Now that I’ve taken my shots at MySpace, let’s move on to Facebook.
The site is great for networking, but the constant changes to the interface, privacy setting woes and Terms of Services scandals mean you should use extreme caution when using the site.
Last year, I blogged about an agent who wanted to do Facebook-only marketing for its author – and what a big mistake that would be long-term. The recent Facebook upset proves that fact.
While Facebook is a terrific site for networking, it is a private business. That means they control anything and everything that appears there. When Leo Laporte told listeners of his radio show about why he dumped Facebook, the site immediately removed links to his post and audio shared by fans of Laporte’s show. One radio station’s fan page was removed because of it, though Facebook has denied that was the reason. (See link to Mark Zuckerberg’s column about Facebook privacy issues below.)
Facebook also has an identity crisis. The leadership cannot seem to determine exactly what the site is – and how users should access it. It’s gone from a site for high school and college students, to a networking site, to a business model intent on grabbing big bucks from ads. It also wants everyone’s information available to the public – something I really don’t want. The privacy settings are a daily task now, because every time the site changes something, everything goes public.
And let’s not forget the plethora of invites to third-party applications. Sheesh! What about all the security attacks, including the second appearance of smutware on profiles this week?
Don’t get me wrong; I like Facebook. I book clients for Pop Syndicate there, network with friends and business colleagues, and also manage fan pages for clients. However, I recognize that, no matter what it feels like as a user, Facebook has total control over my content and pages. I also understand that Facebook is so integrated, once you get started, it is difficult to hop to another network with users
I’m too independent to like that – especially for marketing.
To have total control, you must pay for your own domain and hosting. Period. It isn’t that expensive, and puts you in the driver’s seat on your content. No one can censor you. No one can dictate which ads run on your pages. When you spend just a little money each month, you get to be the boss.
On the Web:
Rivals Seize on Troubles of Facebook (NY Times blog)
Facebook CEO Addresses Privacy Concerns (PCWorld.com)
Marketing: 9 Ways To Market Your Book [Self-Publishing Basics] | Self Publishing Team | Duolit // Jun 24, 2010 at 7:27 am
[...] you do have one right? A Twitter profile, Facebook page, blogger.com, or wordpress.com account doesn’t suffice! If you want your web presence to be taken seriously, cough up the $10/yr for a domain and $5ish/mo [...]
Absolutely! It is a bit scary to me that they are selling… well, ME. I don’t know how I feel about that, but know that, for right now, the site is a necessary evil for communications with publishers, authors and others.
Thanks for commenting!
That’s a great idea! I really enjoy WordPress. I finally closed by Typepad account because I’d outgrown the service. While it may be easier for some, Typepad is limited. WordPress has exceptional options, no matter the need.
Thanks for dropping by!
You always send people from these 3rd party sites (FB, twitter, myspace, etc) back to a site you control where you can collect their email address, get them to subscribe to blog, sell things, etc.
I suggest wordpress which is free and easy to install on most webhosts, then you can add and edit your pages yourself instead of hiring someone to admin your website. And wordpress has lots of plugins to add features – I’ve added social networking capabilities (buddypress), shopping cart (e-shop), and various other features.
I was listening to an interview on Science Friday the other day, and one guest made a very insightful comment: “We are not Facebook’s customers. Their advertisers are their customers. We are the product they’re selling.”
Facebook is a great tool, but it’s important to keep what it’s doing in perspective.