Note: Facebook is a huge topic for art marketing so I'm going to divide it into two articles. In the first article we'll talk about Facebook basics – what it is, and how to set up an account. In next week's article, I'll focus on creating content for art marketing through Facebook.

When I talk with artists about Facebook, two concerns come up almost immediately: time and privacy. This entire series has been about the tools you as an artist have for marketing your art. You'll naturally gravitate toward some more than others. As part of your art marketing strategy, you'll want to establish how much time you have to commit to art marketing. From that time pie, slice out how much you'll spend on each of your art marketing tools. I recommend you save a slice for Facebook.

When you're starting out on Facebook, expect to spend your time getting acquainted with the platform’s tools and practices. Facebook is a community with an established culture. It may feel scary to step into that culture. Think of it like showing up to a party where you only know a couple of people. You may want to walk up to a conversation and listen to what they're talking about and the way they’re talking before you chime in. Facebook’s culture works the same way. Sign up for an account, ask some people to be friends, and start getting a feel for the space and for how people communicate. Once you feel comfortable, try posting something.

On the privacy issue, each time we put information out on the web for art marketing it is accessible to both friends and strangers. Facebook is always changing its privacy rules, and it’s smart to stay up to date with those changes. A good rule of thumb is to never post any information you wouldn't post on a grocery store bulletin board. Never post important numbers or passwords. If you use common sense when you’re sharing information, there’s no need to fret about privacy.

Facebook is no more public than your blog or website. It's just more interactive. The great thing about getting on Facebook now is that you can control who sees what you post. If I want to post a message on my Facebook account, I can restrict which groups of people will see it. That feature provides much more privacy than a website or public blog.

When you sign up for Facebook, you are signing up to create a profile. Once you have a profile, you have a hyper interactive bulletin board at your disposal. This bulletin board is known as your wall. You can share photos, write notes to your friends, and even hang your favorite music posters to let people know what you like to listen to. Each person can post as much or as little as she wants. Sharing things can be a bit addictive, so remember how much of your pie you've allocated to Facebook, and manage your time accordingly.

If you're joining Facebook with the pure intent of marketing your art, you'll want to think through two options for your account. By signing up for Facebook, you get a Profile. But if you're using Facebook to market your art, you can either use your profile or create a page, which gives you a business identity on Facebook, as your main vehicle for marketing.

A profile is generally based on a person. If you use your profile to market your art, you’ll be interacting on Facebook as an individual. I, Kelly Powers, have a Profile. When I go out and comment on artist Barbara Nechis' profile wall, which I can do because Nechis has friended me, I comment as Kelly Powers. My name and profile picture appear on Barbara’s wall when I write to her. I can look at the galleries she has on her site. I can see the messages she's posted. When I’m using my profile, I can go out and interact with other profiles and with pages.

A page allows you to interact on Facebook as a business rather than an individual. A page is more static than a profile, and it centers on a brand. That brand may be a book, a movie, or even you and your art. A page allows you to create an official brand or business presence on Facebook, but pages restrict your ability to interact with other people. Creative Catalyst Productions has a Facebook page (Facebook.com/CCPVideos), and I use it to interact with Facebook users on behalf of the company. My profile has admin access to the Creative Catalyst Productions page, so I can interact with people on that page, but I must interact using the page, so my posts appear as Creative Catalyst, not as Kelly Powers. And I can only interact as Creative Catalyst Productions on the Creative Catalyst Facebook Page. I can't go over to Barbara Nechis' Facebook wall and comment as Creative Catalyst Productions. If I want to comment on Barbara Nechis' wall, I must comment as Kelly Powers.

Professional artists are living, breathing beings who operate small businesses, so choosing between a profile and a page for art marketing is not a clear-cut decision. Think about which would be best for you. I recommend that artists use their profiles as vehicles for their art marketing. Pages really limit how much you can interact with other profiles. If an artist wants to interact with someone who likes his page, he will still have to interact with that person through his profile. For this reason, I suggest keeping all your Facebook media in one place and forgoing a page.

Facebook isn't for everyone, but you should give it serious consideration before you decide it isn't for you. There are no rules that say you have to spend 100 hours a week posting to Facebook. There are no rules saying you have to give out private information or important security data. As a tool for art marketing, Facebook is exactly what you make of it. And it can be a pretty incredible tool. It's one of the rare opportunities you have for interacting with fans, buyers, and friends from all over the world. It's a place where you can inspire and be inspired by other artists and students from places you'd never be able to know otherwise. That is a pretty amazing resource.

Next week I will continue the Facebook discussion and talk about what kind of content you'll want to post on Facebook.