This post was featured on Project Underblog on October 29, 2012.
Rumor has it you’ve changed Facebook again. It’s your company. You can do as you please. What you may not realize is that your latest alterations have the blogosphere all a-Twitter.
We blogger types write our little hearts out day after day. We work hard for our fans on Facebook. Oh, I know you have one billion people using Facebook now, so my page’s 254 likes may not mean much to you.
But to me they mean the world.
Many of us lowly bloggers have noticed a significant drop in the number of fans who actually see our posts in their News Feed since your recent changes. We’re scrambling to figure out how to manage. Do we ask fans to add our pages to Facebook Interest Lists? Do we pay to promote our posts? Do we step up our presence on Google+?
Mark,—may I call you Mark?—you may be a visionary like Steve Jobs. A person no one really understands. You may see a future the rest of us can’t quite grasp. More power to you, son.
We stood by you through the Timeline, the Top Stories, the Ticker deal in the sidebar. We survived and learned to thrive. We watched as your social media empire evolved. But there’s something you need to remember.
We make you look good.
Yes, Mark. Yes, we do. When we invest our energy to promote our content on Facebook and build likes for our pages, we add power to your platform.
On behalf of all the little (and big) blogs, causes, businesses, bands, and others who’ve created Facebook pages for fans, could you give us a break? Keep things fun, simple, and uncomplicated. I like Facebook, I really do. It’s intuitive. More personal than Twitter. More connective than Google+. I want to stick with you, but you must stay true to the mission.
Help us easily connect with our people.
Now Mark, I know the whole stock thing hasn’t worked out so well for you, but give it time. Trust me. It’s cyclical. It’ll come around. We’re in a recession, in case you haven’t heard.
Wait it out, son. Cut us some slack, and we’ll do the same for you. We’ll give you time to do that crazy coding thing you do. Just make the magic happen, and let the good times roll again on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Aimee
PS: The Social Network may be an unauthorized account of your story, but I loved it all the same.
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me. Psalm 54:4 NIV
Better Be Good to Me by the one in a billion Tina Turner.
Anything you’d like to say to Mr. Zuckerberg
now that we hypothetically have his attention?
I love this – although it’s a sad premonition of what I’m eventually going to have to deal with since I just started a Facebook fan page. Thanks for the humor!
Thank you for dropping by, Brandi! You may deal the travails of a Facebook fan page better than my pining for “how good it used to be.” Lol. Of course there’s no telling what changes Mark still has up his sleeve…
love this Aimee :) Linked up today (finally!!!) http://www.masteringmommybrain.com/nterest-groups-and-subscribing-can-you-see-mmb/
Thank you, Dana!
Preach!! My bread and butter is on Twitter where I’m better able to interact with people. Facebook’s many changes have made me gun-shy of trying to build my audience there any further because what happens if I do and then wake up to *poof* no more audience? Are there focus groups discussing these changes before they’re made? Who really thinks (aside from the financial people watching that stock plummet) this is a good idea? It’s discouraging to Facebook’s users.
Agree. Most of my audience connects with me on Facebook, but your comment has me thinking I need to learn how to engage better on Twitter. Thanks for stopping by. Loved your post btw: http://notsuperjustmom.com/2012/10/facebook-more-like-sponsoredbook/
I really don’t think he’s listening or cares unfortunately. He knows people NEED Facebook, so he will keep changing it as he sees fit. Everytime my little blog page gets more likes (I’m up to 171 – woo hoo!) I get so excited. But when I post something, I hear crickets chirping and see that only 34 people saw the post. WTH? Sigh. It’s frustrating.
Kathy, I have the same experience and, yes, it’s so frustrating. People need Facebook now, but it’s not irreplaceable. Remember MySpace? Don’t get me wrong. I like Facebook and want to stick with it. At the same time, Facebook has to remain competitive by meeting the needs of its users. I think/hope they will do that in time and we’ll see improvements in the fan page issues.
Hi Aimee,
Great post..still laughing :-))
I think everyone is getting tired of these constant changes with Facebook. Hopefully things will get better and we can go back to using the social network that we all love.
Mayank.
I hope so, Mayank. Glad you enjoyed my letter to Mark. I appreciate your reading and commenting!
I hear what you’re saying..and yes, it’s frustrating. When building a network there are bound to be glitches and not-so-good decisions made in the software, but I’m hopeful they’ll get it working quite well.
Lisa, that’s what I’m counting on. They’ll figure out what works. I’m sure this is not the last of the changes! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment.
I LOVE this… I just wish he would read and listen. It is so frustrating.
~Susan
I wish he would listen, too. Thanks for reading and commenting, Susan!
Your post made me laugh. I love how you got more familiar with ‘Mark’ as the post continued. I am with you and have noticed that fewer and fewer people see my posts on the FB page (with no apparent solution).
It’s good to know I’m not alone, Theresa. So frustrating. Maybe Mark will offer some suggestions, once he reads my letter that is :)
Thanks for reading and commenting!
What do I love more here: the whole point of your post (amen and amen) or the fact that you went from Mr. Zuckerberg to Mark to son in a few hundred words? Hrm. Both. I think I love both. :)
Thanks, Mary. If I’m imagining he’s listening to me, I might as well imagine what I’d really say, bless his 28-year-old heart :)