I just un-liked your author page on Facebook

posted in: Other | 7

smiley_thumbs_downThis morning I logged onto a group I belong to on Facebook and read a post from an author bemoaning the fact that a friend had stopped ‘liking’ their author page. It’s not something Facebook notifies a page owner. This person simply noticed the number of people liking the page had gone down. In fact, it happened twice. Yep, hand up. One of those was me. And I’m going to be doing a bit more of that in the future.

It’s not meant to be hurtful or spiteful. It’s simply a reaction to Facebook’s new, bigger and better, privatised structure. I don’t have an author page anymore. Pages only work if you can get a LOT of fans – by that I mean in the thousands, not the several hundred I managed to muster, and that was in the days when FB shared everything to everybody. Now, a handful of people see what a page posts – unless you pay for the privilege. Boost your post. Buy advertising. Get more likes for just a small outlay. Want to know what buying FB likes really gets you? Check out this video.

And the advertising? You can find lots of positive spin in a Google search. But maybe read this one, too. Mind you, a simple google search will bring up pages of tips and tricks for attracting ‘real’ page likes and real interaction. I’ll admit I didn’t try terribly hard to get followers. Even before the Big Buyout I had to wonder how much fresh, new stuff you can post about your author persona. And herein lies the reason for my defection from a friend’s page. This person pretty much duplicated the posts on the author page to their profile page, which means I got most of it twice. These days it’s hard enough to keep up with what really matters to me on FB, as opposed to what FB thinks I ought to see.

Why do I stay on Facebook? Because I interact with friends there, mainly in focussed groups. And the emphasis is very definitely on FRIENDS, not potential customers. Anyone who likes what I write is welcome to follow my FB account, or ‘friend’ me. Here I am. https://www.facebook.com/Greta.J.vanderrol Most of my posts are public. I share my photos and discuss my writing with like-minded individuals. Sometimes I’ll post about my books, do a bit of promo. Hey, it’s what I do, it’s a part of who I am. But I’m not very sociable, even on-line. There’s only so much time I’ll spend on ‘marketing’. I’ve found it works much better if I just go write the next book.

7 Responses

  1. Melisse Aires

    I’ve given up on my FB page and don’t watch it or care if people like it. It is useless unless I infuse it with cash, which is not going to happen. And if I was going to fork over the cash I think there are other choices that would net better results, considering 99.9% of my friends list are other writers!

    At this point, the ONLY thing I’ve seen boost my visibility is a new book.

    • Greta

      I think a lot of people have done that. The page just sits there, its face to the wall. I agree. Write another book. It works for me. Thanks for commenting.

  2. Diane Nelson

    I am slowly doing the same thing. And it isn’t personal. I am also focusing on the “friends” concept, people who take the time to share *their* time with me, and I reciprocate.
    Otherwise, it’s really quite meaningless.

  3. Julia Barrett

    I left FB several years ago. Too much negativity. Too many weird encounters, too many annoying messages from FB, the company. Reading this makes me glad I did.

    • Greta

      I’ll stay because I have friends there, and I don’t function well on Twitter or G+. But I understand what you’re saying. It has happened to others.

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