It may be Valentine’s Day, but I have no love in my heart for FaceBook right now.
Sometimes I wish they would just leave things alone. As soon as we get used to how everything works, they change it up on us.
This time they really screwed with fan page owners. And a big thanks to Christian of DangerousTactics.com for passing along this article with the 4-1-1.
New Fan Page Updates
If you chose to update your fan page to the new layout, which will be mandatory in March, you may be wondering what happened to your most recent posts made by some fans.
They really are there. They’ve just been re-ordered. With the new update, the “friends” you’ve interacted with recently and/or the most get top billing, while the other posts get buried further down the page.
The idea of the new FB update is to prioritize and feature the people and fan pages you interact with the most on your news feed. I agree this makes sense with your personal FB account because most people don’t interact with all their “friends” and pages they “Like.”
Everyone has their favorites, so it’s convenient to see those first. In fact, this feature is not really new. FaceBook has been doing this for quite some time with the news feeds, but they’ve recently just kicked it up a notch and applied this logic to fan pages.
So for fan page owners, this means those who don’t interact with your page much may not be seeing your updates on their news feed.
However, my real issue with the update is the new default posting order on the fan page. It just makes sense to have the most recent post displayed first, and if that’s no longer the default, at least give us the option to change it.
I suppose they figured adding the email notification for every new post would pacify us, but I find it ridiculous that I have to go hunt and peck for the new posts because the are buried somewhere on the page. It also decreases the chances of people interacting and replying to the latest posts.
Stay on the Radar
While there appears to be no fix for the fan page posting order, you can do something about reappearing on your fan’s news feeds.
Perhaps add a casual note to a prominent area on your site or even create a quick blog post that educates them. For example…
Missing our fan page updates? Here’s how to stay connected. Scroll to the bottom of your FaceBook homepage, choose Edit Options, then select Show posts from: All your friends and pages.
Of course, not everyone will want to do this, but there will be some who still want to receive updates from all their “friends” and fan pages.
Again, this doesn’t solve the posting order issue on the fan page, and I’m not even sure there’s a solution… yet. So if someone knows something I don’t, feel free to share!
just create a contest that encourages people to talk about your page on their own profiles instead of the fan page. Most people aren’t going to take the time to scroll to hunt down the latest posts. Honestly, who would ever want to “like” Pepto Bismol. I think that the guys at facebook are just to big Now and their don’t respect the public that are responsible for their growth.
If you choose Admin View (at the LHS of your Page) you can see posts in the correct order. check out what were doing. I knew they will break something! Thanks, Elaine but can everyone else?
I feel that whatever changes Facebook do its make the process streamline and that will help us to use Facebook in easy manner.
I do hate changes but changes makes things better so hope for the best from Facebook for Fan pages.
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Usually what was i do is try to convert most of the facebook fans to subscribe our newsletter.
So i do not lost contact to our fans. Sometime i do use newsletter to contact them about our facebook campaign to allow them to link them back to facebook. I believe it hard to maintain with all the fans when it over 10,000
you can still effect this by encouraging people to “share” information on their pages. even though this update makes it harder to be seen. viral content will still exist. just create a contest that encourages people to talk about your page on their own profiles instead of the fan page. check out what were doing.
i think my fans won’t able to do that while they worry that fan page mostly will spam them with promoting new product.
That why i have a idea to overcome those. Sometime i allow myself to out of topic to post unrelated post especially video.
Most of the facebook fans do like to watch video and share it out when they think is funny or useful. So sometime i may share some breaking news about related product, some funny videos, some song on the weekend. This will allow them to click on your fan page and get back to you.
Can anybody tell me why all of a sudden the order of my fans keeps changing. We are a non-profit foundation and it used to be that the most recent additions showed up at the top of the list. Now everytime I click to see the new fans, it randomly changes the order…every single time!. How am I supposed to know who is new when we have a few hundred fans??
Really Gail? Mine have always seemed to display randomly.
Thanks for giving good tips about how we could possibly run Facebook and keep it going. Nice job on this article!
They don’t seem to know what to do these days. As soon as you adjust to the changes they make a next change (0_o)
Thanks for this Lisa…This is why there is a bit reduce in my traffic
I have updated my fan page to new layout, It is nice in looks, and looks more like the profile page. But I was not aware that my fans are missing the fanpage updates
Hello Lisa, I think one way to respond is to look at Facebook pages as an afterburner, for people you already know from your other traffic sources. Main thing, anybody who gets tp your page, give them an option to get on your mailing list.
Hello Lisa,
I knew they will break something! That is why I have not switched to the new layout. Guess I won’t run away from it for much longer but will stay away as long as it takes.
I love the ability to change the page category though as it is now editable and has a lot more options.
I’ve only recently found your videos on youtube, and then you site and blog. I’ve read part of you theperfectsiteguide.pdf, and this is my first look at your blog. I’m enjoying your writings, as well as your videos.
As I said this is my first visit here, and I was wondering if you think sites like facebook and myspace are important to a successful online business?
Yotube I can live with, but I really have never had any use for for sites such as myspace, in particular, with all the ridiculous user content, eg.. music blaring, horrible colors, completely inane postings… the list goes on and on..
Yet I know that such sites are used in marketing, more and more it seems. Please tell me that this is not important.
I’m not Lisa, but thought I’d add a few cents here. 🙂
It’s not NECESSARY for a successful online/offline business, but they can help. Think of social networking/bookmarking, as just an additional means of staying in touch with your ‘fans’ and not the ONLY way.
It’s/They’re just another additional method to your income stream.
Hope this makes sense.
Excellent response, MJ. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Hi Lisa
I feel for the regular FB users. I’m not one of them although visit more often now as have biz friends who are. I’d be more upset with things not working out well on Twitter 😉
Thanks for letting us know, so at least we can pass it on. Appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the heads up. I’m sure there are plenty of engineers working at facebook but they should have somebody interacting with the community who use it on a daily basis and ask for feedback. Has anyone of you received a poll on how a feature has helped? Not once did I get that back when I was hyperactive with facebook.
I will be looking forward for the effect of this change in Facebook.
It was only a matter of time before facebook changes started effecting pages. They are always the talk of complaints for users when they occur. Hopefully business owners get used to it in time.
Hi Lisa
Changes and updates, tell me about it.
Anyone who uses WordPress knows all about constant updates.
Got to learn to live with it Lisa, but I do feel for you.
we see change all around us today, particularly in the context of a company operating online in one of the most dynamic / volatile platforms, the internet.
facebook has some very specific agendas, and don’t forget, as big as they are, they are still in their “infancy” relative to the corporate growth curve and thus experimental stages. change is inevitable, particularly for a company like FB
I just noticed this and thought I had gone loco. Thanks for this post.
I agree, they ask us what we want but they don’t listen. They better be careful before they end up like MySpace…2nd best.
Hi,
I’m a fan not an administrator of The National Multiple Sclerosis board. This is basically a peer-to-peer board for us. Rarely TNMS posts on this board. We give information and support to newly dx people. So if somebody comes on the board now we miss their posts and can’t help. Most of the time the person just needs to talk because they are depressed.
It seems that FB didn’t take into consideration all the non-profit groups out there and just lumped them into the business pages. Which is very unfortunate. There are rescue groups that use FB for their dogs and cats.
Please join the movement. Hopefully the news will eventually pick up the story. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bring-Back-Chronological-Posts-On-Pages/193751363985888
Jeri, interesting point about the non profit pages. Yes, FB doesn’t seem to consider a lot of things when they make these changes. But like others have said here, people always complain, threaten to leave and then in a few months we’ve all adjusted again. Then a few months later, more changes and we are having these same conversations. Ugh. Thanks, FB. 🙁
Lisa, thanks for this post. I agree, I do like it when FB makes things more ‘streamlined’, i.e., easier to find this or that, but they have been going overboard! Really, what can we do. Like another poster mentioned, it’s pretty hard to stay away from FB, with most of your friends and family on there.
At least ask us what we want. Well, they DO, but they don’t listen. 🙁
MJ
Hello Lisa,
I always want change, but i agree the change this time wasn’t best. Facebook could do better
Hi Lisa,
If you choose Admin View (at the LHS of your Page) you can see posts in the correct order.
Hope this helps…
Elaine
Thanks, Elaine but can everyone else? That’s the biggest concern. Most people aren’t going to take the time to scroll to hunt down the latest posts.
Everytime these companies make change, it has to do with money period, but make it look like convenience for us. I hate change and I have a lot of facebook pages, will have to see how this pans out.
Thanks for the info, Lisa! This could be why my traffic has dipped some recently. I hate when you get so used to something, then it gets changed. Ugh!
hello everyone:
I like to use my fan page to keep new dialogue flowing with my readers because I use a static website, mainly. The lack of sequence for posting most recent posts at the top of the fanpage is really unfortunate, but I will try Lisa’s advice. Maybe the facebook gurus are trying to build incentive for readers to scroll and read the who fan page-even to the bottom, but I don’t think people will take the time. Anyway, I bet this changes before too long, because everything over at facebook changes sooner or later.
I think your right Ileaneyes, This is really a smart move on Facebook books part. I think that the guys at facebook are just to big Now and their don’t respect the public that are responsible for their growth. but its hard to say away because everyones on FB
This is really a smart move on the part of Facebook. They know that everyone will flock over to their site to see what the Fan Page Upgrade is all about. They implemented some changes that people were begging for and threw in some others that they know everyone will complain about.
Like Wayne said, as soon as we have it all figured out they change the game and now we’re scrambling for answers that we can’t even get directly from them. Have you noticed that each time they make a major change (which is about once a month) they walk away with a bigger slice of the social media pie? I remember last year when everyone was “quitting” Facebook because of privacy issues. I bet they all came back though.
If I find out anything about posting order, I’ll give you a shout on Twitter.
These social appliations are always nice, but I think once the big businesses crash the party, it always takes some of the steam away. Honestly, who would ever want to “like” Pepto Bismol. Sounds silly, but I just checked their site and sure enough, there is a Facebook application.
Thanks for the heads up Lisa, and thanks for the mention 🙂 If FB is part of your strategy, it’s important to stay up on these things, because they change their platform constantly!
Thanks for offering some creative workarounds. Don’t you find it curious that FB seems to continue adding features that (seemingly) no one wants? What’s up with that? For what it’s worth, this is ONE reason I have never implemented a more robust Facebook strategy as part of my marketing. It’s kind of difficult for me to take them seriously as a long term resource. Short term, yes. Long term (which is where I focus), nope.
Anyone else think Facebook is the new MySpace? That’s my take on it. It’s not intrinsically bad; it’s just that for business, it’s a turbulent place at best.
Anytime, Christian. I think FB will have a longer run than MySpace just because they’ve captured such a wide demographic, but I really wonder where and how they come up with these “bright” ideas for these new features.
I’m a pretty “light” social media user compared to many but I have found my FB page to be a great way to stay in touch with my followers which does help build sales indirectly. But I certainly wouldn’t and don’t rely on it as a major source of promotion. Thank goodness because I really hate what they’ve done with the new update.
I haven’t switched over yet, so maybe they will have it fixed before I do. I do need to make sure my fans can see my updates, though. I wish Facebook would chill with all the “improvements.”
Thanks for bring this to light. I absolutely hate it when you are in your comfort zone with an application, then everything changes up on you.
Twitter is no different: I took pride in developing the customized background which fits nicely on the left side of the screen, then what do they do? Widen the page and cover up all the hard work. I guess this will support the manufacturers of wide screen monitors.
The cruelty continues.