Editing and link-fixing have brought this cautionary blog post about social media up to par–check it out and see what you think!
Tag Archives: facebook
Making and Maintaining a Facebook Page for Your Site
Whether you’ve got a blog, small hobby website, hosting site, or anything else Web-oriented, these days making a Facebook page is nearly required for increased audience and popularity. For instance, since I made a Facebook page for Crooked Glasses recently, I’ve noticed a definite surge of interest (if not comments), and it feels as though I’m finally engaging with readers that I had been unintentionally leaving out for a long time.
Making a quality Facebook page, however, takes a little bit more effort–but once you put in a little time, you can create a polished, attractive, easily-updated Facebook presence for your site! Here’s how:
#1: Make a fitting icon and cover photo.
Your icon and cover photo are very important to your site’s branding–they create an instant visual impression that can often make the difference between visitors clicking to visit or hitting the Back button. With the right images, you can really make their first few seconds on your page count!
Here are the dimensions and formatting requirements for each image:
- Cover photo: At least 900px wide for current FB layout style; it doesn’t seem to matter what height it is, but mine is about 330px. Must be JPG format.
- Icon: At least 180 x 180px; must be JPG format.
Your icon should be fairly simple and snappy, with high contrast and easily-visible shapes, so your page can be quickly recognized in the Facebook News Feed. Your cover photo, by contrast, should be a little more “in-depth,” giving your page a “mood” and a good sense of what your site is about. (This is why I chose the simple black-glasses graphic for my icon and used a real photo of my actual glasses as the cover photo for Crooked Glasses’ page.)
#2: Come up with several unique URLs you can use for your page.
Before you actually start the FB page creation process, brainstorm several short but descriptive page names for your URL, just in case your preferred one is already taken. (For instance, I had to go with “crookedglassesblog” instead of “crookedglasses” because the latter was already taken.) Make sure that you’re happy with your URL and that it’s spelled correctly, because you won’t be able to change it once it’s selected!
#3: Fill in all your page info (and I mean ALL).
Take time to fill in just about everything about your site that is appropriate, from Founded date to About section and everything in between. (Warning: the “Company Info” section, not the “About” section, is the text that will be displayed on the front page underneath the “About” heading, so make it good! Also, be sure to include your website link in Company Info so people have a convenient link to click.)
#4: Invite every Facebook friend you have.
I know it might seem a little crass to send invitations to all your Facebook friends to like your website, but you never know who might like your page if you only give them the chance! Plus, it gives your page that much wider reach as your friends and family like and share your posts with their friends. Think of it this way: you’re giving them something new and entertaining to look at and enjoy.
#5: Post every day–about anything and everything related to your site!
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Make sure you post to your site’s Facebook page every day, so that people remember it exists. Don’t think you have to just post your blog articles or site updates, either–post about things you’re planning for the site, or even just a random funny update. Remember, keep your page looking lively, and people will come visit! |
#6: Share articles and posts through your personal Facebook feed.
At least two or three times a week, share some of your site’s Facebook posts, perhaps ones you want to showcase or ones you want feedback on. This reminds people who disregarded the Page invite that your page still exists, and shows them a little of what they’re missing. Also, newer friends who didn’t receive an invite can be exposed to what you’re doing on your website. It’s a win-win!
Summary
These 6 steps will help you not only build a great-looking and well-functioning Facebook page, but will also help you keep it active and user-friendly. Visitors will enjoy coming to your page and staying updated, and that’s the whole point of a Facebook page, after all!
Think Before You Type
Have an idea for a hilarious joke to post on Facebook? Maybe a prank comment on one of your friends’ statuses? How about a note detailing all the crazy things you and a bunch of friends got into on Saturday night?
Instead, how about not clicking “Post” just yet, and instead rereading what you wrote?
Why Reread? Because It Could Save You a Lot of Pain
Rereading won’t take long. Just for a few seconds, think about how your parents will understand this post, or how your boss will take it. If it’s a joke or prank on a friend, think about how this friend might interpret your words. Is it as funny? Does it make sense to post it now? And, most important of all, would you be comfortable with a potential employer, new friends, or a future significant other seeing this five or six years from now?
The reason I bring this up is because a lot of things get posted on Facebook these days that really shouldn’t be broadcasted. Though writing statuses or notes on Facebook seems harmless, sometimes thoughtless words can get you fired or spark fights (like the Facebook fight over a boy which resulted in a girl’s death).
If You Didn’t Reread Before Posting, You Can Still Delete
We all have things out there on the Internet that represent who we WERE, not who we ARE now–especially if you’ve had an online presence for a long time. But if we don’t delete things that no longer represent who we are, they don’t just vanish into the digital mist; they’re still archived somewhere, and someone may well access it one day much later when it’s embarrassing (or even incriminating) rather than funny or cool.
This is one reason I’ve gone about the Internet deleting and cleaning up my very old profiles. I’ve changed and grown up a lot since I first started using the Internet; I used to curse a lot, for instance. Now that I’m older and more professionally-minded, I don’t want bosses or new friends coming across things I posted that no longer fit my personality, my hopes and dreams, or my ambitions. (I am aware that archives of my old stuff may still exist somewhere on the Internet, but at least my deletions will make it much harder to retrieve.)
So now, before I post anything on the Internet, even blog posts like this one, I stop and think, “Could this possibly get me in trouble someday? Could someone take this the wrong way? How does this reflect on me as a person?” This keeps me from posting a lot of (usually frustrated) statuses that wouldn’t serve any good purpose anyway, and it also keeps me from accidentally offending anyone, which could easily come back to bite me in an uncomfortable bodily region later.
Summary
Since so much of our lives are on the Internet these days (even our work and family lives), it’s important to think carefully before posting anything online. This doesn’t mean that we live “fake” lives on social media, but that we just think as much about what we type as what we say in person.
Why I Don’t Bother with Farmville Anymore
I used to like Farmville quite a bit–actually, I played it for months and got addicted to it (I wish I was kidding). I even wrote a post here showcasing it…but I could not in good faith keep recommending a game that I know now is too ridiculous to get involved in.
Why might I say something like that? Well, there are 3 big reasons for me:
#1: It’s Time-Consuming/Isolating
When I started playing Farmville, it was pretty easy to manage–I had a few neighbors and a few crop plots, and I could usually take care of it all in a few minutes. But once I had played for a while, it got to where I was spending an hour a day just visiting other people’s farms and trying to help them, not to mention time spent “harvesting” and “using” virtual crops. (Also, during the time I played, I didn’t have internet at home, so I ended up having to play at the local coffee shop or friends’ houses–which meant that for at least the first hour of hanging out, I was isolating myself staring at the computer screen. Not really conducive to conversation, you know?)
#2: You Really Have to Spend Real Money to Get All the Best Stuff
Farmville and games like it have really become “pay-to-win” games. When I first started playing, you could end up getting “good” stuff if you were just patient and saved up your Farm Cash from leveling up. But after a while, the amounts of Farm Cash you had to spend just to get the essentials for operating larger virtual farms became ridiculous. There were plenty of ways you could pour real money into the game to get more Farm Cash, but I was simply not willing to invest REAL money in a fake farm!
#3: Clogs Up Facebook Feed with Notifications, Bogs Down Computers
Since I purged Farmville and other such games from my Facebook life, my notification feed is about 1000 times less congested. How liberating! When I played daily, my Notifications would overflow with people asking for Farmville help, requesting materials, etc.–there was literally so much to do on Farmville that I ended up accidentally ignoring the friends who didn’t play!
The other thing I noticed was that my computer would perform slowly while on Farmville. One wouldn’t think a Facebook game could eat RAM like that, but for whatever reason, my computer did not like it one bit. (One more reason I felt liberated when I got out of playing–suddenly I had a fast-performing computer again!)
Summary
For a while, Farmville was a delightful diversion…but it quickly devolved into an obligation, and then into a huge pain, especially when I realized how addicted to the game I had become. I got out of it before I had started paying real money, but I know folks who have gotten into serious money trouble this way. Take it from me: don’t even get involved with this kind of “pay-to-win” game; it might seem fun at first, but that’s how it hooks you. It’s just like gambling or any other kind of addiction–it’ll eat your life if you’re not careful!