To Have or Have Not a Facebook Page
Guest on Aug 29 2010 | Filed under: Business
Please welcome guest Meryl Evans to WU. Meryl was one of our quarter-finalists in our search for an unpublished contributor. When we asked Meryl what she could bring to WU that would be uniquely her, she wrote:
A writer who happens to be missing a major sense (hearing) has made a successful career out of writing in technology-driven times. I doubt I’d be as successful 20 years ago without the ability to make phone calls for myself.
We loved her technology focused post and its empowering angle. And it’s a great post to read in conjunction with Jane Friedman’s comprehensive Facebook post that ran just two days ago. Enjoy!
To Have or Have Not a Facebook Page
Every week I see another article hyping the benefits of having a Facebook Page, better known as a Facebook fan page. These articles don’t just talk about big companies with known brands. They also recommend freelancers, sole business owners and writers set up a Facebook page. Writers? Really? Oh, and they’re not just for the Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings either.
First, let’s get one thing out of the way. When you receive an email suggesting you join someone’s Facebook page, the message says, “So ‘n so suggested you become a fan of such ‘n such on Facebook and suggested you become a fan too.” These cringe-worthy emails scare many writers because they fear giving the impression they think they’re hotshots with fans when they do not believe that. Agreed, this is a problem that I’m not alone in wishing Facebook would drop the “fan” talk. Uncringe.
Also, finding time to update Facebook pages doesn’t count as an issue. You can automatically pull Twitter tweets, blog entries and other content into the page. Automation sometimes bugs people, but it works for many Facebook pages.
Questions to Ask
So, should you create a Facebook page? If you want a straight answer, I can’t give you that because social media has no rules. Every so-called social media rule has unwavering opponents and proponents. Seek the answer you desire by asking these questions.
- Do I blog or tweet in Twitter? If you have a blog or use Twitter, Facebook can import every new entry and tweet into your profile as soon as you publish it.
- How often do I blog or tweet? Many Facebook users have no interest in Twitter and they complain or unfriend when they see too many tweets showing up in their Facebook news feed. If you update often, a Facebook page may be a better place for updates instead of your profile. If you don’t update often, your profile may work better. A rarely updated Facebook page looks dead.
- Do I attend events or speak? Facebook pages come with an “Events” section.
- Do I have media to share? You and your fans can share videos and photos.
- What will my page cover? You can create a page for your book, a series (as in Harry Potter), web site, topic or in your name. Before you create a page, search for other pages to see if anything already exists and its activity level. A dead or empty page isn’t a competitor.
- Do I have support from colleagues and friends? They can help spread the word about your page so you don’t have to do it alone.
- Do I have a web site, newsletter or blog? Market your page by mentioning it or adding a Facebook widget. Refer and link to your Facebook page wherever you can in your email signature, newsletter, web sites and bio.
Examples of Facebook Pages
Search Facebook for existing pages with many fans to see what makes them tick. Here are a few writer-related pages to get you started.
Book: The Backchannel
Writer: Celia Ribenbark
Web Site: WOW! Women on Writing
Topic: Children’s Books
If you plan to start a Facebook page, what will it focus on? If you already have one, what have you discovered that works and doesn’t work in maintaining a successful Facebook page?
Flickr photo courtesy Oversocialized
Kathleen Bolton
Therese Walsh
Ann Aguirre
Porter Anderson
Brunonia Barry
Carleen Brice
Sarah Callender
Keith Cronin
Anna Elliott
Jane Friedman
Robin LaFevers
Donald Maass
Juliet Marillier
Sophie Masson
Jael McHenry
Jan O'Hara
Debbie Ohi
Barbara O'Neal
Crystal Patriarche
Ray Rhamey
M.J. Rose
Chuck Sambuchino
John Vorhaus
Yuvi Zalkow
Sharon Bially
Anne Greenwood Brown
Tracy Hahn-Burkett
Suzannah Windsor Freeman
Kristan Hoffman
Jeanne Kisacky
Erika Robuck
Lydia Sharp
Thank you and thanks to Meryl Evans. I’m just getting my page off the ground and what started out as a project committing to write five pages a day has opened a door to write about so much more. It’s nice to know what others are doing. Thanks again.
http://www.facebook.com/sitdeskwrite
JD Betts´s last blog post ..He’s Gone Now What or… Me and Christine Aguilera Alone at Last
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What I’d like to hear are experiences writers have had with facebook where their personal and professional lives collide. Not a week goes by when there isn’t some kind of facebook instigated drama in my circle of friends. There’s always some gossip about people friending or de-friending, drunken messages left on their wall, arguments and fights breaking out over nonsense. I don’t have the time or energy to manage such a time sync.
Is there a way to maximize the professional networking and promotional side of having a facebook profile without alienating family and friends?
T.N. Tobias´s last blog post ..On the Franzen Flap…
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I had a fan page on Facebook. I ended up deleting it (and my personal facebook account) when a glitch in a url for the fan page ended up referring people to the fan page administrator’s personal profile…MY personal profile. The one with my real name on it, and photos of my family. I actually usually logged in under my pen name in a separate personal account to do the administration for the fan page…but since my real-name account was also listed as an admin, and was the account from which the page was originally created, I can only assume this was some sort of default setting. I’m sure I could have prevented it from happening again. But the very fact that it happened at all was enough to convince me that the fan page wasn’t worth it. Facebook is scary.
Delphine Dryden´s last blog post ..Art of the Lie – Cover Art!
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I have a personal Facebook account to keep in touch with friends and family. When I’m published, I’ll probably consider making a fan page or a separate account. It’s not necessary for me right now, though!
Laura Marcella´s last blog post ..Fun Fact Friday- The Habits- Rituals- and Routines of 32 Famous Writers!
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I don’t have a personal fan page, so I can’t weigh in on that front, but I do manage the page for my employer, Easter Seals. It is a lot of work and, for people who are considering creating their own page, time really is a factor.
Yes, you can pull in tweets, but Facebook and Twitter are different beasts and people expect certain things from each. There is nothing wrong with cross-posting every once in a while, but if you’re simply posting the same thing on both, there’s no reason for people to stay your friend/to like you. Tweets on Facebook look odd, often use Twitter specific language and can appear lazy…like you’re just talking at people instead of with them. Social media is a conversation, not a bullhorn.
Having Facebook pull in your blog posts is a good idea, but that shouldn’t be the only thing you do on Facebook. If you want to keep fan engaged and attract new fans, you need to constantly push out new material and engage fans in conversations.
Cam´s last blog post ..People
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Great overview, Meryl.
I have joined the Facebook realm, only recently, with the encouragement of some of my writer friends.
Your article provides well-thought questions for anyone considering this venue.
I have joined but in a limited way that works for me.
Patricia
http://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/
P-A-McGoldrick´s last blog post ..Peppers- Peppers Everywhere!
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Hmm. I think if I hit a certain threshold, I would want a FB page, but for now (and your post helped incite me to finally do this!) I think I can get by with just making different Friends lists and then restricting personal stuff to my real life friends, and letting the writing (or other “fun” stuff) be public.
The events thing is a good reason to have a Page, though! I hadn’t thought about that. :)
Kristan´s last blog post ..Mockingjay thoughts no spoilers
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[...] Evans had a guest post up over at Writer Unboxed – To Have or Have Not a Facebook Page. As she notes, there’s no single answer, but if you’re thinking about whether you [...]
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I disconnected the automatic link to Twitter from FB because my demographics are different. At least, on MY lists. My Facebook followers tend to be more conservative than my Twitter followers.
Then, there’s the issue of “Twitter litter” – the inevitable #FF (Follow Friday), RT (ReTweet) and @s seem to really tick off Facebook followers.
I couldn’t see myself setting up a FB fan/like page, even though I wish I’d set up separate pages for my writer stuff and personal stuff. But that also makes me think twice about what I put up on my page, which is not a bad policy to have.
RhondaL´s last blog post ..Live HMDG ahead – 9-12 episode of “The Glades”
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Thanks for the post, Meryl. I used to be opposed to fan pages, until a few weeks ago when my very close friend (who also happens to be the rabbi at my temple) joined FB after years of avoiding it. As the spiritual leader of a congregation of over 1000 families, he worried that he simply wouldn’t be able to use FB as the tool for connecting with close friends and family he wanted it to be. Indeed, no sooner had he put up his page, he had about 100 friend requests from congregants. When he told me this, I blurted out (to my surprise): “you should have a “fan” page you can redirect congregants to.” Oops. I opposed fan pages, right? But in this case, it just seemed right. It gives him the chance to use FB for the people closest to him, without shutting out those who know him in a more professional capacity.
The point is, I wouldn’t advise putting up a fan page just for publicity. It can turn people off. But if there’s really a need — for example, if as an author you have a large fan following that’s separate from your friends and family — it can be useful. It’s also a good way to keep all those often-redundant (and annoying) updates about your book, events, kudos etc., in front of an audience that’s naturally more interested.
In my friend’s case, he now has a place on FB to announce temple events and discuss the issues related to Judaism that he doesn’t necessarily want to bore his close friends and family with. And as a busy rabbi with little time to update it, he’s found a volunteer from the congregation to do so on his behalf: me.
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Hi Meryl,
Interesting post. I have always been reluctant to have a Facebook page. First because I didn’t want to bump into the various adolescents I knew – my sons and a cousin. They are all grown up now but it still seems like too much work and scary, as other comments have indicated. Twitter was easy to set up and seems like a place for doing some things that are different from my website or blog. A fan page seems way out of my league since part of me is not sure that anyone reads the blog or my tweets. Keep up the good work.
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There’s obviously two sides here: those who should worry about a fan page and those who dream about the need for one! ;) I’ll stick to optimistic dreaming for now and cross that bridge when it comes.
Scott´s last blog post ..Characterization- Add a Touch of Grey
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Hi Meryl,
Thanks for raising lots of considerations succinctly. I recently joined Facebook and started a fan page for my book, Professor Cromer Learns to Read: A Couple’s New Life after Brain Injury, and events, but I’m still figuring out how to best use it. Will add blog posts soon. One tricky issue is increasing the number of fans without antagonizing friends and acquaintances. It helps to read how other writers are handling these issues.
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I am still not sure what to do, despite reading all the great comments and the original post. I like the questions you asked, Meryl.
I wrote an article for Babble a few weeks back and logged in using my FB account to interact with the comments. From that, I suspect anyway, I got a ton of friend requests from people I don’t know. I’m not an author, I’m a freelancer so I don’t have any reason to have a fan page.
Do I ignore these people and seem like a snot? I can’t imagine friending people that I don’t know. Nor can I imagine creating a fan page.
If you have any opinions, I’d love to hear them!
Thanks,
Melissa
Melissa Taylor´s last blog post ..Win an Arttero Canvas Storybook Kit
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@JD, glad to hear you found the article and examples helpful.
@TN, it’s a little complex for this article — but two ways to address the issue you mention. I have two types of contacts: friends and business. I assign “limited access” to business contacts on Facebook so they only see the business aspects of my Facebook profile. The other way is to set up the Facebook fan page and connect with business people there instead of on your personal profile.
@Delphine, I saw this happen to a client. What was happening is that the URL she thought took people to her FB fan page was redirecting them to her personal page. That’s because there was no such URL for her fan page. She didn’t have 25 fans yet, therefore she didn’t have a personalized URL. You have to give out a convoluted URL or else it redirects to your personal account.
@Laura, good thinking. We don’t all need fan pages. You start a fan page because it fits with your overall strategy — not because you need one for the sake of it.
Meryl K Evans´s last blog post ..Links- Howdy from Boston 2010 Edition
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@Cam, you’re right that FB has a different audience and perspective than Twitter and other social networks. I used to pull in all my tweets, but stopped that when I realized the majority of FB friends don’t even use Twitter. Besides, when someone tweets a few times a day, it can be a burden to others in FB. Again, you’re right on that a fan page should have more than just blog entries (something I’m bad about and need to address).
@Patricia, it’s great to hear you’re diving in FB that way it best fits your needs.
@Kristan, like I advise others — be sure to start a page because your strategy calls for it not because everyone does it.
@RhondaL, exactly — just like what Cam said. “Twitter liter” – I like that.
@Sharon, thanks for sharing the Rabbi’s story. I set up a fan page for a nonprofit, but then someone spoke up and said it needs to be a group page. While fan pages have more features, group pages feel more community oriented. That’s another blog post.
Meryl K Evans´s last blog post ..Links- Howdy from Boston 2010 Edition
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@Amy, glad you found the post interesting. It sounds like you’re doing what’s best for you and I give you thumbs up.
@Scott, love your thought and positive attitude! There’s more to fan pages than famous authors. Look at Sharon’s rabbi friend. It was about community.
@Janet, you can find lots of writer fan pages and learn from them. When you see some that have at least 100 fans and they’re not well known or even a little known — drop ‘em a line and asked how they spread the word. A contest is one way to do it.
@Melissa, as a fellow freelancer, I work through that by assigning “limited” access to those I don’t know well. It works well for me — but it can confuse some folks.
Meryl K Evans´s last blog post ..Links- Howdy from Boston 2010 Edition
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[...] vs Facebook Fan Pages? Writers, etc, are confused about this—interesting post on Writer Unboxed by Meryl [...]
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As a self publishing author, the conventional wisdom says you MUST have a Facebook page and a web site. So, I have both. The Facebook account has been, frankly, disappointing. Amusing, yes. Substantive, no. From my four month tenure with Facebook, I find that 90% of the posts are frivolous at best and inane mostly. I have pretty squared away and intelligent friends but Facebook just seems to bring out the most trivial of thoughts for some reason. As Andy Rooney says, ‘Why is that?’
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I’ve had a FB fan page up for a couple of years without doing much with it. Recently I started reposting blog posts from my children’s book blog and interacting with readers more. It seems to me that there are a large group of people who prefer the interaction of FB and want to stay and play there, so I’ll be happy to hang around, too.
It’s a little opaque about how things work on FB which can be a turn-off, but mathematically it has the potential to be worth the effort. That is, there is a multiplier effect when 50 people “like” your fan page so your posts run in their feed, then a certain number of their friends check out your page and hopefully “like” it, and so on. Also, the importance of images on FB should not be overlooked… eye candy attracts people to look, click, and read.
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[...] vs Facebook Fan Pages? Writers, etc, are confused about this—interesting post on Writer Unboxed by Meryl [...]
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