Instead, Facebook hopes to build the same sort of success with businesses that they have had with people’s personal pages. They want to be the one place where people go to look for, learn about, and engage with businesses. To accomplish this goal they need to encourage businesses to join Facebook, and that is why they created the Fan Page.

Facebook doesn’t even call them Fan Pages anymore. Instead, they are simply called Pages. Your page lets you build a presence on Facebook, engage with your audience, spread your message, connect with Facebook users on your website, and encourage conversations. Custom tabs can be created to feature coupons, promote specials, share videos, and set up events. It’s a full palette of features, and it’s just for businesses, brands, and non-profit agencies.

The dangerous side of your business presence comes in the way customers perceive your presence. When they are connecting with your business, they may think they are connecting with you. If they have a bad experience with one of your representatives, they may take their complaints to your Facebook Page because they expect this to be the online equivalent of asking to speak to the owner.

To add another complication, what if the person they are complaining about also happens to be one of your Facebook page administrators? That complaint could be deleted and you wouldn’t know about it unless there was an even bigger backlash because of it. Large businesses have marketing, public relations, or customer care groups to handle these situations. But for smaller businesses, there are only two courses I see to this situation. You either need to be your own Facebook Page administrator, or you need to bring in help from outside. This is where the social marketing experts come in.

Social marketing experts can set up your page for you, develop guidelines for Facebook engagement, monitor your presence, promote your brand, and provide a direct channel of communication to the top when there is a problem that needs your attention. This service isn’t free, but in the context of a marketing budget, you should be able to identify a level of service that suits any business.

How is Facebook going to make money with Pages? Nobody knows at this point, but you can be certain that once businesses are engaging with their customers on Facebook, they will not want to stop. In the future, a Facebook Page will likely come with a price tag. But for now, the time is right to add your business to the mix and start connecting with your customers.

Have you ever come across a conversation like this, either on line or in person?

Person 1: I’d like to know what people think about the color Red. Red is used frequently, but is it the best color? Can Red be improved? Let’s talk about it.

Person 2: Red is a nice color.

Person 1: We’ve already established that. Why don’t you say something new about Red?

Person 2: I like Red. I also like other colors that are in the Red family, especially the family of Autumn colors.

Person 1: There’s no such thing as “Autumn colors” You can see every color in Autumn.

Person 3: Green. It’s far more attractive and soothing than Red.

Person 1: You don’t know what you’re talking about. There are many greens that are far more jarring than Red.

Person 3: I’m talking about the soothing Greens.

Person 1: You said Green. Not Some Greens. Now you are changing your position.

Person 3: I meant the more soothing Greens.

Person 1: Yet that’s not what you said. Besides, I started this out asking about Red. You haven’t said anything constructive about Red. You really don’t know how to have a constructive conversation.

Person 3: You are an idiot. I’m out of here.

Person 1: You are only giving up because you cannot support a healthy debate. It seems like I’m the only person who understands Red.

Person 4: If you think nobody else understands Red, why did you ask for other opinions?

Person 1: I didn’t say that nobody else understands Red. You are putting words in my mouth.

Person 4: This IS idiotic. I’m leaving too.

Person 1: Person 2, we haven’t heard from you lately. We were having a good conversation. What else do you think about Red?

Person 1: Red is a decent color, but we could make it better if we could work together to identify its weakness and make them stronger.

Person 1: It seems like nobody really cares about Red as much as I do.

As a community moderator, you will occasionally come across someone in a forum who appears at first to be a valuable contributor but serves to alienate many other readers and participants. The above conversation is a contrived example of what sometimes happens within online communities, but it’s not a far stretch. If you are in the role of being the community moderator, it’s your job to deal with the conflicts and issues these people create. But how?

There is no right answer. Each situation is going to be different because the dynamics of the community and those involved in the conflicts will create a unique set of issues. Some communities welcome a benevolent monarch who looks out for the community’s well being. Others prefer anarchy and react strongly to any show of rank that places one above the others. Yet in every case, the goal is the same. Reduce the conflict without creating a larger one by your actions as moderator.

Online communities generally react strongly to unilateral decisions by the moderators. To keep peace within the community you need to be fair to a fault. You need to consider all options, and give advance warning of your intended action to get buy-in from a majority of the community. If you do not get buy-in, it’s probably the wrong action.

Always treat your community with respect and it will flourish.

My wife and I regularly share dinner at a mexican restaurant near our home. The service is usually pretty good, though variable. A few weeks ago we had an exceptional waiter serving us. He did everything right. He was friendly and attentive, and made sure we were pleased with everything. We enjoyed a little conversation with him at the end of the meal and when we complimented him on his exceptional service he suggested we could ask for his table the next time if we wanted to.

A week later, that’s what we did. This time he lingered a little longer, spending more time chatting with us, asking about some of our interests based on what he observed. He stopped by our table often, and made sure we were happy with everything. He was generous with his time, and we were generous with our tip.

The next time we asked for his table, he arrived with a pitcher of sangria, two glasses of water, and two wine glasses with ice, just like we had ordered in the past. He tried to anticipate our needs and accommodate us the best way he could, through exceptional and unforgettable service. If our waiter ever has his own restaurant, I’m sure it will be a success.

It’s relatively easy for waiters to provide personal and memorable service, as all they have to do is do what is best for the customer, even if it requires additional effort on their part. But it’s just as easy for large businesses to do the same. Zappos.com has built a reputation around exceptional and unforgettable service. It’s so good that they are growing their business largely on word-of-mouth advertising. I’ve never bought a pair of shoes from Zappos, but I’ve recommended them to others simply based on what I have heard. I want to be a good guy, contributing to someone else’s delightful experiences.

Social marketing is really quite simple. Help yourself by helping others, even if it means recommending a competitor’s product. What you lose in a sale, you gain in loyalty and reputation. Treat a customer fairly and honestly, and you’ll soon see their friends at your door. We’ve recommended our waiter to our friends and other regulars at the restaurant. Anyone who delivers memorable service deserves all of the success they can handle.