Alrighty, we've talked about spamming people in your Event on Facebook, but it seems Events as a whole need some TLC. Here is a bulleted list of what to do with your Event page.
-Have every detail set before you make the event
-Invite a relevant audience
-Make changes only when necessary
-Include picture
-Use Page of the hosting organization instead of a personal profile
-Create/invite people no more than a month ahead of time
-Tag Event in statuses and repost to keep people thinking of it
This is a pretty safe set of rules for all occasions. Other Event rules are dependent on the event or program. Let's just remember about being timely and that planning should be done BEFORE the Event is created.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
If it isn't a person, it shouldn't have a profile
Alright, it's time to discuss the abuse of profiles on Facebook. A profile should be a person. That is why they ask for funny things like first/last names and birthdays and hometowns and relationship statuses. They're people. The reason pages exist is for companies and organizations. I understand the appeal of setting up an account for an organization.
Employees/members wouldn't be distracted by friends if they are signed in as the organization
The organization could comment on posts and "like" feed stories
You can send personal messages
OK, that's really it.
The reason Pages does not allow for PMs and comments is because it is an invasion of privacy. If you do not know the person, should you really be sending them Personal Messages? Yes, I know that they accepted you. But it is still intrusive.
That being said, I foresee Pages have the ability to Like and Comment on Feed Stories in the future. I have no reason to believe that besides the new "Use Facebook as" Feature. But even that shows you why you should be using Pages. You can write on the wall of other Pages with this feature. The whole structure of Pages is set up to accommodate organizations and businesses.
Positives of Pages:
Liking is quick and easy
Works well with Places (checking in)
Opportunity for Deals
Facebook Insights (use them, people!)
Links up with Google Maps and Google pages related to the story
Reviews
Many employees/members can Admin the Page
See all of those positives? Now stop making profiles called Starbucks InTheStudentUnion.
Employees/members wouldn't be distracted by friends if they are signed in as the organization
The organization could comment on posts and "like" feed stories
You can send personal messages
OK, that's really it.
The reason Pages does not allow for PMs and comments is because it is an invasion of privacy. If you do not know the person, should you really be sending them Personal Messages? Yes, I know that they accepted you. But it is still intrusive.
That being said, I foresee Pages have the ability to Like and Comment on Feed Stories in the future. I have no reason to believe that besides the new "Use Facebook as" Feature. But even that shows you why you should be using Pages. You can write on the wall of other Pages with this feature. The whole structure of Pages is set up to accommodate organizations and businesses.
Positives of Pages:
Liking is quick and easy
Works well with Places (checking in)
Opportunity for Deals
Facebook Insights (use them, people!)
Links up with Google Maps and Google pages related to the story
Reviews
Many employees/members can Admin the Page
See all of those positives? Now stop making profiles called Starbucks InTheStudentUnion.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
"Maybe" is not an invitation for harassment
If you are trying to convince a friend to see a movie with you, and they respond, "maybe," you will likely ask them again in a few days. But facebook is a little different. First of all, if you are using a Fan Page to create events, you are already better off. You do not have the option of messaging all of your guests. Also, it looks more professional (I will not stop saying this) to come from an official page than a random user. But if for whatever reason, you are still using personal pages to create large scale events, you can still Message All Guests. Just because you can does not mean you should. I can walk into a bank and light the contents of the vault on fire. That doesn't mean I should. There are very few situations that warrant all-guest messages. A last-second reminder is appropriate. Notice that I said "a." That means one. Do not send one a day for the week leading up to the event. Also, remember that any changes you make to the event will send notifications to attendees. If you change the time of the event, you do not need to message the guests to let them know it happened. They know. But the single worst abuse of Message All Guests is the use of Message All "Maybe" Guests. If a person marks "maybe," you are right in thinking they will probably forget it is happening. But sending them a reminder is only going to upset the bulk of them. Those who were planning on attending but marked "maybe" will now consider not attending. Those who forgot or weren't planning on coming still will not attend. And those who were on the fence the whole time will be irritated and swing towards the negative side. Guests do not want a stranger harassing them on facebook. Just don't do it.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Facebook just became Avatar. I mean this!
If you haven't heard about the new update to Pages, you're missing out! Also, if you've heard and are avoiding changing the Pages you admin to the new format. Quit. This is seriously one of the greatest and most surreal changes I have experienced to date.
You know in Avatar how the people lay in their coffins and go to sleep but wake up as Avatars? Well you can do that on Facebook. It is so cool!
Okay, assuming you have an updated Page, go there now. Look along the right and find "Use Facebook as PAGE." Okay, now click it. Congratulations! You are now an Avatar. Start speaking Na'vi. Oorrrr, go to a Page that your Page has liked and interact AS THE PAGE! It is so neat! The only complaint I have is that I cannot act as a Page and write on the walls of those who have Liked me. Perhaps that update will come soon? No. I seriously doubt that. People would have issues with the privacy of it all. But think about the power you gain by this update. If Blue Connection wants fans of Pipe Dreams to Like its Page, Blue Connection need only write on Pipe Dreams' wall to get their attention. Hello! Genius!
Okay, climb in your Facebook coffin and welcome to Pandora!
Not really, though. You need to actually go to Pandora's website for music. ;-)
You know in Avatar how the people lay in their coffins and go to sleep but wake up as Avatars? Well you can do that on Facebook. It is so cool!
Okay, assuming you have an updated Page, go there now. Look along the right and find "Use Facebook as PAGE." Okay, now click it. Congratulations! You are now an Avatar. Start speaking Na'vi. Oorrrr, go to a Page that your Page has liked and interact AS THE PAGE! It is so neat! The only complaint I have is that I cannot act as a Page and write on the walls of those who have Liked me. Perhaps that update will come soon? No. I seriously doubt that. People would have issues with the privacy of it all. But think about the power you gain by this update. If Blue Connection wants fans of Pipe Dreams to Like its Page, Blue Connection need only write on Pipe Dreams' wall to get their attention. Hello! Genius!
Okay, climb in your Facebook coffin and welcome to Pandora!
Not really, though. You need to actually go to Pandora's website for music. ;-)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Twitter is Where I Read My News
I am absolutely serious.
"MSNBC is liberal garbage!"
"Fox News is conservative propaganda."
"You mean Jon Stewart isn't considered a news corespondent?"
The news is a tiresome business. But man does it sell. I know, print newspapers are dying. And trust me, I know we can't trust it all. But praise the internet and all that's holy! We have options at our fingertips. But who really spends time searching stories at every reputable news outlet to find the truth amongst the agenda-setters? Not me. But Hashtags kind of kick ass.
Who didn't hear about the minor civil war that occurred in Egypt last week? Well if you didn't, you probably don't have a Twitter account. Trending Topics are what people talk about. I knew hours before my parents because I check Twitter on my phone. My dad watches the news all morning and night. He listens on the radio while driving. He reads the paper and yells at it whenever he has the chance. But against his authority, he loses contact when he works. I don't lose contact ever. Someone will be talking on Twitter. Then it will Trend. Then I find out about it. Then I know. Take that Dad!
What's better is that I will find links to every major news source when I check the Trend. Thanks, Tweeters! Twitter is so handy!
"MSNBC is liberal garbage!"
"Fox News is conservative propaganda."
"You mean Jon Stewart isn't considered a news corespondent?"
The news is a tiresome business. But man does it sell. I know, print newspapers are dying. And trust me, I know we can't trust it all. But praise the internet and all that's holy! We have options at our fingertips. But who really spends time searching stories at every reputable news outlet to find the truth amongst the agenda-setters? Not me. But Hashtags kind of kick ass.
Who didn't hear about the minor civil war that occurred in Egypt last week? Well if you didn't, you probably don't have a Twitter account. Trending Topics are what people talk about. I knew hours before my parents because I check Twitter on my phone. My dad watches the news all morning and night. He listens on the radio while driving. He reads the paper and yells at it whenever he has the chance. But against his authority, he loses contact when he works. I don't lose contact ever. Someone will be talking on Twitter. Then it will Trend. Then I find out about it. Then I know. Take that Dad!
What's better is that I will find links to every major news source when I check the Trend. Thanks, Tweeters! Twitter is so handy!
Groups vs. Pages: The Final Showdown
No, it's not a personal preference. No matter what anyone tells you, there are the right times to make pages and the right times to make groups. Let's look at specifics:
Groups:
Group Chat
Notifications every time someone writes on the wall
Whole Group messages (related to chat)
Act as own "person" while serving group admin functions
Ability to make Group private
Pages:
Everything a "person" can do without creating a whole personal account
Hard to keep private
Okay. So if my friend Patty want to create an Event for the Intramural Tennis championship, which platform would serve her best? As a Group, Patty would create an Event by "Patty Mayonnaise" and could invite all Group members. Cool! Now everyone in the Group is invited. But if they don't personally know Patty Mayonnaise, the request is going to be trashed the second they see her name. Alright, what if Patty had a Page for Intramural Tennis? Well Patty could create an Event by "Intramural Tennis," invite her friends and publish the Event to the feed of everyone who Liked "Intramural Tennis." The downside is she could send something specifically to everyone who Liked the page. The good news is, nobody felt spammed and the Event had a professional appearance. Large, public messages should be delivered via Pages.
But what if Patty's executive board for The Beets Fanclub wants to have a place to discuss organization specifics? A Page would be very hard to keep private. People will know about it when their friends Like it. Also, no one will know when Doug writes on the wall that Pickled Beet- the tribute band set to play Veggistock- had to back out last second. If Patty made a Group, notifications would go out to all members of the Group that Doug wrote on the wall. Also, the rest of Bluffington won't have to read about the terrible news when they go online. Small, feedback-heavy, private groups should use Groups.
Make sense? Just trust me. People will appreciate this method and your organization will prosper as a result. Check back to find out more ways Groups and Pages can make communication easier.
Groups:
Group Chat
Notifications every time someone writes on the wall
Whole Group messages (related to chat)
Act as own "person" while serving group admin functions
Ability to make Group private
Pages:
Everything a "person" can do without creating a whole personal account
Hard to keep private
Okay. So if my friend Patty want to create an Event for the Intramural Tennis championship, which platform would serve her best? As a Group, Patty would create an Event by "Patty Mayonnaise" and could invite all Group members. Cool! Now everyone in the Group is invited. But if they don't personally know Patty Mayonnaise, the request is going to be trashed the second they see her name. Alright, what if Patty had a Page for Intramural Tennis? Well Patty could create an Event by "Intramural Tennis," invite her friends and publish the Event to the feed of everyone who Liked "Intramural Tennis." The downside is she could send something specifically to everyone who Liked the page. The good news is, nobody felt spammed and the Event had a professional appearance. Large, public messages should be delivered via Pages.
But what if Patty's executive board for The Beets Fanclub wants to have a place to discuss organization specifics? A Page would be very hard to keep private. People will know about it when their friends Like it. Also, no one will know when Doug writes on the wall that Pickled Beet- the tribute band set to play Veggistock- had to back out last second. If Patty made a Group, notifications would go out to all members of the Group that Doug wrote on the wall. Also, the rest of Bluffington won't have to read about the terrible news when they go online. Small, feedback-heavy, private groups should use Groups.
Make sense? Just trust me. People will appreciate this method and your organization will prosper as a result. Check back to find out more ways Groups and Pages can make communication easier.
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