Oh, no! Facebook is different! You were just starting to feel like you’d cracked the secrets of getting into followers’ “top news” feeds. Now everything is different. What will you do? Don’t panic. Breathe deeply, read these four tips and know that it’s going to be all right.
- This will happen again. All social networks are in constant flux — a state of permanent beta, if you like. The feature you rely on (Hi, there, Facebook Places!) could disappear tomorrow. Be ready to roll with it. When you’re designing a campaign, ask yourself how a major network overhaul could affect your ability to connect with users. If a key feature were rolled back tomorrow, how would you cope? If you build your presence and your brand identity and around your fans’ needs, rather than around a specific tool or function, you’re less likely to be left in the lurch.
- This is an opportunity. Whenever the network changes, it gives smaller, more adaptable players a chance to pull ahead. If you figure out how to optimize your presence before your competitors do, you’ve got a chance to increase your lead or cover lost ground. Periods of transition like this require maximum vigilance and flexibility, so study up on the changes and experiment rapidly. Don’t put this off. Take advantage of the confusion and hit the ground running.
- This kind of user outrage happens every time. If you’re new to Facebook marketing, you might be a little freaked out by people’s strong reactions to the network’s changes. Maybe you’re worried that Facebook is starting to go the way of Myspace. Don’t be. People pitched a fit when Facebook went from being a student-only network to being for everyone. They moaned when the news feed debuted. They hollered about the Like button. And then they got over it. It’s an iron-clad law of the Internet that people hate format changes. This too shall pass.
- This will happen to you, too. What holds true for Facebook holds true for your own blog/newsletter/forum — or even your logo. If you make major changes, many people will love them, most will be indifferent and a few people will go blind with rage. Remember that the people who are the loudest aren’t necessary speaking on behalf of the majority. Remember the business reasons you made the changes in the first place and then take the time to figure out what the silent majority wants before you do anything in response. Facebook usually tweaks new features in response to user reactions, but it almost never rolls the changes back completely. Stick to your guns and do what you need to do. In a few months, most people will have forgotten you changed anything at all.
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Oh how true! And a very sane and balanced view, in between the folks screaming blue murder and those hyping that the changes will revolutionise the world and you darn well better pay 'em quick to let you in on the secrets
From a social marketer point of view though, I just hope that the changes won't herald the usual round of random bugs which mean loads of time spent explaining to clients why their shiny new custom landing page has suddenly stopped working – fingers crossed!
My recent post Custom Facebook Page URLs now available immediately – but read this first
You say this too shall pass … dont be so sure. Remember My Space.
While I agree that there is always a lot of Internet rage when changes happen to a favorite site or platform, I'm not so sure Facebook will get off scot-free this time.
For the past couple of months, there has been support building for Google+, and now that it is out of beta, we might see even more migrations from the tried-and-tested networks to the fresh-and-new. The ecosystem is quite different from when Facebook introduced the Newsfeed and Like button. Don't be so certain that they'll get out of this storm without a scratch.
I've been disappointed by Google Plus' lack of momentum — I know hundreds of people with accounts and maybe a dozen who are regular users. Here's hoping that coming out of beta turns that trend around.
Thank you so much for stating what I consider, the obvious. I like to remind my friends that, unless they are paying for Facebook Advertising, they are using FB for free. Let's try to see the cup as half full, please
My recent post Twitter : 15 Things We Don’t Want To Know : Day 8 > Impetus Issues
I was sent this this morning, pretty much sums it up! http://twitpic.com/6onhhs
Genius.
This article is completely pointless and brings nothing to the conversation.
[...] When you base your business communication strategy around a site that doesn’t belong to you – or one you don’t have a service agreement with — and one you give absolutely no revenue to, it’s hard to expect that they will give you any notice of changes or buy-in to product development. (Read more about that at Smart Blogs Social Media.) [...]
[...] can be powerful additions to your marketing and public relations programs. Understand also that each will continue to change without notice and that you will probably always be working to figure out how the most recent changes impact you [...]
[...] people hate change–but some see it as an opportunity (Smart Brief on Social Media). What we wanted to know is: what do the slew of changes announced by [...]
[...] people hate change–but some see it as an opportunity (Smart Brief on Social Media). What we wanted to know is: what do the slew of changes announced by [...]