(Previously published on FaceBook - if you like this blog, feel free to 'like us' on facebook)
Ok, so maybe first I can use this social networking to figure out what to do about this social networking. Never one to procrastinate, here goes:
1. My first piece of confusion is how to differentiate between the blog and facebook. Obviously, right now, I just feed my blog into Facebook, so sometimes I get comments on Facebook, and sometimes directly on the blog (after my review). Should these resources be kept separate, are they redundant and not necessary? Do you get the same SEO points for Facebook links and verbage as a blog offers?
2. Am I wrong to think that I should encourage 'friends' who are kind enough to 'like this page' to become 'people' who 'like this page'? Actually what is the difference?
3. Of the 165 'people who like this' and 27 'friend who like this', how many get a feed of my posts as they occur? i guess I thought everyone saw everything once it was posted, but that seems unlikely since some people have a lot of friends and that would be a lot of noise.
4. Would it be better if I toned down the blog and became more 'corporate' so 'people who like this' page aren't embarrassed that people know they like it? I mean, this would have several positive repercussions (like easier to find liability insurance coverage), but the essence of the blog is 'the world according to Catskill Farms' (or more accurately Charles Petersheim)(I love talking about myself in the 3rd person).
5. What's the best way to attract 'people who like this' and start this social media viral thing going?
6. How do I control the comments? I get a fair amount of pretty rude comments, that I cut off at the pass before they hit the public's eye?
Anyways, there is a start. Any suggestions? Does Facebook have spell check?
It's going to be an exciting year for small businesses with some dry powder. the problem with recessions for most businesses is that between the lack of active cash flow and need to lay off some good people over the course of the 4 year retrenching, even when consumer demand picks up, many companies are wounded and just faint shadows of their former selves.
That said, we are raring to go. Ok, just found out Facebook does have spell check and spelling suggestions. Cool.
Hmmm.... Just my humble opinion, but this blog is so unique and so quaintly (in a good sense) a part of the whole CatskillFarms vibe that I really hate to see it mixed up aand homogenized and "diluted" by melding it into Facebook.
ReplyDeleteNot that Facebook's an awful thing. But Facebook is... well... Facebook. In some ways it would be like a step down, to feed the blog onto there. FB tends sometimes and in some places (I'm being careful) to be a bit shallow, and much ado about nothing, plus an enabler of an enormous unethical expenditure of corporate worktime by employees who spend hours chatting on FB on the boss's clock, all of which leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I hate for that taste to get all over Catskill Farms.
Maybe it's just me, but I hope you'll just hold back and keep what's made CF so special, well, special. Maybe Facebook should just remain a separate thing. Or maybe it's just me.
Be your "colorful" self when blogging. It's your raw, straight forward approach we all love. To go more "corporate" would be like selling out.
ReplyDeleteI use Networked Blogs. It automatically posts to your Fan Page and/or personal FB page but directs traffic to your real blog. That way you can still get website hits (important!) and maintain control on comment moderation. Re: the latter, I've managed clients who handle them in both ways: Letting the freak flags fly and moderating them. The former generates web hits and attention (albeit negative), the latter makes for a lovelier interaction for those who aren't full of anger.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I publish negative comments regularly when they promote discussion and reflect an honest, differing opinion. It's when they're petty, nasty anonymous comments that it's like, dude, seriously, go take your 15 minute smoke break & chill.
Hope this helps. Happy New Year!
I was about to answer and see Kambri! She knows what she's talking about. I also do socail media professionally for some companies (from TV to Cheese in VT) and if you want help, gratis, lemme know.
ReplyDeleteHey there, thanks for posting, and it raises a very interesting point very quickly - if the blog, facebook, twitter, etc... is meant to build a 'community' of like-interested people - in this case, those who like Catskill Farms - then this comment thread we are having is missing all my facebook followers.
ReplyDeleteThis is important since I don't have a ton of persons who sign up to follow us - a couple of hundred at best, so to fragment a small community seems counter-productive.
Per LB's comments - I agree with what she is saying, but I think Facebook is and will be a tool who's usefulness and maturity depends on the community of followers.
Like it or not, Facebook's ability to bring together a lot of people is something every business needs to study. I think as long as my facebook entries don't become one-line wisecracks and status updates, it be of as use, if not more, than the blog.
Thing about a blog is that it is tough to generate comments or a community of active readers. We have a lot of readers and I think I am able to provoke a fair amount of dialogue, but not necessarily in a format of blog comments.
I think in order to leverage blog readers and facebook followers, they need to be connected, and probably need to be reading the same thing, and commenting in the same place. Comments and feedback and online community growth is a slow and methodical process - it seems wrong to fragment these like-minded persons just because they choose a different way to follow us.
I haven't found facebook comments to be any more or less thoughtful or offensive than my blog - I get some anonymous nonsense, and i get some industry pros, and I get the people who just like what we are doing.
i'm going to check out network blogs, and thanks for the offer Susie. I'll let you know when we focus that direction.
To my valued customer, Jsarnoff, thanks for the feedback. You know I'd never change for the sake of approval from the suits. I don't think anyone has succeeded more than us by keeping it real and respecting the intelligence, and sense of humor, of our clients, readers and business friends.
Right on and good thoughts. Oh and I just noticed I spelled "social" wrong. I'm a dink.
ReplyDeleteThing bout twitter, facebook, etc. is that you'll never catch everybody seeing it. And yeah, it would be too much noise anyway. I have come around to Hoot Suite to post on Twitter and Facebook. The scheduling, ease and the metrics are good. But I am also in the minority who feel that automatically x-posting all your blog, twitter and stuff on Facebook or wherever is not cool as people start to wonder: Why follow them on twitter (or FB or whatever) if the same poop is here and here and here? Little more work but got to keep it fresh else people feel like an e-depository for your marketing. I might be wrong. That said, I made this issue the #1 pet peeve for the latest photo gallery I wrote:
http://www.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/gallery/dumbest-things-people-do-on-facebook.html
Hope it doesn't seem like spam, just telling you/showing that I'm fracking way too interested in this crap.