What is Facebook Tagging?

Facebook has the ability to let you tag or reference anything else on Facebook from within a post. You can reference other profiles, Facebook pages or even groups in any message that you post on Facebook. This reference appears as a linked word within your update. In the example above, the name “Lady Gaga” is a tag.

How do I tag something on Facebook?

Anytime you are posting an update (be it to a profile, a page or on a friend’s page or profile), you have the option to tag. Comments to existing posts are not available for tagging.

To tag, simply type an @ symbol. This will open up a menu of all your friends, pages you have liked or became a fan of or groups of which you are a member. Start to type the beginning of the word you want to tag to find it easier. Select it from the list and, viola, the title of the item you tagged now appears as a link back to that page, profile or group. Add as many tags to your posts as you wish.

Example:

Don’t see the item you want to tag?

• You need to be a friend of the person to tag a profile
• You need to be a member of a group to tag a group
• You need to have liked a page to be able to tag a page

What good does it do?

When you tag someone or something, Facebook includes the tagged object both on your profile or page and on the page, profile or group that you tagged. In other words, if you tag your friend Sally Jones, your post appears both on your page and on Sally Jones’ page.

What to test it out?

Here’s a super simple way to try this out in real time on Facebook.

1. Like my page on Facebook below. (Just click the little “like” button.)
   
2. Go to either your Facebook profile or page. Click on the update box. (Usually says, “What’s on your mind?”)
3. Type an @ symbol and then start to type until Hillary DePiano shows in the menu. Select the name.
4. Type a message or post a link. How about “Hillary DePiano taught me how to tag people like this!”
5. Post the message. You’ll see your post appear on your page or profile as usual. Then go to the Hillary DePiano page above and, holy cow, it posted there as well! 🙂

Congratulations, you are now a proud graduate of Facebook Tagging 101. Think of the marketing opportunities. Or, better yet, how you can use this to annoy your friends!

You may also like: VIDEO: Networking & Marketing w/Facebook tagging: promote your profile, page, group, book, blog or website