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:

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.

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.

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:

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.

"Michelle is writing a blog post!" would not.

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.

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!

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.

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.

"...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.

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:

Facebook for Arts Organizations, a four-webinar series

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

All sessions are free for Patron Technology clients. (clients register here)

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!