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Official Facebook News Feed Screenshot[/caption]Facebook has released a new Facebook Brand Resources website and brand guidelines that provide do's and don'ts for how to use Facebook assets in content, advertising, and so on. According to the website, the new Facebook brand asset guidelines are intended to protect Facebook's trademarks and ensure consistent use of the Facebook brand.While Facebook does point out on the site that the company invests heavily in protecting its trademarks, it's unlikely they'll police every website and blog that writes about the Facebook brand or uses a Facebook icon in its sidebar.Instead, it's more likely that Facebook will follow in Twitter's footsteps when it launched strict Twitter brand guidelines last year. Those guidelines are very specific, but Twitter doesn't police the entire internet looking for violations. However, each publisher should understand the Facebook brand guidelines and know that adhering to them is always the best decision.

Using Facebook Brand Assets in Your Content

The Facebook brand guidelines address how Facebook logos, screenshots, and other assets, such as the Like button, can be used in your content. Following the guidelines to the letter, a content publisher would not be allowed to publish a screenshot from Facebook.com unless it's one of the official Facebook screenshot brand assets (like the one at the beginning of this article). These official assets are available for download in various formats and with specific guidelines for each asset on the Facebook Brand Resources website.In fact, the majority of Facebook social media icons that websites have in their sidebars and footers would violate the Facebook brand guidelines, just as most Twitter icons that are not the official icons provided by Twitter are violations of Twitter brand guidelines.Here are some of the key Facebook brand do's and don'ts for web publishers:

  • Do capitalize the word "Facebook."
  • Do display the word "Facebook" in the same font size and style as the content surrounding it.
  • Do use the official Facebook brand assets available for download from the Facebook Brand Resources website.
  • Do keep enough space around Facebook brand assets so they're uncluttered.
  • Do request permission to use Facebook brand assets in broadcast, film, or books.
  • Don't use the Facebook logo or brand assets in merchandise or products.
  • Don't use Facebook logos and images found elsewhere on the web.
  • Don't use the Facebook logo in place of the word "Facebook" or the Like button in place of the word "Like."
  • Don't pluralize the word "Facebook" or use it as a verb or abbreviation.
  • Don't use the Facebook brand in combination with your name, marks, brand, or generic terms.
  • Don't use trademarks, domain names, logos, or other content that could be confused with Facebook.
  • Don't present Facebook in a way that makes it the most prominent feature of the content or work you're creating.
  • Don't violate any other Facebook terms and policies.
  • Don't modify Facebook brand assets in any way.

You can follow the links at the beginning of this article to download the official Facebook brand assets and review all of the guidelines.Image: Facebook Brand Resource Center

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