The Power of Social Networking . . . 201 ing it into a marketing extravaganza. Make no mistake: there are many people who want to turn Facebook into exactly that. Here’s one example: powerful robotic tools create massive lists of Facebook friends who can then be spammed to the max. In your eagerness to reach as many people as possi- ble on Facebook, be aware that you are being monitored by the site’s antispamming police. You may just be look- ing for ways to build awareness of your book, but if you friend a hundred people in one day (or one hour), you’re going to look like exactly what Facebook wants to avoid. So be patient. You’ll see that Facebook has the technical potential to reach thousands of people almost instantly. But that doesn’t mean you need to activate that potential, or even that you should. (And just so you know, Facebook caps o昀昀 your friend limit at 5,000.) Friendship First Never forget that business model of social networking sites depends on their not being taken over by hustlers pitching their products and services. If you become too aggressive—in fact, if you become aggressive at all—you will get blocked, unfriended, and perhaps banned by the sites themselves. So be in touch with social networking friends on the basis of shared interests for a reasonable period of time before you get around to bringing your business into the picture. I can’t overemphasize how