A good article.

I need to be more proactive on Linkedin. I'm a non active member.

Next someone from Zazzle will post "Top Ten Reasons Why I Quit FAA & Why You Should Too…" Or someone from Coke will post "Top Ten Reasons Why I Quit Pepsi & Why You Should Too…" LOL

I do prefer Facebook for my personal stuff.

More anti-Facebook hyperbole.

I'm not a true FB fan, but I control my usage of the site -- and my connections -- and, consequently, don't feel the weight of any of the issues shared in this article.

Sorry, Frank -- I'm giving this one a thumbs down. Interesting pic of a man and his car, though. ;-)

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I will give you my 2 cents about LinkedIn. We use LinkedIn a lot where I work. Nothing wrong with the site at all. We also meet with the business management people at LinkedIn all the time and certain partner vendors. LinkedIn's audience is business people to connect with business people. I was just at a conference and some vendor is trying to get my business so they send me a LinkedIn connection request. I am a sales guy trying to connect with potential leads in my target area. I use LinkedIn. I want to read about topics concerning my industry or join industry related groups, I go on LinkedIn. I am recruiting or looking for potential candidates for employment, I use LinkedIn. My point is LinkedIn has a very narrow audience with specific business needs. I am not really sure people are going on to LinkedIn to look for artists or photographers or to purchase art. Maybe corporate art buyers have their own networks of where they look for and buy art. If they are on LinkedIn it is so they can have a professional online business card and reach out to other corporate art buyers and share best practices. LinkedIn business model is to attract corporate users. They do not want to become and e-commerce site or a site like FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, etc. for sharing images, new, or pop culture. Just my opinion and experience with working with LinkedIn.

A rather misleading article. He seems to have forgotten all about Facebook "Pages" developed as a business resource. It is true, however, that some folks (too many) use their personal "wall" page for business promotion. THAT can be a mistake.

Example: My "photography" page may have my latest artistic photos of sandcastles (have actually sold one a few times) - it does not have pictures of my 6-year-old granddaughter building her own sandcastle. My granddaughter's antics go on my personal page.

I dont take FB that seriously..I dont post anything there or anywhere else that I would not want the world to see. For me, Linked In" is just too professional..I and not a lot of fun!

" LinkedIn's audience is business people to connect with business people. "

Which is great if you are selling a business to business product. But I do no consider art in that category.

Art is general consumer product and you need to reach as many people as possible. I can spend less then 30 minutes and reach a potential of more than 1 million people on Facebook. These are people from all walks of life, not just business people looking to sell to other business people.

Same thing with Twitter. The key word here is "sell". Most of the people using Liked in are like Twitter users. The are all trying to sell something. Very few shoppers or just browsing that my all of sudden make an impulse purchase. They are to focused on selling, not buying. You do not have the casual users just looking around, like the people strolling through the malls of America. That is no happening on any of the other SM. It is happening on Facebook.

I am not saying don't use them... but I am saying is don't knock them just because you haven't figured out how to use them.

I think once you figure out how to use them, they all work to some degree.

If you want to expand your reach on Facebook, join one of two news groups I stated in the last week. We are generating a lot of views for people. FineArtAmerica and Western Art Buyers & Sellers.

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2022265

I actually have a LinkedIn page from my days in TV news that desperately needs updating.

@Bill: You are right. Facebook is really a mess. I have to have four pages to do what I want to do; 2 business pages and 2 personal pages. FB will simply not let you do all things from both pages. It is a mess.

But the is no other media that lets you reach so many people, every hour of every day, that I know of.

I am in two groups on my Facebook personal page..A problem in itself...I wanted it associated with my business page but somehow cant get that done.
.both of these groups are associated with FAA...the only "hits" I get are from the FAA members that are in the group...not exactly my target audience...Therefore, I dont interact anymore..I quit one of the groups for that reason...

I pretty much quit Facebook because everyone's great grandma started joining. It was cool when it was a social thing to keep in contact with friends. I didn't need some long lost aunt to know that I was going on a date on a Friday night.

Also people from high school, even some I didn't like, started to contact me like I was some long lost relative. It okay for some, but it wasn't for me.

--Roz Barron Abellera

For the record, I am not saying don't use Twitter or LinkedIn or any of the others. I am saying use what ever you think is working for you. I am totally focused on FB right now. Not quit a year ago I kind of took it on as a challenge. I wanted to see if I could generate sales. And that I have done. Absolutely no doubt in my mind.

The other day I had a Facebook person email me and ask for the price on a $450 limited edition print that FAA let's you list but does not handle the sale. He paid for it with in the hour. Couple months back I had the same thing happen to a $950 piece I had on eBay. Paid for with in the hour.

Had a buyer bought 3 18 x 28 canvases after he seen the post on FB and then called me direct because he wanted a discount of buying three, something FAA does not do. Paid for with in an hour.

These are sales I know of for sure because the buyer contacted and paid me direct. I have no idea how many other sales have come form FB on FAA because FAA does not furnish that info.

Just last night I had a person ask me about an original oil from one of the FineArtAmerica members whose post I had shared. I sent the info to that artist. I don't know if that will ever amount to anything, but I know we are generated interest

Roz there is a tool you can use that most people, including myself dont take advantage of...You can create lists on your personal facebook profile and put everyone in a "list" and share info accordingly...I honestly cant find a creative way to do so to make it work to best advantage...It would be the equivalent of the "google" + circles if you want to get that technical... You can have a list of 'friends, family, artists, musicians, photographers, painters, etc etc etc...So far .I only created two lists to keep things simple... family/friends, and painters/photographers...The problem is getting people in a lists that are prospects...that would mean I would have to send a "friend" request to someone that I deem inappropriate for it to be sent to...therefore, that list is empty...I just dont know how people are doing it...I would appreciate any feedback ..I refuse to send a "friend" request to someone I dont know...and I usually dont accept a friend request from someone I dont know personally, unless they are mutual friends of family, or someone here at FAA.

@Roz,

Ya, I had to used to that too. But I also learned real fast that you can ignore those people and they do not get upset that much because they are doing the same thing.

I look at like opening up a store in a really high traffic mall. You have no control of who is going to walk in and start asking stupid questions.

If you are going to sell art, you have be seen by a lot of people. I mean a lot of people!! Some of them are going to something less then the perfect buyers.

That just the way it is.

i don't like linked in, it's confusing to use.

that said, i don't like facebook either for really the same reasons.

but they are two different sites. linked in is where business people go. and facebook is where everyone else is. bloggers, gossips, and people that may buy things. but posts are lost in a hurry. i never got into linked in, i wen there and joined only to look for one person. i didn't like the interface.

personally i would like to see a list that wasn't biased to a certain location, because it was written for that site. i bet i can find the same list more or less on facebook. i think everyone should be on every thing, provided you have time to post to it all.


---Mike Savad

Yep, I dont see why people say, dont be on this site, dont do this, dont do that...

Every single site is exposing your work, its a bit silly to boycott or avoid a particular network.

Maybe concentrate on certain ones, as it can take alot of time up, but there is no reason to not be on all of them, or as many as you can be bothered with...

I personally use Facebook to communicate with friends and family around the planet, as its one of the easiest ways to keeping everyone up todate.

My partner has a FB page for her art, and it seems to get quite a by of traffic, and we're also on Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, Linked-IN, Deviant Art, Flickr, AboutMe, Google+ just to try to get as much exposure as possible.

Most of the stuff in that post is just bashing FB, and made to worry people, could probably drum up 10 reasons not to use Linked-IN... but it would be pointless... better to just try to promote our art more :)

also keep in mind that facebook was originally for kids. it's now for adults because they wanted to see what their kids were saying. then they got hooked themselves. the kids left, to who knows where. and now the adults live there. posting junk they found online, as opposed to their kids, who usually posted pictures of their own and their friends feet. it was never really designed for business.

and linked in as far as i know was a way to network business, not sell art. so neither one is really that good and yet they can be.

---Mike Savad

"LinkedIn mission is simple: connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. When you join LinkedIn, you get access to people, jobs, news, updates, and insights that help you be great at what you do."

I have a presence on Facebook, even an artist page and a personal page, and LinkedIn has that too. I find Linked to be a more stable platform, doesn't change as often as FB, and the long term ( selling ) relationships are outstanding. As far as the art industry is concerned, its growing leaps and bounds on LinkedIn.

There's a new group on LInkedIn for Artists and Photographers on Pixels.com. Find it here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Artists-Photographers-Pixels-8141980/about


if you'd like to see a sample of a Linked Company page, here's mine: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frank-j.-casella-photographically-speaking?trk=top_nav_home

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Frank your page on LinkedIn looks great...but as I recall you setup a "page"..which really looks professional...I remember you attended a LinkedIn seminar etc. that helped you to develop the page. I tried to start a "Page" and was told I had to have a separate email account and other criteria that made it too complicated...therefore my profile looks at best, terrible on the platform that the regular non page profile offers..It is so bad, I tried to delete it but was unable to find a way to do so...What is worse that having a profile on Linked in, is having a bad one.. .If Linkedin had a platform like, for example, "about me"...I would be more inclined to develop it further...Until then, I refuse to use the "mish mash" approach I am forced to use in their "makeshift" platform available now...

Sooner Photo -- most people I find who pay for LinkedIn Premium don't have to. There is a way to use those features without paying for them. I didn't know this until I went to and extensive Linked workshop. Before the workshop I was sending out several invites per day ... now I get on average twenty invites per day, and only accept one or two. Most important, these connections now are an active exchange and not just a 'connection' like it used to be. After all, selling is mostly about relationships.

Judy. Get an free email domain from Mail.com and start your company page.

The problem I am having with Facebook lately is that only a small percentage of your pages fans see your posts now. If you want more of your fans to see your posts they want you to pay. It used to be that the whole point of "liking" a page and becoming a fan was to see the pages posts. Now that's not guaranteed unless the owner of the page wants to pay. I can see paying for ads to bring in more fans who haven't already liked your page but paying just so the people who once were able to get your stuff in their feed can still get it aggravates me. It feels like nobody actually sees my stuff anymore.

Frank...I opened the domain at mailcom...Now, can I switch my existing profile to a business page...or do I start all over...I tried to find the link to start a company page...when it goes to the" join "..I feel like its directing me to open another regular page, not the business one..How can I be sure that I am in the right place to open the business page?
Also, Frank I said your page looks great, and it does but honestly the page is full of ads and Linked in does not offer a nice profile page the way About me" does...in comparison to "about me" it looks a little "all over the place"!

EDIT..Frank ..I found the link and tried to establish the business page by adding the mail.com account and they denied access because It was not a valid email domain...

EDIT...Never mind ..I just made my profile completely private ..The profile on there is absolutely terrible and they make it too difficult to change it...and the entire site is very un user friendly... Thanks anyway Frank.

Not to change the topic, but I could easily give you 10 reasons to quit FAA...
I am on Facebook and like it,
I am on FAA and like it.
I am on Flickr and like it.

All have their faults but so do I.

Judy -- You're right! Thanks for jogging my brain. When you set up the free business email domain with mail.com you have to wait a day or two for it to be "legit". Then you add it to Linked as one of your contact emails. Then a few days later you can set up a company page with no issues. It takes time but the benefits are outstanding though I know what you mean about eye appeal. Its much better now than when company pages started.


Robert - can always count on your change of topic. Love it !!

Shana - Thanks for that reminder about who sees what. That just irks me about FB. Though all platforms have their issues, this one tops them all for me.

So how is LinkedIn any different? It's just as intrusive, it's hard to navigate and the site wants too much personal info.

Oh no Frank...really! I really got ticked off when they would not setup the page so I closed the account...I didnt like the profile as it exists..Maybe I will send an email and see if they will cancel the closure...

PS just tried to login to cancel closure and now they dont recognize my email...Oh well..There are just too many sites now and I was not happy with my personal profile with them!

I'm sorry to say, Frank, but this article is a complete waste of time, in my opinion. He gave reasons why he quit. Good for him. I agree with Wendy - hyperbole.

There are specific reasons why I use Facebook - and those offerings work for me.

" I " have a FB account - but I only use FB for the groups I belong to. I joined LinkedIn some time back - and primarily it was my desire to perhaps be noticed by some passing Interior Decorator that need a hundred or so fine art digital abstracts. I am totally NOT interested in the 'social' connections of family and friends - unless the friends are buying art - and family most certainly isn't. I'm also on AboutMe. To tell the truth - I don't think anything works.

I just find it hard to accept that no matter how or what you recommend to people, the can come up with a thousand reasons why not to do it.

But then they are in the all the other threads bitching about no or slow sales.

I want every single member to joining FineArtAmerica grup on FB. But to be honest with you, I don't really care if anyone wants to join.

But for gawds sake...DO SOMETHING! Anything!

The biggest mistake you can make is not ever making a mistake. Because that means you didn't even try!

G+ has millions of users... LinkedIn has millions of users.... Facebook has millions of users and all the rest of them, the ones I don't even know about, they all have millions of users.

Pick one or two of them and work the hell out of them. If you get results, keep doing it. If not, then do something else and keep doing something else until you find something that works.

Too many people spend more time looking for reasons to NOT do something instead of reasons to do something.

Ya, Facebook sucks... but I am not there for the reasons that it sucks... I am there for the reasons it doesn't suck because it is working for me. That part don't suck! lol

Look at all of them and find what you like about them. Pick that one that appeals to you the most. DO NOT NOT pick on because it sucked the least. You need to look at the positive you can build on, not the negatives you want to avoid.

Jeffery and Floyd -- Sounds like FB works for you... and that is okay. Like I said in my OP " This one has some of the best thoughtful reasons I've seen on this topic ... "

FB doesn't work for me. I've tried it several different ways like Floyd said. But that doesn't mean in sucks. What does work for me is LinkedIn, WordPress, and Flickr. Not in that order but they play off each other.

I think what works is what works for you, the bottom line is, can you move people from the social network to your website or sales platform, if you can then it works, if you can't then Frank is right, move along and try some of the others.
All I could add to the discussion is the advice to not put all your eggs in one basket, social networks go in and out of style very quickly.
And just a personal observation, G+ seems to be the leading app for bringing people to my sites at the moment, but again that can change very quickly.

Here is an interesting rebuttal to the article in my OP:

7 reasons why I'm NOT leaving Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140802002717-12989917-7-reasons-why-i-m-not-leaving-facebook?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_1

There are a number of reasons why I use the FB personal profile, and if used properly, helps me stay in touch with a large family and many friends scattered throughout globe.
The business page is my number one source of advertising for the small community I live in and drives most non FAA sales, which in turn brings more traffic to my artwork on FAA.

I'm also with Linkedin, but don't use it to the same extent....

Cheers everyone!

Michel Soucy
Visit me on my Facebook fan page

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I've done several commissioned paintings from using Facebook. Paid commissioned work. My favorite one is of a lady when she was a girl held by her grandfather. Growing up part Native American part Spanish in Texas. Her family was poor and the only photo she had was a little out of focus black and white grainy snap shot. I managed to sharpen the photo and get a good acrylic on canvas likeness of the two of them. Her smile and tears were worth it, but she paid me happily.

Michel and Larry -- thanks for sharing your experiences!

Here is an interesting article that got a rather large response on LinkedIn:

When You Stop Checking Facebook Constantly, These 10 Things Will Happen

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140922010418-49573554-when-you-stop-checking-facebook-constantly-these-10-things-will-happen?trk=tod-posts-post7-ptlt

I was on LinkedIn for several years...deleted it earlier this year, just found it annoying as hell...for all of my businesses! lol I think facebook can be hit or miss, depending on if anyone sees your posts in their activity feed that might actually want to purchase something. I ignored fb for a really longtime too but finally relented and joined. At least it has been somewhat entertaining on my personal page, but the business page is liked 'mostly' by fellow art/photogs so....

I wouldn't have a business without FB.

I enjoy facebook; it's a great place to show off my work. And people always want my work and are willing to pay.

I notice that FB is working for lots of people. I'm not giving up on it! But right now, I don't have enough 'buyer' type likes to my fanpage to be useful yet but I know that could change overtime. I did 'join' kind of late in the game.

It seems most of the points raised and warnings given in this article apply to all social sites and forums...including this one here at faa..!