Fan Pages
Facebook users are now going to like pages instead of become a fan of them. I’m updating my clients’ customized landing pages to reflect the change in terminology. You may want to do the same.
Functionality hasn’t changed at this point.
“Like” is the same as “Become A Fan.” When users “like” your page they will receive updates the same way as they did before. We’ll be watching for more developments this week from the F8 Facebook Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.
Facebook felt that users are just more comfortable with “Like” instead of “Fan.”
Therefore, there is the anticipation that more people will be liking pages going forward, which should result in more interaction for businesses.
Community Pages
Facebook has also just unveiled its “Community Pages” feature. A cousin to fan pages, some like Facebook meets Wikipedia and Google.
Community pages apply to concepts, places, and ideas instead of a businesses or brand. Facebook says this will be “the best collection of shared knowledge on a topic” (think Wikipedia).
I keep thinking how a community page could help business. For example, let’s say there’s one for “Home Coffee Roasters” and anyone on Facebook with that interest can join its community page. Perhaps your business is selling green coffee beans or roasting supplies. You might have an employee become a frequent commenter which in turn draws people to your company. We’re watching closely to see if this scenario might be one to play out.
According to Facebook, “we’re starting by showing Wikipedia information, but we’re also looking for people who are passionate about any of these topics to sign up to contribute to the page. We’ll let you know when we’re ready for your help.”
Stay tuned.
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