Andra Watkins
15Aug

Change Them Yourself | #makeamemory

Posted by: Andra Watkins Categories: Make a Memory What's Happening?
12 Comments
They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. -Andy Warhol

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. ~ Andy Warhol

If you’ve been here a while, you probably notice a slight change on the site today.

I decided to change comment options.

Since the new site launched, I offered a widget to allow Facebook comments. Many of you have opted to comment via Facebook, and I appreciate all the interaction I can get.

So why the change?

Facebook pages have become a nightmare to administer. I’m lucky. Jendi, my assistant, does much of the heavy lifting. Still, the rules and algorithms change ALL THE TIME.

One of the biggest changes has been in page reach, that is, how many people see each item a page posts. Over 2,600 people have opted to see my posts by liking my page, but Facebook only shows posts to a fraction of them. To get more reach, I have to 1. follow their ever-changing rules to the letter; 2. convince people to engage with my posts by sharing in addition to liking; and 3. pay Facebook to show each post to more people.

Facebook’s current page policies penalize page administrators for not responding to comments. A weirdo halfway around the world proposes to me? I must respond before I ban him. Someone posts a spam message selling dildos on my page? Again, I must respond before I ban. Regular users comment on specific posts? I must respond to EVERY SINGLE COMMENT within a certain time period to obtain most favorable reach. Facebook recomputes my average daily.

When I respond to your Facebook comments on my site, Facebook doesn’t count them as responses. They send repeated red notifications warning me to reply to comments I’ve already acknowledged. Nothing I try changes the outcome.

With a new book launching November 1 and two massive appearance trips in August and September, I decided to remove Facebook stress from my plate. I STILL CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. Please continue to comment on my Facebook page posts, click like, and share with your friends. If you want to comment on a particular post from this site, either use the comment section on the post OR share it on Facebook and tag me in a comment.

I want to hear from you.
That won’t ever change.

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This is part of a series of pictures about making memories. If you liked the story why not share it with your friends? Let’s meet on Facebook or Twitter. If you prefer pictures you will surely like my Instagram. I’ve collected inspirational things and more on Pinterest! Any comments? Write them below!

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29Jul

A Facebook Change That’s Good For You

Posted by: Andra Watkins Categories: Books What's Happening? Writing
12 Comments

Facebook is at it again. They’ve changed their platform in a major way. This time, I THINK IT’S A GOOD THING.

For the past 18 months or so, Facebook’s algorithm has decided what you see in your newsfeed for both personal profiles and pages. In the past couple of weeks, they’ve changed the system.

You can now control what you see on Facebook.
EVERYTHING you see on Facebook.

Aren’t happy that you weren’t seeing your favorite pages without interacting all the time? You can now tell Facebook you want to see those pages, and they’ll actually show them to you.

Wonder why you never see anyone you care about in your newsfeed? You can now tell Facebook you want to see those people first, and they’ll actually show them first in your newsfeed.

Here’s how to do it:

FOR PERSONAL PROFILES:

1. Go to the personal profile you want to see.
2. Scroll to the “Following” tab (which is shown as “See First” in the screen shot below.)
3. Toggle the profile to See First.
4. You’re done. Facebook will show you the selected profiles at the top of your newsfeed.

facebook

 

FOR FACEBOOK PAGES:

1. Go to the Facebook Page you want to see. (Here’s a direct link to mine: https://www.facebook.com/andrawatkinsauthor)
2. Scroll to the “Like” tab
3. Toggle the page to See First.
4. You’re done. Facebook will show you the selected pages at the top of your newsfeed.

5. PLEASE MAKE MY PAGE ONE YOU WANT TO SEE FIRST. What’s in it for you? I’m doing some special giveaways to Facebook commenters in the coming months. I want everyone here to have an opportunity to win swag.

facebook

 

If you learned something today that will help you better connect with the people you care about, I hope you’ll share it with them. I installed a very visible share bar on the lefthand side of my site. You can click any block to share these instructions with anyone in your life, and help them see you in a more meaningful way.

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8Aug

If You Use Facebook on Your Phone, PLEASE READ THIS

Posted by: Andra Watkins Categories: What's Happening?
41 Comments

It’s no secret that I deplore Facebook. I use it because I must. Therefore, I am diligent in trying to understand how Facebook works. As a result, I deleted the Facebook mobile app from my iPhone more than a year ago.

If you are still using the Facebook mobile app on your smartphone or other mobile device, you really, REALLY need to read this article by Nick Russo. Drop EVERYTHING you’re doing and READ IT.

I’ll wait.

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2014/08/07/facebook-crosses-the-line-with-new-facebook-messenger-app/

We may live in a world with no privacy, but Facebook’s coming changes to its Messenger app are an obscene violation of your privacy. If you don’t want Facebook to farm every aspect of your life (record every phone call you make, log every place you go, know everyone you talk with AND WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT), I urge you to consider deleting the Facebook app from your mobile devices before the new Facebook Messenger goes into effect.

Facebook Messenger will be a MANDATORY part of the Facebook phone app, but Russo’s response article is just as poignant: What we load onto our phones invades our lives. Think about that before you click ‘DOWNLOAD’ on the next shiny new app.

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2014/08/08/response-to-my-facebook-privacy-concerns/ 

Facebook is always on your desktop. Isn’t what you give them there enough?

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