My Two Faces of Facebook

Unimaginable I know...but it's true. The year I was born Russia launched the first earth-orbiting satellite - Sputnik I. The cost of a first-class stamp was $0.03. West Side Story debuted on Broadway and on their black and white GE Hotpoint televisions, Elvis was gyrating his way into the hearts (and loins) of every American girl. But that's not the unbelievable part. What's amazing to me is here it is 2010, the age of the cyber-world, and a whole -xx years later and I have not one, but TWO Facebook identities! But this particular fact is not necessarily the entire point of this blog entry, it's more how to keep these two entities separate.



So to briefly explain, I avoided Facebook for a long time. It seemed like an evil lure with the promise of instant validation and an almost hypnotic obsession with the ongoing and evolving narrative between people you might not otherwise interact with on a regular basis. It's the public playground of family and friends (and friends and family of friends and family) that seemed too invasive to me. Not only that...but I AM AN ADULT! Wasn't Facebook for kids who used it as an online yearbook, to exchange inside jokes and share the details of their daily and even boring routine? And those ridiculous games...Farmville??? Really???

Well anyway I got suckered in. I have a large family spread all over the country and I felt this the easiest way to keep in touch since about 80% of them already had a Facebook account. So I resigned myself to giving it up for a digital identity and started my online 'mingling'. Quickly however I saw the social networking as an opportunity to market and promote my line of jewelry. A light bulb moment!


So with that I created my fan page 'JBird's Garden'. I can't think of having made a better move or plan to reach out to more people, as well as get a niche market for my product. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Facebook I more than likely would have just continued to make my little bracelets and earrings at my kitchen table for my own personal use and just give them away to poor unsuspecting family members. But now I currently have over 560 'fans'! That's 560 people who see my creations, find out where I will be selling my work, can immediately connect to my Etsy shop and are aware of my being out there! But with all that said, I have reached an odd position with these two separate identities. Hey look at that...I am actually finally getting to the point of this blog!

So here it is: Somehow, without my even being aware of it happening, these two identities...Janiece Arbogast McWilliams (spell check just said I spelled all three names incorrectly. Ha!) and JBird's Garden have integrated. I didn't want that to happen...I very much preferred to maintain these two individually but suddenly I have people who found my fan page now making a 'friend' request to JAM. So there the email sits clearly asking to be allowed entrance into my personal world of whining and snarkiness and soapboxing and favorite YouTube music video and braggings of my sweet grandchild.

Suddenly I feel uncomfortable and awkward and 'exposed', but what am I to do...ignore the friendly and well-meaning request? I certainly don't want to be rude and I absolutely appreciate the support for my craft. So what to do? I truly wish to continue keeping the personal page and the business page separate. I want to exchange jokes and well wishes and sarcasms with those people who know me best (or getting to know me all over again) and then also focus solely on the work I put so much of myself into. ANd I want to do so in a way that doesn't cross over to the 'other side'. Am I shooting myself in the foot by closing the door on friend invitations from other artist/crafters?

I posed this question to some of the connections I've made on my JBird's page and here are two of the responses I've received:

TheHandmade GiftGuide

I have a separate account for my businesses. I used my company email, rather than my personal email to start my account. That way I can still comment on things, post pics and links as The Guide... and then I have my personal account for family & friends.

Two Little Bluebirds
I keep them separate. If I receive a friend request from someone I suspect is trying to fan my page I send them a note letting them know how to find my fan page. I appreciate all of my fans, but I need to have my personal space as well.

So to that I say -Whew! I am not the only one who feels the need to keep the personal interactions on Facebook separate from the business ones and that it's OK to redirect those requests back to my fan page where they belong. I guess I'm still kind of new to all this online marketing and social networking so I still stumble and trip and back myself into uncomfortable corners, but I'm thankful for the support and advice and even friendship of my new Facebook acquaintances. So back I go to pulling up today's favorite video and poking my head and throw in my two cents to the ramblings of family and friends...AND to slip over to JBird's page to thank some other hardworking crafter for showing me some link love and to shamelessly self-promote my latest creation.

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And now speaking of...here are a couple new creations with spring in mind: