When you begin your business ventures on Facebook, you might find some tips helpful. It may help relieve some of the anxiety new users and newcomers to social networking sometimes feel. Here are some suggestions for those who are beginners on Facebook.

1. Understand the medium

It's important to understand what Facebook is all about. It works by connecting people, either one-on-one (friends) or through groups. So you can tap into this method of social networking for your business. Facebook actually has rules, too, so you'll want to familiarize yourself with their terms and conditions. Most likely, you aren't going to break any Facebook rules unless you're being really offensive, but it's a good idea to read the rules anyway.

2. Keep your focus

When you begin your business ventures on Facebook, it's a good idea to keep your focus. Your business has a purpose, and you'll need a good grasp of what that purpose is. This will help you connect with the right groups and prospective customers.

When you begin filling your page with content - the information that people read when they visit your page - keep it on topic. Prospects will lose interest if your content has no focused purpose. 

To help keep your focus and avoid getting "sucked in" to the social aspects of Facebook, it may help to schedule certain times of the day when you do your social networking. 

3. Keep it professional

When you set up a Facebook business page, you will need to fill out your personal information. When you fill it out, make sure the information is true and real, but also professional. Personal details are not the first thing that visitors should see when they come across your page. Think of your personal traits from a business standpoint, and describe yourself using professional criteria.

4. People want to see you

Having the neutral blue silhouette is considered a no-no from a business perspective. Your avatar - the little picture that everyone will see beside your comments, posts, and on your page - needs to show an image of your best professional you. 

5. Things to avoid

When you first start up on Facebook, you will probably see a lot of frivolous games, gifts, and so forth that are not relevant to your business. It's a good idea to block these things in your personal settings, and avoid participating in "chain mail" types of communication. 

It's also a good idea to avoid "spamming" others. This is when you send out all kinds of promotional material and information all at once to all sorts of Facebook users, and continue doing it daily. It can turn prospective clients off quickly. They may block you, or remove their status as your friend or fan.