Today Facebook released a minor change to the way they do things. Well at first glance it seems minor but when you look closer it is HUGE!
At first glance, they have changed the way people join Fan Pages. Before, you would click a button that says “become a fan” and now it is changed to “like”. They say it is lighter and consistent with the language they use elsewhere on Facebook. That’s true.
But when you look closer, this is just the beginning of something huge, something that will change the way we use social media….something that moves Facebook one step closer to World Domination (Cue Austin Powers sinister Dr Evil music).
Okay so that may seem pretty dramatic but it is pretty exciting. Let me give you an outline of what they are doing, what I think it means and some useful links for you to learn more.
I’ll also share why some people see this as an evil plot and why (at the moment) I think it is pretty cool.
“Like” connects pages in Facebook and websites OUTSIDE of Facebook to your profile
Your profile is significant on Facebook for 2 reasons. Firstly because this is how people find out more about you but more importantly (from a marketing perspective) if you use Facebook Ads, this is the information that allows you to target your ads to age, sex, geography but also music likes, books, hobbies etc.
As Ed Dale points out in his great article today, most people fill in their preferences on their profile when they first join and hardly ever go back to update it. So It’s not always current (and marketers need current data to make the most of their marketing budget).
Facebook is rolling out relationships with partner sites that allows you to “like” something on those sites (eg movies, music, news stories etc). As soon as you do this, your preference is linked to your profile. This means you can share your favourite things and it will stay there for as long as you like, rather than the short time it will show up in your Facebook Newsfeed. It also means marketers paying for advertising on Facebook will have really current info to target their ads. That’s what excites me. You know when you pay for advertising on Facebook your ad will more than likely only be shown to people who really are interested in your offering.
You can get the info straight from the horses mouth here.
So Why The Dr Evil Fears?
The main concern with social media is privacy. Every time you add more specific information about yourself, you potentially make yourself vulnerable. The trick is to be sensible. Only share things you want other people to know you recommend.
The other concern is Facebook “talking” to other sites. People are concerned their username and password will be compromised but apparently there is no link from your log in details to 3rd party sites. You can also choose which things you want people to see and which ones are private – so nothing has changed there.
How Does This Lead To World Domination?
Facebook has set itself one step closer to overtaking Google. You see, social interactions and popularity are more significant that just keywords. Apart from the power of the profile data for marketers paying for ads on Facebook, there is another thing I think you should know about.
Facebook Introduces Community Pages.
Pages (a.k.a. Fan Pages) are set up and controlled by individuals. For example, I have a Page called Wonderful Web Women (which I really should pay more attention to).
Facebook is now creating Community Pages which seem as if they will be the equivalent of search results for the web and social media. They are linked to Wikipedia and include a news stream gathered from throughout the web. They are not controlled by individuals. They are controlled by Facebook and I’m sure, down the track, SEO experts will hold conferences trying to understand the algorithm they use (just like they do for Google now).
What you need to know is you can “like” these community pages (really just search results pages) and this will link them to your profile. Again, something that will grow to be powerful for marketers.
So What Do You Do Now?
It looks as if they are still rolling things out but there are a few things you can do now.
1. Keep an eye on your profile. Things may disappear and others appear. You want to stay in control of what message you send to the world so you may want to edit things over the next week or so
2. Take a good look at what pages you already link to. Some of these you may have linked to without thinking about it too much. You may want to look more closely at what your choices say about you.
3. Keep an eye open for community page suggestions that Facebook apparently will be giving you. Look at them with a marketer’s eye. Think about how your results could be showing on those pages
4. Get over to Wikipedia and look at it with different eyes. Can you contribute definitions etc on your field of expertise? How can you get your name out there on Wikipedia as I predict it will play an important part in community pages.
5. Start experimenting with Facebook Ads. Start with little things and get a feel for it. I’ve found with the little experimenting I have done, that it is heaps easier to learn than Google Adwords. So don’t be intimidated. If you start experimenting as things are changing you will get a good feel for how to make the most of this strengthening marketing medium.
Thanks for a great, clear and concise explanation Janet. I appreciate the suggestion to take a look at wikipedia – makes a lot of sense.
Regards,
Nick.
.-= Nick Cownie´s last blog ..Post 1 =-.
Janet thanks for the information that provides a clearer picture of the scaremongering going on in the media.
Warm regards
Merinda
Janet,
I’m with you! I see this as a HUGE improvemement and am delighted to see the “Fan Page” wording fall to the wayside. Like you, I have a personal page (profile) and a busines page (formerly fan page). I really didn’t pay much attention to my business page because I didn’t like inviting people to be my “fan” (never been a “fan” of fandom. Now, I have no problem with letting people know about it and I cannot wait to see how all of this new connectivity with “likes” improves networking.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Write on!~
Lisa
.-= Lisa Manyon´s last blog ..5 Elements Your Website Must Have To Build Relationships, Be Irresistible and Increase Sales =-.
Hi Janet,
Welcome back! What a fantastic blog post. Thank you so much for keeping us up to date on what is going on. I completely agree with your point of view let’s make the best of this new situation by turning it in our favor. Exciting stuff!
To your (continued) Fabulous Success,
Dawn
http://www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Live Your Life on Purpose
I actually wrote a movie script about the exact same topic but with a slight twist – Facebook was created by Dr. Evil in order to get the Obamabot elected in order to take over the world.
Janet,
You continue to add value to my life everyday! Thank you so much for looking out for the rest of us! This information is extremely helpful, and has changed the way I am looking at things! You Are A Totally Rocking Wonderful Web Woman!
Fondly,
Stephanie Kathan
thanks Janet……very helpful information.
HI Janet,
I saw the little drop down box on Facebook and wondered about the detail, meaning to go back and have a good look.
Thanks for saving me some time and helping clarify, now I will have a closer look for sure:)
.-= Lenore´s last blog ..Stress Eating and the Economy: Tips to Control Emotional Eating =-.
Good to read another perspective on this, Janet. I hope they sort out the twitches soon – as I expect there is no one I can email to ask why I have 2 widgets for who ‘likes’ this!
Hey folks thanks for the comments. Awww Stephanie you make me blush! Here is another article from CNN with the video stream you may find useful.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/21/facebook.changes.users/index.html?hpt=C2
I’ll keep you up to date as we watch this all unfold.
Hi Janet,
really interesting what you say about the connection wikipedia and community pages.
Gives me something to develop.
Thanks for that.
With Gratitude
Petra
Thanks Janet,
Some great advice there- just discovered I belonged to so many groups which I never visit.Time for a facebook declutter
.-= Suzie Cheel´s last blog ..Help Me Win The Next Top Spiritual Author Contest =-.
Thank you Janet for that informational tip. Great tips on how to use social media for advertising while networking. Be blessed and have a wonderful evening. P.S. The background of flowers in your video were beautiful.
.-= Judy Polite´s last blog ..Encouragement =-.
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I see this as a huge improvement and am delighted to see the Fan Page wording fall to the wayside. Like you, I have a personal page profile and a business page formerly fan page. I really didn’t pay much attention to my business page because I didn’t like inviting people to be my fan never been a “fan” of random.
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Following your post, i’ve just started up a community page on Facebook but I’m nervous about inviting people! What if they decline and I’m left with no friends?!
Thanks for the excellent post
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Great tips on how to use social media for advertising while networking. Be blessed and have a wonderful evening.
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Who said so? it’s just a result of an idle mind. Anything that you induce something awfully bad then we can say it is bad, Facebook per se’ is not bad but those people putting or writing on walls which is nonsense is the mean and the bad people. Social network are not bad, those people who induce bad things in it are the evil one.
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I really didn’t pay much attention to my business page because I didn’t like inviting people to be my fan never been a “fan” of random. |
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Well, I think not.. How could you ever think that? lets focus on what facebook’s main purpose.. a social network.
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It also means marketers paying for advertising on Facebook will have really current info to target their ads. That’s what excites me. You know when you pay for advertising on Facebook your ad will more than likely only be shown to people who really are interested in your offering.
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Hi Janet! Thank you so much for looking out for the rest of us! This information is extremely helpful, and has changed the way I am looking at things!.
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Awesome!
Facebook your ad will more than likely only be shown to people who really are interested in your offering.thanks for sharing..
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Well, I think not.. How could you ever think that? lets focus on what facebook’s main purpose.. a social network. |
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I see this as a huge improvement and am delighted to see the Fan Page wording fall to the wayside. Like you, I have a personal page profile and a business page formerly fan page. |
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thank you very much for your effort to write this article and share your thoughts about. your explanation making sense and everybody learn about how to protect there privacy on there profile. thank you once again. keep updating,
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