I challenged myself to give up Facebook for 40 days and have found it to me

the most difficult challenge in terms of staying informed. Facebook is one

of my bookmarks of sites that I visit on a daily basis, as it is for many

Facebook users. Without Facebook, I immediately tuned in to other social

media networks that I am subscribed to such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

Ultimately, I have failed this challenge of eliminating Facebook from my

everyday tasks but have come to understand the significant influence that

Facebook and social media has made globally.

• "Twitter Revolution"

In regards to the current events and the revolutions in Egypt, Libya, and

Tunisia, they are often described as "Twitter Revolutions." The defining

characteristic in comparison to the Revolutions of the past, like the Russian

revolution, is the means of communication. I have read a number of articles

that claim that the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were set off my social

media activity. Wael Ghonin, Google’s Middle East and North African

Marketing Director and leader in the Egyptian uprising, told CNN that the

Egyptian protestors had the Internet to thank for their victory with

President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from power after 14 days of protest.

"I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg and thank him personally. I’m talking on

behalf of Egypt. This revolution started on Facebook," said Ghonim. In

regards to the Libyan affairs, researchers found that the main way for

protesters to communicate inside and outside Libya was through social media.

Considering the power of social media in igniting an entire revolution,

imagine the impact these networking tools can have on your business.

• Where is the world are you?

With the recent Tsunami in Japan, many students were witness to the terrible

tragedy overseas as they were spending the semester studying abroad. Three

NKU students were reportedly studying in Japan during the Tsunami and made

contact with the University and friends and family back at home through

Facebook and letting them know he was safe. Without Facebook, we would not

have been in contact with these students for several days. Facebook is a way

to stay connected. In times of disaster, Facebook allows just that. This

can be important for your business as well – many people have global

networks and knowing where your assets are is important. Social networks

allow for these connections to prevail.

• Special Events

Moments ago, I found out I missed an event on campus because I missed the

Facebook invitation. I haven’t been on Facebook in two weeks. JUST TWO

WEEKS! Events are being promoted through Facebook more often than they are

through e-mail, and when you’re not on campus that often to see the paper

promotions, Facebook is the primary medium. Facebook is where every college

student looks to see what’s going on. Businesses are now doing the same.

Facebook has over 500 million active users, meaning that most of your

audience, more likely than not, is on Facebook. Promote where your people

are instead of just your traditional mediums.

If social media can inspire an entire country to revolt, imagine what social

media can do for your business! It almost seems unreal the tremendous impact

that social media can have on such a global scale. It is crazy the amount of

information I’ve missed from being detached from Facebook for just two

weeks. Social media marketing has certainly come a long way from where it

first began – utilize these Internet marketing tools and, when properly

implemented, you can watch your business grow.