I told my friend Mary how confused I was about the new Facebook and how I knew I had to create a fan page especially since I assigned it as homework in my 30 Days to a Book Launch series. She got so mad at me, she wrote me this letter!
Dear Katie,
I’m skipping the opening pleasantries, so excuse my rude letter-writing, this is just too urgent. Katie – you have GOT to get a Facebook page already!
It’s no disrespect to your mom, but when I want to see pictures from your latest book tour I don’t like having to filter through your family vacation pictures. I mean, geez, do you really want 1,000 people looking at photos of your kids in inner tubes? How many of those people do you even know?
Frankly, Katie, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings here, but I bet the majority of those people aren’t your friends – they’re your fans. There’s a big difference between the two, and Facebook knows that. That’s why they created Facebook Pages.
You can keep the friends and family that you want for your Personal Page, and they can still see those crazy photos someone put up of your high school graduation (you should tighten up the security on that page, by the way). But for everyone else, who only know you as Katie Davis, Children’s Book Writer, there’s your Business Page. I know it sounds sort of icky, but you, Katie Davis, are a brand, and it’s time you started acting like it. At least on Facebook.
And besides the whole privacy thing, and the not having to worry anymore about everyone seeing you tagged in weird pictures, Facebook Pages are just better. They show up higher in search engines, and you can collect an unlimited number of fans (personal profile friends cap at 5,000).
It’s also easier to “Like” a page than it is to “Friend” a profile – just a click of the button for them, and you don’t have to respond. It’s less commitment for everyone, and more payoff for you. When someone “Likes” you, you show up in the info on his or her personal profile, and anyone interested can click and “Like” you too. When they “Friend” you, you go in a long list of friends on the sidebar of his or her personal profile – and do you honestly think that people are combing through that looking for famous children’s book authors to be friends with?
And listen, Katie, once you have a page there are so many cool things you can do! Pages have no newsfeeds – no more constant updates about so-and-so’s new couch, and blah-blah’s vacation to Cleveland. You’re free to create cool content for your fresh new page, without interruptions. You can add a sign-up for your email newsletter, as easy as this.
You can also super-customize your website with facebook apps. You can put like buttons, comment boxes, activity feeds … the list goes on, and here it is.
Have I convinced you yet? Oh, grrr, this is too frustrating. I’ve got your password – I’m going to do it myself! I love this part of Facebook – structure, code, streamlining, the whole nine yards. And the content? Well, that’s up to you. The great thing about Facebook Pages is that the updating is exactly as easy as it was before. Hope you like your new page!
Yours affectionately (if irritably),
Mary
PS Now you can act like Sally Field and have people like you. Really like you, right here!