Well, here's one organization that's getting it right (with maybe the best/most straightforward Twitter link I've ever seen): Monticello's Online Communities
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Link, link, link to your social media accounts
If you attended my webinar series this fall (or the first round, in the summer), you'll remember that the easiest and most important way to get new fans and followers is to link to your Facebook and Twitter accounts from your Web site! If you don't tell your patrons you're there, how will they ever find you?
Well, here's one organization that's getting it right (with maybe the best/most straightforward Twitter link I've ever seen): Monticello's Online Communities
Well, here's one organization that's getting it right (with maybe the best/most straightforward Twitter link I've ever seen): Monticello's Online Communities
Monday, November 9, 2009
Facebook Feed Changes Explained (and Judged)
As I'm sure everyone has noticed by now, Facebook recently made yet another change to the design of the home page / news feed. As always, this has caused a fit of "CHANGE IT BACK" petitions and confused a lot of users. In this post, I'll give you a rundown of what's actually changed, and why I think it's (mostly) a good thing.
Here's what happened:
In an effort to make it easier for users to keep up with their friends/contacts, there are now two options for reading the feed on your home page.
One is called "News Feed." This is a collection of "highlights" as determined by some behind-the-scenes algorithm. Rather than a complete, unedited look at what every one of your friends is posting, the News Feed will show you the posts it thinks you'll be most interested in -- things from your "closest friends" (i.e. those you interact with the most), or posts that many other friends have commented on.
The other reading option is the "Live Feed." The Live Feed shows you EVERYTHING that happens, in real-time. This is similar to the old behavior of the feed, but with two main differences: first, it actually updates in real time -- you don't need to click refresh. And secondly, the Live Feed isn't just about status messages and posted items anymore. Now they've re-incorporated a bunch of other activities that used to appear in the feed, but haven't for quite some time. This means that now you'll see when your friends add new friends, when they've been tagged in a photo album, and when they become a Fan of a new Page. **
So, with me so far? Now, here's why it's good news:
1) Regarding the "News Feed" -- as far as I can tell, whatever that algorithm they're using is, it's pretty spot on. When I look at my News Feed view, I see my closest/least boring friends, my coworkers, and the Fan Pages that have the most interesting-to-me posts. Facebook is analyzing what feed items I interact with (via posting comments or "liking" them) and it's showing me the things it thinks I'll want to pay attention to -- and so far, it's been RIGHT about that. (What about you? Does your News Feed understand you?) It's great for when I log in to Facebook but don't have time to obsessively backread everything that's happened since my last visit.
2) Let me reiterate what I said above: the Live Feed now shows you when one of your friends becomes a Fan of a Page. This is a big deal for anyone running a Fan Page -- this brings back an element of "viral" promotion that's been missing for a while. I've got 344 friends -- now I'll find out every time one of them finds a new arts org Page. People often ask me how to get more Fans on Facebook-- here's a way that requires no effort on your part. Each new Fan you get now comes with the potential to attract more.
All that said, here's my big complaint about the change: why oh why doesn't Facebook learn how to announce these things in an organized, helpful, reassuring way??? When we released our new redesigned version of PatronMail last week, we didn't spring it on our clients out of nowhere -- we sent out an e-mail, and posted alerts well in advance, so as not to take people by surprise. I don't understand why Facebook hasn't figured out it might be helpful, when they make big changes, to put a big link at the top of the home page saying "CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HOW THIS REDESIGN WILL HELP YOU USE FACEBOOK" or something like that. (Instead, they post sporadically on the official Facebook blog -- I guarantee that only a tiny percentage of their 300 million-plus users ever look at it.)
One last thing to keep in mind here: the change described above just reinforces the fact that in order to stay prominent on Facebook, you need to make sure you're posting interesting, relevant, engaging content. Some users are going to embrace the News Feed as their main Facebook browsing tool, which means that right off the bat, you're almost certainly going to lose some eyeballs. The way to keep as many as you can (and gain some back) is to find ways to encourage interaction -- the more a user comments / likes things you post, the more you're likely to be included in his or her News Feed algorithm. Ask question, post photos, be a highlight!
** footnote! you may have seen a message circulating around your feed that says something like this:
This is half-true at best. Here's the real story:
Here's what happened:
In an effort to make it easier for users to keep up with their friends/contacts, there are now two options for reading the feed on your home page.
One is called "News Feed." This is a collection of "highlights" as determined by some behind-the-scenes algorithm. Rather than a complete, unedited look at what every one of your friends is posting, the News Feed will show you the posts it thinks you'll be most interested in -- things from your "closest friends" (i.e. those you interact with the most), or posts that many other friends have commented on.
The other reading option is the "Live Feed." The Live Feed shows you EVERYTHING that happens, in real-time. This is similar to the old behavior of the feed, but with two main differences: first, it actually updates in real time -- you don't need to click refresh. And secondly, the Live Feed isn't just about status messages and posted items anymore. Now they've re-incorporated a bunch of other activities that used to appear in the feed, but haven't for quite some time. This means that now you'll see when your friends add new friends, when they've been tagged in a photo album, and when they become a Fan of a new Page. **
So, with me so far? Now, here's why it's good news:
1) Regarding the "News Feed" -- as far as I can tell, whatever that algorithm they're using is, it's pretty spot on. When I look at my News Feed view, I see my closest/least boring friends, my coworkers, and the Fan Pages that have the most interesting-to-me posts. Facebook is analyzing what feed items I interact with (via posting comments or "liking" them) and it's showing me the things it thinks I'll want to pay attention to -- and so far, it's been RIGHT about that. (What about you? Does your News Feed understand you?) It's great for when I log in to Facebook but don't have time to obsessively backread everything that's happened since my last visit.
2) Let me reiterate what I said above: the Live Feed now shows you when one of your friends becomes a Fan of a Page. This is a big deal for anyone running a Fan Page -- this brings back an element of "viral" promotion that's been missing for a while. I've got 344 friends -- now I'll find out every time one of them finds a new arts org Page. People often ask me how to get more Fans on Facebook-- here's a way that requires no effort on your part. Each new Fan you get now comes with the potential to attract more.
All that said, here's my big complaint about the change: why oh why doesn't Facebook learn how to announce these things in an organized, helpful, reassuring way??? When we released our new redesigned version of PatronMail last week, we didn't spring it on our clients out of nowhere -- we sent out an e-mail, and posted alerts well in advance, so as not to take people by surprise. I don't understand why Facebook hasn't figured out it might be helpful, when they make big changes, to put a big link at the top of the home page saying "CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HOW THIS REDESIGN WILL HELP YOU USE FACEBOOK" or something like that. (Instead, they post sporadically on the official Facebook blog -- I guarantee that only a tiny percentage of their 300 million-plus users ever look at it.)
One last thing to keep in mind here: the change described above just reinforces the fact that in order to stay prominent on Facebook, you need to make sure you're posting interesting, relevant, engaging content. Some users are going to embrace the News Feed as their main Facebook browsing tool, which means that right off the bat, you're almost certainly going to lose some eyeballs. The way to keep as many as you can (and gain some back) is to find ways to encourage interaction -- the more a user comments / likes things you post, the more you're likely to be included in his or her News Feed algorithm. Ask question, post photos, be a highlight!
** footnote! you may have seen a message circulating around your feed that says something like this:
FACEBOOK is blocking all your friends news feeds EXCEPT for 250 THEY choose. TO UNDO BLOCK: Here is how you can change it back to the old way. 1. Click "Home" 2. Look to the top left menu and click on MORE. Then drag STATUS UPDATE........to the top. After dragging to top........., click on it. That becomes your default... and it is like before. Cut and paste this & pass it on!![credit to my dad for asking me about it]
This is half-true at best. Here's the real story:
By default, the Facebook "Live Feed" only shows stories from 250 friends. If you want to allow it to show stories from all friends, do this:
1. On the FB Home Page, click on "Live Feed" at the top.
2. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click "Edit Options".
3. You'll get a pop-up window with "News Feed Settings." It should say 250 by default, but a higher number means you will see new posts more frequently. You can change it to anything up to 5,000.
4. Click Save. CRISIS AVERTED.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Un-linking Your Facebook & Twitter Posts
Just a quick followup to my last post -- if you had been auto-posting from Facebook to Twitter or vice-versa, and I convinced you to unlink the accounts, here's how to do it.
If you're using the built-in "Facebook Pages to Twitter" app, just sign in to your Twitter account and go here to disconnect them. You should also visit facebook.com/twitter and make sure the change appears there.
If you're using a different app to send updates from Twitter to Facebook, you should be able to de-authorize the application on this page (again, just make sure you're logged in). All set!
Coming soon: a look at what's great about the recent Facebook news feed changes, and a recap of my day-and-a-half at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Providence.
If you're using the built-in "Facebook Pages to Twitter" app, just sign in to your Twitter account and go here to disconnect them. You should also visit facebook.com/twitter and make sure the change appears there.
If you're using a different app to send updates from Twitter to Facebook, you should be able to de-authorize the application on this page (again, just make sure you're logged in). All set!
Coming soon: a look at what's great about the recent Facebook news feed changes, and a recap of my day-and-a-half at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Providence.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Using Twitter to Update Your Facebook Page
I was out in LA last week, attending meetings and, more importantly, speaking about social media. Thanks to everyone who attended my sessions at the ArtsReach conference or at the NAMP workshop!
So of course I've been talking a lot about both Twitter and Facebook, lately, and there's a question that keeps coming up:
There are several apps built for either Facebook or Twitter that let you automatically "export" your updates from one as updates into another. (So for example, if I'm using one of those apps, I can type in the Facebook status box, "Michelle is writing a blog post!" and have that message automatically post as my Twitter status as well.)
That certainly saves time! But is it a good idea?
I'll come right out and say that it drives me crazy when organizations -- or people, for that matter! -- use one of these apps to automatically post 100% identical content to Facebook and Twitter. As you might expect, I follow many arts organizations on both platforms, and it's not only redundant to read the same post in both places, but frankly quite annoying. It's one thing to occasionally have to scroll past content that doesn't engage me; it's another to sit there and scroll past content I just read five minutes ago in a different browser tab!
Besides the annoyance factor, it's also simply true that Facebook and Twitter are different platforms with different cultures. You can have different kinds of conversations with your fans and followers in each place. Facebook's character limit is way higher than the 140 you get on Twitter, for one thing. For another, it's much easier to post photos or links with context to your Facebook Page. (Twitter can be great for direct and personal interactions with your patrons... but more on that another time.)
That said, if you're interested in linking your accounts, your best option is to choose an app that lets you post selectively -- that is, one where you can choose whether or not that "Michelle is writing a blog post!" update gets sent out to Twitter or not.
There's a new-ish app that Facebook launched last month, which allows Pages to automatically send their status updates to Twitter. (If you've logged in and looked at your Facebook Page recently, you've probably seen a message announcing it at the top of the page.) The app claims that DOES let you be selective, but as far as I can tell, that claim is exaggerated. While you can choose what kinds of updates to export (status updates vs. links vs. photos...), you can't actually turn it on and off for each individual message.
Instead, I recommend checking out the Facebook app called Selective Twitter Status. It works exactly the way it sounds: When you post a new tweet on Twitter (want a Twitter lingo refresher?), you can CHOOSE whether or not it should become your new Facebook status by appending the tag "#fb" at the end. So:
So of course I've been talking a lot about both Twitter and Facebook, lately, and there's a question that keeps coming up:
How can I find the time to keep up with both my organization's Twitter account and Facebook Page? Can I just post the same content to each? ...And isn't there an app for that?As I've said many times, for a lot of small arts organizations, social media doesn't have to be a financial expense at all -- but it sure is a time expense! There are a number of different ways to link your organization's Facebook and Twitter accounts, but you should think carefully about how you do it.
There are several apps built for either Facebook or Twitter that let you automatically "export" your updates from one as updates into another. (So for example, if I'm using one of those apps, I can type in the Facebook status box, "Michelle is writing a blog post!" and have that message automatically post as my Twitter status as well.)
That certainly saves time! But is it a good idea?
I'll come right out and say that it drives me crazy when organizations -- or people, for that matter! -- use one of these apps to automatically post 100% identical content to Facebook and Twitter. As you might expect, I follow many arts organizations on both platforms, and it's not only redundant to read the same post in both places, but frankly quite annoying. It's one thing to occasionally have to scroll past content that doesn't engage me; it's another to sit there and scroll past content I just read five minutes ago in a different browser tab!
Besides the annoyance factor, it's also simply true that Facebook and Twitter are different platforms with different cultures. You can have different kinds of conversations with your fans and followers in each place. Facebook's character limit is way higher than the 140 you get on Twitter, for one thing. For another, it's much easier to post photos or links with context to your Facebook Page. (Twitter can be great for direct and personal interactions with your patrons... but more on that another time.)
That said, if you're interested in linking your accounts, your best option is to choose an app that lets you post selectively -- that is, one where you can choose whether or not that "Michelle is writing a blog post!" update gets sent out to Twitter or not.
There's a new-ish app that Facebook launched last month, which allows Pages to automatically send their status updates to Twitter. (If you've logged in and looked at your Facebook Page recently, you've probably seen a message announcing it at the top of the page.) The app claims that DOES let you be selective, but as far as I can tell, that claim is exaggerated. While you can choose what kinds of updates to export (status updates vs. links vs. photos...), you can't actually turn it on and off for each individual message.
Instead, I recommend checking out the Facebook app called Selective Twitter Status. It works exactly the way it sounds: When you post a new tweet on Twitter (want a Twitter lingo refresher?), you can CHOOSE whether or not it should become your new Facebook status by appending the tag "#fb" at the end. So:
"Michelle is writing a blog post! #fb" would get posted to Facebook.Pretty simple, very effective. (Note that I am not at all affiliated with the folks who created the Selective Twitter app! Just a fan.) I just think it makes more sense to choose an app that gives you more control over your social media experience -- and more importantly, the experience of your fans and followers.
"Michelle is writing a blog post!" would not.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Point of Facebook Usernames
Like many people, I was somewhat unimpressed when Facebook first announced the Usernames feature (also referred to as "vanity URLS"). People already know how to search and find people/Pages on Facebook, and it's not hard to just post a direct link to your Page or Profile -- I was skeptical of the need to bring "usernames" into the picture. What's the big deal? Do we really need to turn Facebook into a place like the rest of the Internet, where people can go by something like "moonbeam1982"? Hmmm.
But I dutifully created mine on the night the feature went live (www.facebook.com/michelle.renee.paul), and not long after, I had my "duh" moment.
I ran into an acquaintance on the street in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. She used to be my upstairs neighbor, but I recently moved into a new apartment and I hadn't seen her in a while. We decided to make dinner plans and catch up, but since we used to be neighbors, we'd never exchanged contact info before.
She was about to whip out her phone to do the usual get-my-number-and-call-me-to-give-me-hers thing, but I realized there was an easier and faster way. "Hey, you're on Facebook, right? Just look me up there and send me a message -- my username is 'michelle dot renee dot paul.'"
Aha! So there IS a point to usernames, beyond the "vanity" aspect of the vanity URL. Suddenly it's really easy to integrate my online life and my offline life, and let people know how to find me.
Obviously, this applies to arts organizations too. Web site URLs are ubiquitous in offline marketing materials now -- they appear on posters, in direct mail, in TV commercials, etc. Your Facebook username means that your Page can now have the same prominence. If you've been working on your Page, and you're serious about wanting to gather more Fans, why not set up a username and include it everywhere that you currently mention your Web site? (And for the record, I haven't heard of or seen very many people opting for the "moonbeam1982" approach to usernames. Most are sticking with their real name, like me.)
Click here to create yours now, if you haven't already. I highly recommend setting your profile username first -- almost every problem I've heard about people having with this feature relates to accidentally getting a personal profile branded with an organization name. That's easy enough to avoid if you set up the personal one first.
One more note: Despite weeks of insistence that usernames were set in stone and uneditable, Facebook recently caved and now allows a one-time change of username. So be careful, but know that you've got one chance to make a mistake now.
What are you doing to promote your Facebook Page? Leave me a comment and let me know!
But I dutifully created mine on the night the feature went live (www.facebook.com/michelle.renee.paul), and not long after, I had my "duh" moment.
I ran into an acquaintance on the street in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. She used to be my upstairs neighbor, but I recently moved into a new apartment and I hadn't seen her in a while. We decided to make dinner plans and catch up, but since we used to be neighbors, we'd never exchanged contact info before.
She was about to whip out her phone to do the usual get-my-number-and-call-me-to-give-me-hers thing, but I realized there was an easier and faster way. "Hey, you're on Facebook, right? Just look me up there and send me a message -- my username is 'michelle dot renee dot paul.'"
Aha! So there IS a point to usernames, beyond the "vanity" aspect of the vanity URL. Suddenly it's really easy to integrate my online life and my offline life, and let people know how to find me.
Obviously, this applies to arts organizations too. Web site URLs are ubiquitous in offline marketing materials now -- they appear on posters, in direct mail, in TV commercials, etc. Your Facebook username means that your Page can now have the same prominence. If you've been working on your Page, and you're serious about wanting to gather more Fans, why not set up a username and include it everywhere that you currently mention your Web site? (And for the record, I haven't heard of or seen very many people opting for the "moonbeam1982" approach to usernames. Most are sticking with their real name, like me.)
Click here to create yours now, if you haven't already. I highly recommend setting your profile username first -- almost every problem I've heard about people having with this feature relates to accidentally getting a personal profile branded with an organization name. That's easy enough to avoid if you set up the personal one first.
One more note: Despite weeks of insistence that usernames were set in stone and uneditable, Facebook recently caved and now allows a one-time change of username. So be careful, but know that you've got one chance to make a mistake now.
What are you doing to promote your Facebook Page? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Some Useful Apps for Arts Orgs
Here's a list of some Facebook apps that might be helpful for arts organizations. (Special thanks to my intern Ching Jen Lum for compiling this list!)
Music Player: Created by Facebook, this application lets fans listen to your most recent tracks directly from your Page. Add as many tracks as you want, and update Music Player as you create new music. (San Francisco Symphony)
Discography: Created by Facebook, the application lists your albums as well as the tracks each one. Fans track the history of your records. (New York Philharmonic)
Reviews: Created by Facebook. Reviews written by users for everything from shows, plays, exhibitions, page, etc.
Favorite Pages (automatically included when you set up a Page): Created by Facebook. Link to favorite FB pages, ideal for cross-promotions.
YouTube Box: Used to publish videos to FB pages and personal profiles (The Frick Collection, BAM)
YouTube Video Box: Similar to YouTube Box -- check them both out and see which you prefer. (New York Botanical Garden)
My Flickr: Integrate your Flickr account into your Facebook Page
ArtShare Gallery: Created by Brooklyn Museum of Art, the application shares works of art from museums around the world (Met Museum, MoMA)
Social RSS: Promotes blogs, podcasts, delicious bookmarks, photos, calendar listings (The Frick Collection, American Museum of Natural History, BAM)
My del.icio.us: Lists all pages bookmarked in delicious (Guggenheim Museum, MoMA)
Subway Status: A box to let users know which subway to get to your organization (Guggenheim Museum, Queens Museum of Art).
Promotions: Created by Wildfire, Inc., this application runs branded interactive promotions on Facebook Fan Pages. Promotion formats include: sweepstakes, contests, coupon giveaways, instant wins, gifting, quizzes, etc. (Not free!)
Polls: Created by Context Optional, Inc., this application takes the pulse of fans with custom polls for Facebook Pages! Polls are easy to create and analyze, with graphs showing user responses across demographics.
Music Player: Created by Facebook, this application lets fans listen to your most recent tracks directly from your Page. Add as many tracks as you want, and update Music Player as you create new music. (San Francisco Symphony)
Discography: Created by Facebook, the application lists your albums as well as the tracks each one. Fans track the history of your records. (New York Philharmonic)
Reviews: Created by Facebook. Reviews written by users for everything from shows, plays, exhibitions, page, etc.
Favorite Pages (automatically included when you set up a Page): Created by Facebook. Link to favorite FB pages, ideal for cross-promotions.
YouTube Box: Used to publish videos to FB pages and personal profiles (The Frick Collection, BAM)
YouTube Video Box: Similar to YouTube Box -- check them both out and see which you prefer. (New York Botanical Garden)
My Flickr: Integrate your Flickr account into your Facebook Page
ArtShare Gallery: Created by Brooklyn Museum of Art, the application shares works of art from museums around the world (Met Museum, MoMA)
Social RSS: Promotes blogs, podcasts, delicious bookmarks, photos, calendar listings (The Frick Collection, American Museum of Natural History, BAM)
My del.icio.us: Lists all pages bookmarked in delicious (Guggenheim Museum, MoMA)
Subway Status: A box to let users know which subway to get to your organization (Guggenheim Museum, Queens Museum of Art).
Promotions: Created by Wildfire, Inc., this application runs branded interactive promotions on Facebook Fan Pages. Promotion formats include: sweepstakes, contests, coupon giveaways, instant wins, gifting, quizzes, etc. (Not free!)
Polls: Created by Context Optional, Inc., this application takes the pulse of fans with custom polls for Facebook Pages! Polls are easy to create and analyze, with graphs showing user responses across demographics.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Privacy Settings, and other tips by other people
Time for a link roundup (or, "other people doing my job for me")!
The Inside Facebook Guide to Protecting Your Privacy on Facebook
If you came to the "Fans are Better Than Friends" webinar last week, you'll remember I promised to post a link to this article about Facebook privacy settings. It's a post I've been meaning to write, but now I don't have to because Inside Facebook does a great job explaining everything you need to know.
Facebook's privacy options are pretty extensive and understanding them will make it easier for you to control your own Facebook experience. If you need to "friend" your coworkers because you want to make them additional admins of your Page, but you don't want to let your boss see the embarrassing pictures of your five-year college reunion (...for example), it's easy to set groups and filters to keep your work life separate from your personal life.
Face-to-Facebook
This is just an interesting article that I came across a few weeks ago, about local bands and musicians using Facebook to connect with fans.
Is Blogging Yesterday's News? No Way!: The How and Why of Arts Blogging
My coworker Chelsea's article about blogging! In my June 30th webinar (watch the promo), I'll be talking about how to integrate your blog with your Facebook Page, but if your organization's site doesn't have a blog at all yet, Chelsea will help you get started and give you some advice.
The Inside Facebook Guide to Protecting Your Privacy on Facebook
If you came to the "Fans are Better Than Friends" webinar last week, you'll remember I promised to post a link to this article about Facebook privacy settings. It's a post I've been meaning to write, but now I don't have to because Inside Facebook does a great job explaining everything you need to know.
Facebook's privacy options are pretty extensive and understanding them will make it easier for you to control your own Facebook experience. If you need to "friend" your coworkers because you want to make them additional admins of your Page, but you don't want to let your boss see the embarrassing pictures of your five-year college reunion (...for example), it's easy to set groups and filters to keep your work life separate from your personal life.
Face-to-Facebook
This is just an interesting article that I came across a few weeks ago, about local bands and musicians using Facebook to connect with fans.
"...I only knew Javier's page was "successful" because I am a fan of a lot of pages and see how different people interact with their fans... Javier is really genuine and connects with his fans in a way others do not. People tend to gain a larger fan base when they interact with their page more."Sound familiar? Being genuine, starting conversations, being an active participant -- all these principles of Facebook success absolutely apply to arts organizations.
Is Blogging Yesterday's News? No Way!: The How and Why of Arts Blogging
My coworker Chelsea's article about blogging! In my June 30th webinar (watch the promo), I'll be talking about how to integrate your blog with your Facebook Page, but if your organization's site doesn't have a blog at all yet, Chelsea will help you get started and give you some advice.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Facebook webinar series: Watch the video promos
I apologize for the silence around here lately! I've been hard at work on creating the presentations for the four-part Facebook course we've created for this summer.
We created a bunch of silly promo videos for the webinar series, and they came out really well (if I do say so myself) -- I highly recommend you check them out on the main page of the Patron Technology Web site to get all the info about the series.
Here's the short, non-video version of what's going on:
For non-clients, they're $45 each or $99 for the whole series. (non-clients register here)
Blog readers, you've got insider access! If you have any questions that fit into any of those sessions, let me know and I'll try to cover them in the webinar. (And as always, if you have any questions that DON'T fit into those sessions, ask anyway! I'll answer here.)
Of course. there will always be plenty of Facebook info that doesn't fit into a 45-minute webinar, so there will be many blog posts forthcoming this summer.
Hope to "see" you on Thursday!
We created a bunch of silly promo videos for the webinar series, and they came out really well (if I do say so myself) -- I highly recommend you check them out on the main page of the Patron Technology Web site to get all the info about the series.
Here's the short, non-video version of what's going on:
Facebook for Arts Organizations, a four-webinar seriesAll sessions are free for Patron Technology clients. (clients register here)
Session 1: Fans Are Better Than Friends: Your Organization's Presence on Facebook (Encore Presentation)
Thursday, June 4th, 2:00-2:45pm EDT
Session 2: Are You Content With Your Content?
Tuesday, June 16th, 2:00-2:45pm EDT
Session 3: Apply Yourself!
Tuesday, June 30th, 2:00-2:45pm EDT
Session 4: Fan-ning the Flames
Tuesday, July 14th, 2:00-2:45pm EDT
For non-clients, they're $45 each or $99 for the whole series. (non-clients register here)
Blog readers, you've got insider access! If you have any questions that fit into any of those sessions, let me know and I'll try to cover them in the webinar. (And as always, if you have any questions that DON'T fit into those sessions, ask anyway! I'll answer here.)
Of course. there will always be plenty of Facebook info that doesn't fit into a 45-minute webinar, so there will be many blog posts forthcoming this summer.
Hope to "see" you on Thursday!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
More Twitter Lingo Explained
My coworker Allison has getting been getting into the social media game! If you missed her two excellent articles about Twitter, you should check them out -- the first one is a more general introduction to Twitter and its terminology, and the second gets into more specific examples of how arts organizations have been (and should be!) using Twitter.
There's plenty of Twitter info that didn't make it into the main articles, so I'll be posting some of the "outtakes" from here on the blog. Here's the first!
Allison Klein, guest blogger:
If you've been listening or have recently started tweeting yourself, you've probably noticed that a lot tweets that have "RT" peppered throughout them. Welcome to the world of the re-tweet.
What?
Abbreviated as "RT," the idea of the re-tweet is really just a way to indicate that you’re quoting another users’ tweet. If you find a tweet to be particularly interesting, full of useful information, or including call to action worth passing along, you may consider re-tweeting it.
How?
To re-tweet something, just copy and paste the content of the original tweet, and precede it with the letters “RT” to indicate that it includes something that you’re re-posting from another user. Follow that abbreviation with "@" and the username of the original tweeter to give them credit. If you that doesn't push you over the 140-character limit, you might also want to include your own comments, but the re-tweet can also stand alone. (And yes, you have to copy/paste -- just typing "RT" will not do anything "automatically" like I thought it would the first time I tried to re-tweet something.)
Why?
I find that re-tweeting comes very naturally -- I don't know about you, but I'm always sending links to useful Web sites or funny videos to my friends and co-workers. Re-tweeting is just the equivalent of this practice in the Twitterverse. So I guess what I'm saying is--why not use it? It's an easy way to become a more regular/active tweeter without having to come up with or find your own content.
PLUS, using the re-tweet is a great way to get a conversation going with another Twitter user that you might not know yet. Once you've re-tweeted them, many people (corporate accounts included) will send a thank you message (via @reply), which you in turn can reply to if you so choose, so it really does serve to help build new relationships on Twitter. You're putting yourself on the original tweeter's radar -- which means that they might very well start following you, and so might some of their own followers. So think of re-tweeting as a good karma measure! The more you re-tweet and give credit to other Twitter users, the more likely they will be to take notice of your tweets and do the same.
Here are a few examples of re-tweets that I've posted recently, so you have an idea of what this looks like and how they may be used.
After seeing Hair on Broadway:
(I didn't happen to catch the performance on Letterman after all, but as a result of my re-tweet, my colleague @seajo did!)
Regarding a giveaway I was missing while out of town:
Notice that this one's a DOUBLE re-tweet: Not only am I re-tweeting the tweet that @NewYorkology posted, but they're re-tweeting the original 'news' story from Twitter user @MidtownLunch. This is how things tend to go a bit viral on Twitter!
You're probably following and being followed by other Twitter folks in your field:
You're bound to come across tweets that will be useful to those followers professionally, so why not re-tweet that content and help get the word out?
I found this original tweet via Twitter search results:
...so I re-tweeted it to spread the word.
And the Atlantic Theater did the same here, when they saw my own tweet reviewing their current show:
I should add that finding out that something you've tweeted has been re-tweeted brings no small amount of pride -- so definitely consider re-tweeting your followers if you want to make them feel good! It also lets them know that you're listening to what they have to say!
Thanks, Alli!
There's plenty of Twitter info that didn't make it into the main articles, so I'll be posting some of the "outtakes" from here on the blog. Here's the first!
Allison Klein, guest blogger:
If you've been listening or have recently started tweeting yourself, you've probably noticed that a lot tweets that have "RT" peppered throughout them. Welcome to the world of the re-tweet.
What?
Abbreviated as "RT," the idea of the re-tweet is really just a way to indicate that you’re quoting another users’ tweet. If you find a tweet to be particularly interesting, full of useful information, or including call to action worth passing along, you may consider re-tweeting it.
How?
To re-tweet something, just copy and paste the content of the original tweet, and precede it with the letters “RT” to indicate that it includes something that you’re re-posting from another user. Follow that abbreviation with "@" and the username of the original tweeter to give them credit. If you that doesn't push you over the 140-character limit, you might also want to include your own comments, but the re-tweet can also stand alone. (And yes, you have to copy/paste -- just typing "RT" will not do anything "automatically" like I thought it would the first time I tried to re-tweet something.)
Why?
I find that re-tweeting comes very naturally -- I don't know about you, but I'm always sending links to useful Web sites or funny videos to my friends and co-workers. Re-tweeting is just the equivalent of this practice in the Twitterverse. So I guess what I'm saying is--why not use it? It's an easy way to become a more regular/active tweeter without having to come up with or find your own content.
PLUS, using the re-tweet is a great way to get a conversation going with another Twitter user that you might not know yet. Once you've re-tweeted them, many people (corporate accounts included) will send a thank you message (via @reply), which you in turn can reply to if you so choose, so it really does serve to help build new relationships on Twitter. You're putting yourself on the original tweeter's radar -- which means that they might very well start following you, and so might some of their own followers. So think of re-tweeting as a good karma measure! The more you re-tweet and give credit to other Twitter users, the more likely they will be to take notice of your tweets and do the same.
Here are a few examples of re-tweets that I've posted recently, so you have an idea of what this looks like and how they may be used.
After seeing Hair on Broadway:
Regarding a giveaway I was missing while out of town:
You're probably following and being followed by other Twitter folks in your field:
I found this original tweet via Twitter search results:
...so I re-tweeted it to spread the word.
And the Atlantic Theater did the same here, when they saw my own tweet reviewing their current show:
I should add that finding out that something you've tweeted has been re-tweeted brings no small amount of pride -- so definitely consider re-tweeting your followers if you want to make them feel good! It also lets them know that you're listening to what they have to say!
Thanks, Alli!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Hello, my name is _________.
We already talked about WHO should create your organization's Facebook Page; now let's continue on through the process of setting up the Page. There are a few more issues to take into consideration before you dive in. (If you're ready to take the plunge, though, here's a link!)
The first thing to do is to decide on your Page title and decide on your category.
These are the first two pieces of information that you enter, and they're also the two things that you can't edit once you submit them. (If you've created a Page already and you're unhappy with the name or category, you can delete and start over. That should be an option at the top of the "edit Page" page.)
So the name part is obvious: make sure you know whether you want to be the "Lab Theater" or the "Laboratory Theater," and make sure you don't make any typos, either! (A real life example: the first time I tried creating the Patron Technology Facebook Page, I was just testing things out and I named it "patron technology" -- all lower case! I had to delete that version and start over.)
As for categories, here's the list again.
Out of the arts organizations that I'm a "fan" of, it seems that the most popular choice of category is "Non-profit," closely followed by "Museum/Attraction" and "Other Business." I think all of those work perfectly well.
I've been specifically asked what category I recommend for a theater. I have to say, it really doesn't matter. These categories don't exactly DO anything anymore -- the category of your Page used to determine what kind of special features your Page could have, but ever since the big redesign in March, Pages are flexible enough that there's basically no functionality difference between categories.
And here's the real kicker: that category list I linked above is not the same list that you see when you're searching or browsing Fan Pages.
Where's "Museum/Attraction"? Where's "Other Business"? Facebook is inconsistent with their terminology. (The category you end up choosing will show up under your Page title when people are browsing a list, but not on the main screen of your page itself.)
This is all to say: be aware that you're making a permanent choice, but don't worry too much about choosing correctly.
I think maybe some level of consistency through the arts industry might be nice, though. In the comments, let everyone know how you classified your organization! Let others learn from your example (or, you know, copy off of you).
The first thing to do is to decide on your Page title and decide on your category.
These are the first two pieces of information that you enter, and they're also the two things that you can't edit once you submit them. (If you've created a Page already and you're unhappy with the name or category, you can delete and start over. That should be an option at the top of the "edit Page" page.)
So the name part is obvious: make sure you know whether you want to be the "Lab Theater" or the "Laboratory Theater," and make sure you don't make any typos, either! (A real life example: the first time I tried creating the Patron Technology Facebook Page, I was just testing things out and I named it "patron technology" -- all lower case! I had to delete that version and start over.)
As for categories, here's the list again.
Out of the arts organizations that I'm a "fan" of, it seems that the most popular choice of category is "Non-profit," closely followed by "Museum/Attraction" and "Other Business." I think all of those work perfectly well.
I've been specifically asked what category I recommend for a theater. I have to say, it really doesn't matter. These categories don't exactly DO anything anymore -- the category of your Page used to determine what kind of special features your Page could have, but ever since the big redesign in March, Pages are flexible enough that there's basically no functionality difference between categories.
And here's the real kicker: that category list I linked above is not the same list that you see when you're searching or browsing Fan Pages.
Where's "Museum/Attraction"? Where's "Other Business"? Facebook is inconsistent with their terminology. (The category you end up choosing will show up under your Page title when people are browsing a list, but not on the main screen of your page itself.)This is all to say: be aware that you're making a permanent choice, but don't worry too much about choosing correctly.
I think maybe some level of consistency through the arts industry might be nice, though. In the comments, let everyone know how you classified your organization! Let others learn from your example (or, you know, copy off of you).
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Authorizing Multiple Page Admins
It's Q&A time!
Reposting a comment from last week:
After you create your Page, you can grant additional people in your organization Administrator access.
By doing that, you give them full authority over adding, deleting, and editing Page content -- AND full authority over adding/deleting other Admins as well. So if you're the Page creator, and you deputize someone else as an Admin, that person will have the power to remove you as an Admin later if you leave the company. And you'll have the power to remove other Admins yourself, too, if they're the ones leaving.
(Of course, that also means that if you're dealing with an "unhappy ex-employee" situation, you'd better make sure you delete her before she deletes you! There are no different "levels" of being an Admin; everyone has equal rights.)
You can change/add/delete Page Admins from the Page itself -- you should see an "Add Admins" link on the left side directly under the Page photo.
Reposting a comment from last week:
What happens to the page when the person who's the administrator leaves the organization? Is there some way the page can be "reassigned" to another Facebook user? The potential for an unhappy ex-employee to sabotage the organization's FB page seems worrisome.Main Street Theater's next comment got it right:
You can make admins out of any of the fans or any of your friends.
After you create your Page, you can grant additional people in your organization Administrator access.
By doing that, you give them full authority over adding, deleting, and editing Page content -- AND full authority over adding/deleting other Admins as well. So if you're the Page creator, and you deputize someone else as an Admin, that person will have the power to remove you as an Admin later if you leave the company. And you'll have the power to remove other Admins yourself, too, if they're the ones leaving.
(Of course, that also means that if you're dealing with an "unhappy ex-employee" situation, you'd better make sure you delete her before she deletes you! There are no different "levels" of being an Admin; everyone has equal rights.)
You can change/add/delete Page Admins from the Page itself -- you should see an "Add Admins" link on the left side directly under the Page photo.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Your Facebook Account: All Play and No Work?
My next few blog posts will walk you through setting up your Facebook Page –- creating it and getting started with content. For today, though, I’m going off on a bit of a tangent. There seems to be a bit of concern about the connection between having a personal Facebook Account and being the administrator of a Page, so I’ll try to clear up some of that confusion.
To reiterate something I said in my webinar a few weeks ago: the first thing you need to do when creating your organization’s Facebook Page is sign in to Facebook.
If you’re accustomed to keeping “work” and “play” very separate in your life, you might be balking at the idea of using your personal Facebook account to administer your organization’s Facebook Page. The trouble is, you have to be a Facebook user to be a Page administrator.
Huh. What’s a Business Account? A Business Account is a Facebook account with limited functionality, intended to be used by people who just want to administer Facebook Pages without actually "being on Facebook."
Sound goods, right? Does that mean you can create an extra throwaway account to administer your Page without linking it with your person account? NO. Here’s the catch (and I'm pulling this straight from Facebook's Help section):
Can you get away with it anyway? Possibly. I know that some people do. I just don't think it's worth the risk. If you're sneaking around with multiple accounts, and Facebook decides they don't like it, they'll probably delete BOTH of your accounts, and then you're out of luck in regard to administering your Page.
Now, that was a whole lot of words to talk about something that, frankly, I don’t think is a big deal.
First of all, I’m assuming that everyone reading this blog has a personal account on Facebook already. I can't imagine why you'd want the job of being a Page admin if you're not on Facebook yourself -- if you're not part of the community, you're going to have a tough time understanding how the community works.
This is just common sense: you wouldn't try to serve as the creator of your organization's e-mail newsletters without ever having read an e-mail, would you? (And, incidentally, this is the main point of my colleague Allison's article about Twitter that came out last week – check it out if you missed it!)
Secondly, regarding the work/play separation: the actions you perform as a Page administrator are not linked to your personal account anyway! So even if you want privacy, you don't have to jump through hoops and try to game the system. Just keep these lists in mind:
As long as you stick to actions on that first list, you’re in the clear.
This post is already epically long, but I have one last thing to add: from my own perspective, all the things I've written here are not all that important. As you may have noticed, I'm all over the place already -- I’m Facebook friends with many people I've met only through work (hi!). Facebook's privacy settings work well enough that I feel very comfortable using my personal account for all sorts of work purposes, and letting people see that I'm a real person behind the blog and webinars.
I am interested to hear what you think, though. How do you manage your professional Facebook presence? Is the idea of work and play separate an important issue to you?
To reiterate something I said in my webinar a few weeks ago: the first thing you need to do when creating your organization’s Facebook Page is sign in to Facebook.
If you’re accustomed to keeping “work” and “play” very separate in your life, you might be balking at the idea of using your personal Facebook account to administer your organization’s Facebook Page. The trouble is, you have to be a Facebook user to be a Page administrator.
"But Michelle, even when I’m not logged in to Facebook, it says right there at the bottom of the home page, 'To create a page for a celebrity, band or business, click here.'"It's true -- you can click on that link and start the process of creating your page without logging in or even having an account. But once you get past the first screen of information, you'll be taken to a login screen and asked to sign in! This screen will also tell you that if you don't have a personal Facebook account already, you can enter your name and e-mail address and create something called a Business Account.
Huh. What’s a Business Account? A Business Account is a Facebook account with limited functionality, intended to be used by people who just want to administer Facebook Pages without actually "being on Facebook."
Sound goods, right? Does that mean you can create an extra throwaway account to administer your Page without linking it with your person account? NO. Here’s the catch (and I'm pulling this straight from Facebook's Help section):
"Please be aware that managing multiple accounts is a serious violation of Facebook’s Terms of Use. If we determine that an individual has more than one account, we reserve the right to terminate all of their accounts."Yes, maintaining your personal Facebook account ("look, pictures of my cat!") and a separate Business Account ("nothing to see here, just running my organization's Page...") COUNTS AS HAVING MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS.
Can you get away with it anyway? Possibly. I know that some people do. I just don't think it's worth the risk. If you're sneaking around with multiple accounts, and Facebook decides they don't like it, they'll probably delete BOTH of your accounts, and then you're out of luck in regard to administering your Page.
Now, that was a whole lot of words to talk about something that, frankly, I don’t think is a big deal.
First of all, I’m assuming that everyone reading this blog has a personal account on Facebook already. I can't imagine why you'd want the job of being a Page admin if you're not on Facebook yourself -- if you're not part of the community, you're going to have a tough time understanding how the community works.
This is just common sense: you wouldn't try to serve as the creator of your organization's e-mail newsletters without ever having read an e-mail, would you? (And, incidentally, this is the main point of my colleague Allison's article about Twitter that came out last week – check it out if you missed it!)
Secondly, regarding the work/play separation: the actions you perform as a Page administrator are not linked to your personal account anyway! So even if you want privacy, you don't have to jump through hoops and try to game the system. Just keep these lists in mind:
Actions that will show up as Page actions:
* Posting pictures
* Creating events
* Posting on the Wall
* Sending Updates
Actions that will be linked to your personal account:
* Sending Event INVITATIONS
* “Sharing” things (directly inviting people to become fans, and reposting events)
As long as you stick to actions on that first list, you’re in the clear.
This post is already epically long, but I have one last thing to add: from my own perspective, all the things I've written here are not all that important. As you may have noticed, I'm all over the place already -- I’m Facebook friends with many people I've met only through work (hi!). Facebook's privacy settings work well enough that I feel very comfortable using my personal account for all sorts of work purposes, and letting people see that I'm a real person behind the blog and webinars.
I am interested to hear what you think, though. How do you manage your professional Facebook presence? Is the idea of work and play separate an important issue to you?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Why "Pages" might be better than Page Views
I realize that in these discussions about Facebook, both here on the blog and in my webinar last week, I've been spending a lot of time on the "how" without really addressing the "why," so I wanted to take a minute here to back up a bit. It's true that Facebook and social media are the things with all the buzz lately, but looking past that, what are the real reasons a Facebook page can help your organization?
Here's a question that came out of the webinar:
1) Here's a graphic you might have seen if you've been to any of Patron Tech's seminars in the past four or five years:
This illustrates the "e-marketing paradigm" of how your Web site and e-mail newsletters should work together.
And my second point:
2) People spend a LOT of time on Facebook. They don't spend a lot of time on your site.
As of January, the average visit length on Facebook was just over 21 minutes (source). We know from our own research at Patron Technology that the average arts Web site visit is around 5 minutes long. Your patrons are already used to spending more time on Facebook than on arts sites. If you post your content on your Facebook Page, that means they won't need to go out of their way to see it.
Ticket purchases or donations are one thing, and you should certainly drive traffic to your Web site for those, but if you have content worth sharing, why do you need to coax people to visit your site at all? An article or photo or video that you post on Facebook is automatically an invitation for comments, for further interaction and engagement, and for people to easily share your content with their friends.
Coming later this week: more specifics about linking to your Fan Page from your site and e-mails.
Here's a question that came out of the webinar:
"What is the benefit of linking the facebook page to our company website? Meaning, why should we get more facebook fans if they are already visiting our website?"My answer has two parts.
1) Here's a graphic you might have seen if you've been to any of Patron Tech's seminars in the past four or five years:
This illustrates the "e-marketing paradigm" of how your Web site and e-mail newsletters should work together.
"If I can get someone to join my e-mail list, I can market to them forever. But if they come and go without leaving a trace, I've missed a huge online marketing opportunity to contact them directly." (Web Sites for Culture, Eugene Carr)Replace "e-mail list" with "Facebook Fan Page," and the concept stays the same. If a patron is on your site, that's great -- but who are they? What do they want? And how can you contact them again? By getting that visitor to become a Fan, you get to find out who they are, and you can continue to communicate with them in the future, rather than just passively waiting for them to visit your site again.
And my second point:
2) People spend a LOT of time on Facebook. They don't spend a lot of time on your site.
As of January, the average visit length on Facebook was just over 21 minutes (source). We know from our own research at Patron Technology that the average arts Web site visit is around 5 minutes long. Your patrons are already used to spending more time on Facebook than on arts sites. If you post your content on your Facebook Page, that means they won't need to go out of their way to see it.
Ticket purchases or donations are one thing, and you should certainly drive traffic to your Web site for those, but if you have content worth sharing, why do you need to coax people to visit your site at all? An article or photo or video that you post on Facebook is automatically an invitation for comments, for further interaction and engagement, and for people to easily share your content with their friends.
Coming later this week: more specifics about linking to your Fan Page from your site and e-mails.
Monday, March 30, 2009
I'm Going Live!
Just a heads up, in case you've missed our other announcements: I'm hosting a live webinar on Thursday, all about Facebook for arts organizations. Some of the information I'm presenting has already been posted here, but I do have some new stuff plus a live demonstration of at least a few "how-to's."
The webinar is on Thursday, April 2, at 1:00PM Eastern time.
If you're interested, just click here to register. Thanks!
The webinar is on Thursday, April 2, at 1:00PM Eastern time.
If you're interested, just click here to register. Thanks!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Cultivating a Community
I keep promising to answer the excellent questions I got from readers in response to my first article (back in February), so here we go!
Stephanie from BRIC said:
So I think that in some ways, her question might be answered already. Since "fans"can now interact much more directly, I think that the new Pages feel a lot more like the old Groups now.
I have to stand by my opinion that Groups are simply outdated technology, at this point. They still don't get News Feed real estate, they can't be customized, you can't add apps... (I know I haven't gone into technical detail yet about HOW to do some of those things with a Page, but I'm still waiting for Facebook to settle down and stop changing things.)
That said: I think that Groups can still be a valuable tool for arts organizations, especially in situations like Stephanie describes, where the organization's artists and managers DO want to be personally associated with the org. Maybe one solution is to create both, but be sure to delineate a separate purpose for each -- have a Facebook Page with more generalized, public content and event information, but also include a big link to join the organization's Group, which would have a more personal feel.
I'd love to hear more thoughts on this! What do you think? Do the new Pages seem like a better environment for making a personal connection than the old ones did?
Stephanie from BRIC said:
I’m still conflicted on the Page vs. Group issue for non-profit arts organizations. Especially in New York, where the small and mid-size performing arts organizations are part of a network where everyone knows one another... Audiences who don’t come from within the community often want to be a part of it – make a personal connection, rather than feel like they are part of a commercial enterprise.Stephanie raises a good point about creating a more community-oriented space on Facebook -- and it's evident that she wasn't the only one to think so! By now you all know my thoughts on the NEW Facebook Pages: They're designed to be so much more community-based and interaction-friendly than they were before. Now Page administrators have more control -- as long as you're posting compelling messages and discussion questions, the Page can be made to feel much less like a "commercial enterprise" now.
A friend of mine is a Fan of 245 pages. He’s a Fan of Kermit, The Daily Show, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, The Little Prince, Spinach, Burberry, Muffins, Macbook, the IDF, Tommy Hilfigger, Sushi, Levis Footwear -- the list goes on. ...Pages become more of a statement of aesthetic than a place he actually visits and interacts with on a regular basis.
So I think that in some ways, her question might be answered already. Since "fans"can now interact much more directly, I think that the new Pages feel a lot more like the old Groups now.
I have to stand by my opinion that Groups are simply outdated technology, at this point. They still don't get News Feed real estate, they can't be customized, you can't add apps... (I know I haven't gone into technical detail yet about HOW to do some of those things with a Page, but I'm still waiting for Facebook to settle down and stop changing things.)
That said: I think that Groups can still be a valuable tool for arts organizations, especially in situations like Stephanie describes, where the organization's artists and managers DO want to be personally associated with the org. Maybe one solution is to create both, but be sure to delineate a separate purpose for each -- have a Facebook Page with more generalized, public content and event information, but also include a big link to join the organization's Group, which would have a more personal feel.
I'd love to hear more thoughts on this! What do you think? Do the new Pages seem like a better environment for making a personal connection than the old ones did?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Few Answers
Aha! Here's the reason Page updates aren't appearing in the newsfeed. This is the message appearing at the top of the Facebook home page right now:
That last sentence is not as clear as it could be. Basically, they've defaulted all the Pages you're already a fan of to the "hidden" list -- that's why they're not showing up in the feed. If you click on the link in the message, it opens a box with a list of all the things currently "hidden":
So you need to go through and click all the "Add to News Feed" buttons, manually.
(Why? Why should people have to do all this work to be able see Page updates? I don't understand why Facebook keeps shooting itself in the foot this way. If the whole idea of turning Pages into Public Profiles was to make them more integrated and accessible (and, presumably, profitable...), then why in the world did are they making users jump through all these hoops?)
Anyway, it probably wouldn't hurt to send out a real Update to your fans reminding them to click that link and unblock you, or at least to post about it on your Page (of course, who knows if anyone will see it!).
(PS: extra points to Lara, commenting on my previous post, for discovering the "See hidden posts" link before Facebook put up this message. )
Pages are now a part of News Feed
From now on, posts from Pages you are a fan of will show up in your News Feed. You can hide their posts by clicking the 'x' in the top right corner of the post. If you would like to see posts from Pages you connected to the in past, click here.
That last sentence is not as clear as it could be. Basically, they've defaulted all the Pages you're already a fan of to the "hidden" list -- that's why they're not showing up in the feed. If you click on the link in the message, it opens a box with a list of all the things currently "hidden":
So you need to go through and click all the "Add to News Feed" buttons, manually.
(Why? Why should people have to do all this work to be able see Page updates? I don't understand why Facebook keeps shooting itself in the foot this way. If the whole idea of turning Pages into Public Profiles was to make them more integrated and accessible (and, presumably, profitable...), then why in the world did are they making users jump through all these hoops?)
Anyway, it probably wouldn't hurt to send out a real Update to your fans reminding them to click that link and unblock you, or at least to post about it on your Page (of course, who knows if anyone will see it!).
(PS: extra points to Lara, commenting on my previous post, for discovering the "See hidden posts" link before Facebook put up this message. )
Friday, March 20, 2009
Feeling Frustrated with Facebook
Hi, new readers I met at the ArtsReach conference last weekend! Thanks to all who attended PatronTech's pre-conference day -- I hope you found it helpful and valuable.
I know the blog's been a bit quiet this week, and here's why:
Frankly, I'm finding myself fed up with Facebook.
Now, I'm not counting myself in the camp of those users screaming, "BRING BACK THE OLD FACEBOOK!" -- I *like* the new Facebook, or at least I like its potential. Everything I said in my last article remains true: In theory, the new "Public Profile" Pages offer arts orgs a great opportunity to connect with fans.
It's just that in practice, there are a whole bunch of little features of the upgrade that seem either poorly thought-out, or outright broken.
Here's an example, from an e-mail I received this morning:
If you take a look at the discussion board for "Facebook Pages/Public Profiles," you'll see that these issues are not the only ones. Problems with Pages are rampant! And they're not being addressed by Facebook at all. Since the launch, there hasn't been a single announcement from FB that they're aware of these issues, that they're listening to their users complaints... nothing.
So, I'm pretty frustrated.
That said, I will be blogging more regularly next week -- I was asked a whole novel's worth of excellent social media questions last weekend, and I'll start to dive into those soon.
Again -- feel free to comment! Are you frustrated by Facebook too? Is your Page experiencing these formatting problems?
Thanks for sticking with me!
I know the blog's been a bit quiet this week, and here's why:
Frankly, I'm finding myself fed up with Facebook.
Now, I'm not counting myself in the camp of those users screaming, "BRING BACK THE OLD FACEBOOK!" -- I *like* the new Facebook, or at least I like its potential. Everything I said in my last article remains true: In theory, the new "Public Profile" Pages offer arts orgs a great opportunity to connect with fans.
It's just that in practice, there are a whole bunch of little features of the upgrade that seem either poorly thought-out, or outright broken.
Here's an example, from an e-mail I received this morning:
"Hi Michelle. I've been doing status updates for our Facebook page, but as far as I can tell, they are not showing up on our Fans' walls. They don't show up on my wall, and I just checked with another person in our organization who is not an admin but is a fan, and the updates are not on her wall either.(Short answer: both problems *might* be a browser issue? Try looking at FB in Internet Explorer and Firefox, see if the problems exist in both. There doesn't seem to be a definitive solution yet, though.)
Is there something I need to do to make the status updates show up on our fans' walls?
I'm also having problems with the Page where parts of the page appear layered over other parts. Sometimes the pictures of the Fans move around and appear on top of other sections."
If you take a look at the discussion board for "Facebook Pages/Public Profiles," you'll see that these issues are not the only ones. Problems with Pages are rampant! And they're not being addressed by Facebook at all. Since the launch, there hasn't been a single announcement from FB that they're aware of these issues, that they're listening to their users complaints... nothing.
So, I'm pretty frustrated.
That said, I will be blogging more regularly next week -- I was asked a whole novel's worth of excellent social media questions last weekend, and I'll start to dive into those soon.
Again -- feel free to comment! Are you frustrated by Facebook too? Is your Page experiencing these formatting problems?
Thanks for sticking with me!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Home Page Changes Are Going Live... Slowly.
Hi, new subscribers!
Facebook has started rolling out the new home page layout! As of yesterday afternoon, accounts are starting to be changed over to the new layout. My own account hasn't gotten the update yet, but I'm already seeing a few stories from Fan Pages come through:
I'll be back with more news after my account changes and I have a chance to poke around a bit and get a better idea of how things work. For now, here's the latest Facebook Blog post about the home page.
Has your account changed over yet? What do you think? Is the new home page user-friendly? Tell me (and everyone else!) in the comments.
Facebook has started rolling out the new home page layout! As of yesterday afternoon, accounts are starting to be changed over to the new layout. My own account hasn't gotten the update yet, but I'm already seeing a few stories from Fan Pages come through:
I'll be back with more news after my account changes and I have a chance to poke around a bit and get a better idea of how things work. For now, here's the latest Facebook Blog post about the home page.
Has your account changed over yet? What do you think? Is the new home page user-friendly? Tell me (and everyone else!) in the comments.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Facebook Home Page and Fan Pages Redesign
If you want a more detailed look at the changes coming to Facebook this week, here's a roundup of various links that should give you a pretty full picture. Once the changes go live, I'll be writing a followup post here with more information.
Facebook's labeled screenshot of the new home page
Facebook's Help Center info about the new home page
Facebook's Help Center info about the new Facebook Pages
The official Facebook blog post from Mark Zuckerberg about the changes
Here are a couple of posts from insidefacebook.com analyzing the changes.
Before & After images of Facebook Pages
A more detailed look at the new home page
Facebook's labeled screenshot of the new home page
Facebook's Help Center info about the new home page
Facebook's Help Center info about the new Facebook Pages
The official Facebook blog post from Mark Zuckerberg about the changes
Here are a couple of posts from insidefacebook.com analyzing the changes.
Before & After images of Facebook Pages
A more detailed look at the new home page
A Facebook Glossary
News Feed: The News Feed is the first thing a user sees upon logging in to Facebook. It’s an automatically-generated list of all the activity of the user’s Facebook friends. For example, "Michelle added new interests to her profile,” or "Chelsea uploaded new photos.” The newsfeed is the main catalyst for all Facebook interaction.
Stream: The Stream is the new real-time version of the News Feed, which (as far as I can tell as of this writing) will be automatically refreshed to show the latest stories. The Stream will include not just a user's Friends' activities, but also the user's Fan Pages.
Story: Stories are the items that appear in the Stream or News Feed -- each individual item in the list is called a Story.
Comment: Comment is one of the options for users to give feedback about a Story in the Stream. Clicking "Comment" opens up a text box underneath the Story -- the user can add a note and the note will then appear on context with the Story on the Stream.
Like: The other option for giving feedback on a Story is to click the "Like" button -- if you don't have any actual commentary to add but you want to acknowledge the Story in some way, you can just choose to say that you "Like" it.
Friend Lists: Since the Stream will now be updated in real time and will display stories from all of a users Friends and Pages, users can use Friend Lists to filter the Stream and choose to only see stories from certain groups of people. (I'll post more info about Friend Lists when the home page changes go live.)
Profile: Facebook profiles are the pages that display a user's personal information, as well as all their interactions with friends.
Profile Tabs: Profile information is divided into sections of different content.
Status messages / Publisher interface: There's a text field at the top of the home page and the Profile page that asks, "What's on your mind?" (formerly "What are you doing right now?"). If you type text in the box and click "Share" (or "Post), the text will become your new status message (e.g., "Michelle is writing blog posts about Facebook.").
That same field can now be used to share links, photos, etc: if you add a link or photo by clicking the links directly below the field, the text in the field will instead be attached as a comment from you on the link or photo (instead of updating your Status).
Mini-feed: The mini-feed was the section on a Facebook Page that displayed the recent activity of the Page (e.g. "Carnegie Hall posted a new note;" "Playwrights Horizons added a new event"). On the new layout of Pages, the Stream serves the same function.
Updates: Until now, the only direct way for a Page to communicate with its Fans was to send out an Update. With this week's changes, that's no longer the case, but Updates may still provide to be an important communication channel. More on Updates to come in a later post.
Stream: The Stream is the new real-time version of the News Feed, which (as far as I can tell as of this writing) will be automatically refreshed to show the latest stories. The Stream will include not just a user's Friends' activities, but also the user's Fan Pages.
Story: Stories are the items that appear in the Stream or News Feed -- each individual item in the list is called a Story.
Comment: Comment is one of the options for users to give feedback about a Story in the Stream. Clicking "Comment" opens up a text box underneath the Story -- the user can add a note and the note will then appear on context with the Story on the Stream.
Like: The other option for giving feedback on a Story is to click the "Like" button -- if you don't have any actual commentary to add but you want to acknowledge the Story in some way, you can just choose to say that you "Like" it.
Friend Lists: Since the Stream will now be updated in real time and will display stories from all of a users Friends and Pages, users can use Friend Lists to filter the Stream and choose to only see stories from certain groups of people. (I'll post more info about Friend Lists when the home page changes go live.)
Profile: Facebook profiles are the pages that display a user's personal information, as well as all their interactions with friends.
Profile Tabs: Profile information is divided into sections of different content.
- The Info tab displays basic information like Birthday and Hometown, as well as interests and activities. The Info tab also lists all Groups the user is a member of, and all the Pages the user is a Fan of.
- The Wall tab dispays all the user's interactions with friends (comments and messages) as well as status messages.
- The Photos tab is pretty self-explanatory.
- The Boxes tab is not at all self-explanatory! It's where all other Application information lives. (For example, mine shows the "Growing Gifts" I've received from friends, and the i'll go! events I'm attending.)
- Other tabs: users can choose to turn their Application boxes into separate tabs. I display my "Extended Info" application as a separate tab because I want to make it easy for people to find.
Status messages / Publisher interface: There's a text field at the top of the home page and the Profile page that asks, "What's on your mind?" (formerly "What are you doing right now?"). If you type text in the box and click "Share" (or "Post), the text will become your new status message (e.g., "Michelle is writing blog posts about Facebook.").
That same field can now be used to share links, photos, etc: if you add a link or photo by clicking the links directly below the field, the text in the field will instead be attached as a comment from you on the link or photo (instead of updating your Status).
Mini-feed: The mini-feed was the section on a Facebook Page that displayed the recent activity of the Page (e.g. "Carnegie Hall posted a new note;" "Playwrights Horizons added a new event"). On the new layout of Pages, the Stream serves the same function.
Updates: Until now, the only direct way for a Page to communicate with its Fans was to send out an Update. With this week's changes, that's no longer the case, but Updates may still provide to be an important communication channel. More on Updates to come in a later post.
Monday, March 9, 2009
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There are a few ways to subscribe.
E-mail: If you want to receive updates by e-mail, just enter your e-mail address in the box on the right and click "Submit" -- FeedBurner is a Google service, they won't spam you.
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