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Monthly Archives: April 2010
Final thoughts on the Facebook Fans vs. Like debate
On Monday Facebook switched on a new feature that allows users to like Pages (reserved for brands, companies, celebrities, etc.) instead of becoming a fan. For example, check out our Lava Row Facebook Fan Box over on the right rail of this page. It now says “[X] people like Lava Row.”
Immediately there was a large uproar and debate over this switch in nomenclature among social media marketing types – myself included. The overall impression I sensed was that brands and marketers prefer the word fans (implying a deeper, intimate connection) over likes (fleeting, frivolous and non-committal).
Leave it to my wife to cut through the echo chamber B.S. Here’s her direct quote:
Isn’t a component of successful “branding” developing and maintaining emotional attachment? Not that I know much about this, but it’s just a thought.
And there you have it. At the end of the day, the lingo Facebook chooses to use is irrelevant. Building relationships with your customers is an ongoing, diligent process that shouldn’t hinge on a social network’s choice of words. If you’re crying over the Like button, you’re missing the point altogether.
I wanted to close with a quick explanation of why Facebook is making this change. As the social network continues to spread its tentacles outside of the Facebook.com domain, we’ll start to see pieces of it integrated into websites, mobile applications and even other networks. (Jeremiah Owyang, an analyst at the Altimeter Group, refers to this as Facebook’s colonization phase.) Very soon you can expect to see the Like button everywhere you go on the Web. The more information Facebook can learn about you, the more valuable their platform becomes – which is a direct threat to one of their main competitors, Google.
More details about these new features will be bubbling out of the f8 developer conference, starting today. What are your thoughts on the switch? Does it matter to your day-to-day social media efforts? How do you think this fits into Facebook’s prime directive?
My trip to the Google data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa
As part of my emcee duties for the 2010 Prometheus Awards, I got the amazing opportunity to travel Google’s new data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and chat with Operations Manager Chris Russell about the facility and his company’s recent investment in our state.
Great things are happening for the tech industry in Iowa, and I think Chris perfectly sums up the benefits of Iowa’s workforce and achievements.
Big thanks to Chris for his time, patience and sense of humor. Thank you to Google for the unprecedented access – this was the first time cameras were allowed inside the facility gates! Thanks also to the Technology Association of Iowa for this cool opportunity and Applied Art and Technology for filming, sound and post-production.
Lava Row Camp: LinkedIn, today and tomorrow
For the next Lava Row Camp we are teaming up with LinkedIn for a casual conversation about the social network’s history, why it is important to have a presence there, how it allows you to strengthen and extend your existing network of trusted contacts, applications for HR professionals, and a peek at future functionality not yet available to the public.
In traditional Lava Row Camp style, tickets are free and the beers are on us! The discussion starts at 5:30pm but don’t hesitate to show up early and hang out after for a little networking. The hashtag for the evening will be #lavacamp.
Sam Mandolfo from LinkedIn will be co-presenting with me. Please join us at the
