One of the questions I hear most often about Facebook involves the differences and advantages between profiles, pages, and groups. Facebook is growing and evolving quickly and it can be confusing at times. So, to help your group avoid confusion, here is my short and simple breakdown of who belongs where in the Facebook universe complete with a little example using my favorite North Carolina Senator.

Profiles: These are intended for individuals and their personal relationships, friends, contacts, etc. Everyone who is on Facebook has a profile and profiles are needed to set up all other accounts on Facebook.

Groups: Groups are informal and can be set up by anyone about any topic. These are best for ideas, opposition to certain bills, informal functions, etc.

Pages: Pages work best for public figures, organizations, websites, etc. Pages are more formal than profiles in the sense that they are run by the organization and function much like an extension of the group’s website. These are hands-down the best choice for most formal conservative entities (politicians, GOP groups, Conservative websites, advocacy groups, etc). For more information on pages, see “6 Tips for Building Effective Facebook Pages.”

Here’s an example of how Sen. Richard Burr could use each of the different platforms:

• Profile: Sen. Burr could set up his own profile where he could connect and interact with his friends, family members, staff, etc. Profiles are intended to be personal and work best when they are run by the person they represent.
• Page: This would be for his public presence. Ideally, Sen. Burr’s staff would treat his Facebook page as a media outlet where they could update fans on his voting record, publicize campaign stops, discuss his opposition or support for certain legislation, etc. Successful pages are frequently updated and experience a high level of fan engagement.
• Groups: A group for Sen. Burr would be set up by a staffer, friend, or supporter and would ideally be more specific. Here supporters could talk about a specific goal for Senator Burr (i.e. reelection) or their agreement of his position on a certain bill.

If the difference between Profiles and Pages is still confusing, note the different terms used for connecting with others through the two functions. On a profile, a personal connection is listed as a “friend” whereas a person who is connected to a page is termed a “fan.”  Profiles are personal. Pages are public.

There’s a lot more that goes in to deciding the best approach, but the general rule of thumb is that if you are looking to set up an official Facebook presence for your candidate or group, you need to be setting up a Facebook Page.

Jessica is the founder of Majority Connections, LLC, a new media and social networking consulting and training service for conservative groups, leaders, and activists. She is committed to seeing another conservative revolution, believing that sites like Facebook, Twitter, Ning, and Wordpress will be the tools to help us achieve majority status across the nation. Connect with Jessica on Twitter @jessicanwood or at MajorityConnections.com.

Here’s a reminder of the ways you can subscribe, follow, become a fan, and connect with RunSmart2Win and like-minded conservatives committed to taking back our state and our country:

Subscribe to the RSS Feed. We’re realists. We understand that you probably don’t visit RunSmart2Win.com everyday for new blog posts. People are busy. But what if RunSmart2Win.com came to you through email or a Web notification? RSS (Really Simple Syndication) gives you this option. RSS allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from RunSmart2Win. You save time by not visiting the site’s homepage (unless the blog entry that day is especially interesting to you and you’d like to dig deeper into the content). Best of all, RSS is free! Try it for yourself and you’ll be hooked.

Follow RS2W on Twitter. Twitter is sweeping the nation. Just a few short months ago, Twitter was one of many obscure social networking sites. Today it’s the fastest-growing social media website in the world; it is quickly gaining on Facebook – and even Google — in terms of page visits and influence on the Internet. Remember during the ‘08 campaign when Democrats mocked John McCain for not using computers or PDAs? Well, he figured it out. He has over one million “followers” on Twitter (and counting). RunSmart2Win doesn’t have quite that many followers yet, but we’re trying! Don’t be left out: sign up for Twitter, “follow” RunSmart2Win, and tell us “what you’re doing now”!

Become a Facebook Fan. Facebook is the reigning king of social networking websites. It currently has more than 200 million active users worldwide. Now you can add RunSmart2Win to that list! We launched the RunSmart2Win Facebook Page last week and people are already becoming “fans”. This page is the “water cooler” of RunSmart2Win: where you can meet other people who are interested in conservative grassroots activism, network, post comments and join conversations. (And coming soon, where you can view pictures, videos, and download campaign handbooks.) We encourage you to stop by our Facebook page, become a fan, and tell your friends!

In the spirit of Abby’s “Social Networking 101” tutorial from last week, here are the ways you can subscribe, follow, become a fan, and connect with RunSmart2Win and like-minded conservatives committed to taking back our state and our country:

Subscribe to the RSS Feed. We’re realists. We understand that you probably don’t visit RunSmart2Win.com everyday for new blog posts. People are busy. But what if  RunSmart2Win.com came to you through email or a Web notification? RSS (Really Simple Syndication) gives you this option. RSS allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from RunSmart2Win. You save time by not visiting the site’s homepage (unless the blog entry that day is especially interesting to you and you’d like to dig deeper into the content). Best of all, RSS is free! Try it for yourself and you’ll be hooked.

Follow RS2W on Twitter. Twitter is sweeping the nation. Just a few short months ago, Twitter was one of many obscure social networking sites. Today it’s the fastest-growing social media website in the world; it is quickly gaining on Facebook – and even Google — in terms of page visits and influence on the Internet. Remember during the ‘08 campaign when Democrats mocked John McCain for not using computers or PDAs? Well, he figured it out. He has over one million “followers” on Twitter (and counting). RunSmart2Win doesn’t have quite that many followers yet, but we’re trying! Don’t be left out: sign up for Twitter, “follow” RunSmart2Win, and tell us “what you’re doing now”!

Become a Facebook Fan. Facebook is the reigning king of social networking websites. It currently has more than 200 million active users worldwide. Now you can add RunSmart2Win to that list! We launched the RunSmart2Win Facebook Page last week and people are already becoming “fans”. This page is the “water cooler” of RunSmart2Win: where you can meet other people who are interested in conservative grassroots activism, network, post comments and join conversations. (And coming soon, where you can view pictures, videos, and download campaign handbooks.) We encourage you to stop by our Facebook page, become a fan, and tell your friends!