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Facebook, I want my friends back

dangerousminds.net

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Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#11
post #9
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I resist the urge to say "don't be silly" here because not everyone is intimately familiar with the evolution of Facebook. I can understand believing that full access to every single one of your fan's, even the ones who have been ignoring your posts, is a right you have as a Facebook user. The only right you have is to control content on your own pages, for the most part, not what other people see in their Newsfeeds.…

> The only right you have is to control content on your own pages, for the most part, not what other people see in their Newsfeeds Unless you pay the vig. Spam away as long as Zuck gets a taste.

Wait, so it's spam if you want all your followers or friends to see it but before when that was the default it wasn't spam?

You can't have it both ways.

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#13
Facebook has put themselves in an ideal situation. We're at the point in social media marketing that businesses can't survive without one, in fact they spend a lot of advertising money and placement in advertising their presence on Facebook, which is primarily an advertisement for Facebook. Every new connection, time on site, or new user to like your page is a huge win for them.

Do we as business and individuals really want to pay to promote our content AND be sold to advertisers AND build their network at the same time?

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#14
post #4
post #3

Look I can understand the "oh it's so convenient that you can now pay to promote your posts" but the "turning down the volume" on the Newsfeed was done because our Newsfeeds were getting overrun. People added too many friends, thousands more than the 150 it's been proven we can reasonably empathize with, and people were doing more and more on the network. You can STILL see posts of your favorite bands by going to the…

I resist the urge to say "don't be silly" here because not everyone is intimately familiar with the evolution of Facebook. I can understand believing that full access to every single one of your fan's, even the ones who have been ignoring your posts, is a right you have as a Facebook user. The only right you have is to control content on your own pages, for the most part, not what other people see in their Newsfeeds.…

You have to realize, previously, when a page was "liked" that was equivalent to WANTING to see updates from this Facebook page. That simple like was a 2-way contract, you're interested in us, when we post, you will be aware of it. Now the "liker" could be missing out on items they find important, and the fan page is effectively impotent in reaching that fan unless they pay to promote the post.

It really is a bait and switch and I'm surprised there isn't MORE outrage about it.

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#15

Facebook has put themselves in an ideal situation. We're at the point in social media marketing that businesses can't survive without one, in fact they spend a lot of advertising money and placement in advertising their presence on Facebook, which is primarily an advertisement for Facebook. Every new connection, time on site, or new user to like your page is a huge win for them. Do we as business and individuals real…

You really think we're at that point? I'd be hard pressed to name a single thing I've bought that I discovered from a Facebook marketing effort. I'm currently drawing a blank, off the top of my head. I find local restaurants by walking/driving around or searching Google. I find out about products and the like from TV ads or just seeing them in stores.

I've got friend who "like" companies on Facebook to get discounts and such, but when I've talked to them that's been pretty much the full extent of the interaction—basically a new-style email list that gives them occasional discounts. But is that essential to the survival of most businesses? I'm on FB to connect with my friends, I simply would never even consider "liking" 90% of the companies/products I buy. I don't need constant updates from the company that makes my tires, or my jacket, or the vast majority of mundane stuff that makes up the world.

The first company that comes to mind when I think of recently successful marketing is Apple, and do they use social media marketing at all? They seem very old school, with traditional TV spots and billboards that show you the product and what you'd use it for.

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#16
post #8

They're doing the same thing with non-fan pages. If you want your content to go to your friends you now have to pay for the privilege. It's nuts. I haven't been on Facebook since I saw this, they can keep their social graph.

It is nuts. We're ALREADY paying customers by providing our data to Facebook. Now we have to pay to be heard? MySpace may actually take off when people begin to realize this.

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#17
post #3

Look I can understand the "oh it's so convenient that you can now pay to promote your posts" but the "turning down the volume" on the Newsfeed was done because our Newsfeeds were getting overrun. People added too many friends, thousands more than the 150 it's been proven we can reasonably empathize with, and people were doing more and more on the network. You can STILL see posts of your favorite bands by going to the…

I object to Facebook making this decision for me. I _didn't_ add too many friends. My newsfeed _wasn't_ overrun. Yeah, I had to hide a few annoying Apps, but no big deal.

And then, one day, I stopped seeing posts from lots of people, including many of the people I most wanted to see posts from. It took a while before I even realized this was happening. Then I slowly had to go through and fix the settings for people to tell FB that "yes, really, show me all the posts". And, still, every couple of days Facebook forgets that I've set my sort to "Most Recent" and goes back to "Top Stories" and not showing me everything. This gets tiresome, to say the least.

Re: Facebook, I want my friends back

#19
> At Dangerous Minds, we post anywhere from 10 to 16 items per day, fewer on the weekends.

This is why I don't like many pages, and it's why FB needs clear and easy to use controls for what does or doesn't show up on my wall.

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