Facebook Users

Do you run a Facebook account for your business through your personal Facebook account (as the site suggests), or do you have a unique account for business that is unconnected to your personal one?

I'm asking because I don't really want a personal Facebook account. Thanks for your feedback.

I maintain a separate Facebook account for my business, but I have a link to it from my personal FB page. I don't post a lot of material on my business page - just some highlights - but I prominently display a link to my business's web page.

I use both, though I noticed many people do not really pay attention. I have hundreds of "friends" on my personal page whom I never met and I assume found me while searching for my name in a photographic context. It doesn't bother me too much, though. Since the pages are linked, those who follow my personal page also see announcements posted to the business page.

Business page
Personal page

Guy

I have both a personal and a business page and would love to get them completely separate but can't figure out how.

I have both also. I prefer to keep my personal page for family and a few friends and direct the one's interested in photography to my photography page, but, like Guy, I'll get friend requests from others who have found me out of photography interest, and I'll accept the friend request, then send them an invitation to my photography page. Honestly, I don't do much on my personal page anyway, except post pics of friends and family occasionally.

Same as Doug, Personal and a Business page. The downside is you can not invite people to the Business Page, it seems that you have to accept the friend request in the personal, then invite them to the business page.
http://www.facebook.com/davidmayhewphotography

How do you create a separate "business" page? Does FB charge for that? I got into FB because it was recommended by a marketing program I was in but they were vague on how to use it for marketing and I have ended up with over a hundred "friends" many of whom I know only through the mail list of a hiking group I belong to.

I have both, and keep them separate so much as I can. They recently changed the way pages (what you should use for your business) work so that now you can comment using your business profile.. which is great for further exposure. You do need a personal account to be able to start and maintain a business page, but you can change your settings so no one can find or friend your personal account, and then it's basically as if you don't exist. Pages are great because 'friendship' doesn't require reciprocal action - people can just like your page and then they will see updates.. you don't have to accept requests like in a personal account.

I started with a personal page to keep in touch with my kids and that has expanded to include friends and my photography. I recently started a dedicated photo page for my business, but as Nancy mentioned, you cannot seperate the two. The options on the added business page are far more restricted than the personal page and it seems clear to me that the purpose is to push you towards using the Facebook ad service, which charges a fee.

I'm no expert on it, but I think you are better off setting up a business page that is completely unrelated or connected to a personal page. The problem is that the Facebook ToS says you are not permitted to have two pages that aren't related or connected, but I have no idea if this is even enforceable on their part. I suspect it isn't but have not yet tried it.

Here are my pages:

Personal - which is private with access only to friends:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1252725735

and Business - which is public and has general access:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Sabistons-Essential-Light-Photography/186347551404131

In practice, as with Guy, it has proven difficult to seperate the two, but the public page at least gives public exposure, for what it is worth.

You can also see why none of my recent work makes it on to NPN lately - it is almost strictly urban NYC subjects.

Interesting thread Kent, thanks for starting it, I have exactly the same dilemma as you.

Like several others, I have both - personal and business. I also don't see how you can have one without the other. I've received a few friend requests from NPN members which I've accepted, but I post 99% of my photographic stuff on my business page. They do seem to push the ad thing as there's always a little blurb about using it.

For what it's worth, I just set up a business page without setting up a profile. We'll see how that goes, but the point I feel I hear a lot of you making is quite valid. Part of the purpose of a Facebook page for photography is to remind your actual friends, family, and acquaintances about your business and the work you have to offer. It's hard to make that connection without a personal profile. Thanks everyone.

For those of ;you who have photograph on facebook, especially some you are trying to make some sort of money from--aren't you concerned that any photo put on there can be downloaded to any computer. I put some on my personal fb page but when I realized they could be downloaded I deleted them. A photograph even 365mb can be printed and used. Maybe I'm off base about this but hey, I don't want to share my work unless I get paid.

I wonder about the downloading thing, too. I have lots of my nature stuff on my personal page, and most of it is watermarked, but someone with enough knowledge could take out the watermark, couldn't they? I don't know for sure but I suspect it's possible. I've been wanting to transfer my nature albums from the personal page to the photography page, but don't know how to do that and now I'm not sure it would be prudent anyway. If people can steal, they will steal IMO.
Can shots be lifted from videos on Facebook? I thought about trying to showcase them that way.