend_request

As you know, including a personal message when inviting someone to be your Facebook friend is a critical part of that initial rapport-building stage.

This invite from Andrea Amador made my day today!

First, Andrea tells me exactly how she found me. Then, to help engage me, she uses upbeat playful language that very much resonates with my personality style. (A “raging extrovert” on Myers Briggs as my coach calls me; and a High I on DISC. lol)

I’m tagging a few active friends on Facebook; feel free to add a comment here and help push this Note into your own friends’ News Feed so we can help educate more peeps on this important topic! (I’m still amazed at how many people don’t add personal messages to invites. How about you?)

Also, be sure to check out Nancy Marmolejo’s excellent new video on this very topic.

Cheers,
Mari
P.S. Btw, stay tuned for a personality-based Facebook product coming soon from yours truly in collaboration with my dear friend, Carol Dysart, DISC master extraordinaire!

Mari Smith

Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is widely known as the Premier Facebook Marketing Expert and a top Social Media Thought Leader. Forbes describes Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.” IBM named Mari as one of seven women that are shaping digital marketing. Mari is an in-demand keynote speaker, corporate social media strategist, dynamic live webcast host, and popular brand ambassador. She is coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, and author of The New Relationship Marketing.

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Posted in Facebook for Business, Facebook Tips, Social Networking and tagged , ,

4 Comments

  1. Cyndee on February 6, 2009 at 2:57 am

    Absolutely!!

    Thank you for writing this.

    Cyndee’s last blog post.. Feb 1, Single Parent Home – Statistics on single parent homes



  2. Susan Smtih on July 21, 2008 at 1:51 am

    I’m relatively new to facebook so this information is helpful. I’m still trying to figure it all out.



  3. Barbara C. Phillips on April 24, 2008 at 5:32 am

    I’ve been guilty of this. When I first got on facebook (a week or so ago), I wasn’t even sure what do do. Couldn’t find any “directions”. I’m learning though. Thanks for this post (and being my FB friend).



  4. Scott Bradley on April 22, 2008 at 1:31 pm

    Mari,

    I also find it really amazing that people still request to be friends and don’t put a personal message. Sometimes I want to send them a message back with the words HELLO!!!!!!!



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