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!
12 Comments
Bravo. I’m not going there with FB. I have enough trouble managing my limited time as it is.
It’s really shocking how much busy/unproductive work these things make.
Smart move! You’ve got to simplify in order to survive and we get that!! ❤️❤️
Technology is supposed to make connecting EASIER. But keeping up with all the different things is a job unto itself. Hope your feet are bearing weight today. xo
I can’t blame you, Andra! Do what you have to do to stay sane!
I need to do a lot more to stay sane. Ha. But this is something pretty easy.
I’m glad you have a handle on it, but my GOODNESS it’s confusing!
It is. My brain hurts from trying to keep up with it. I’m tired of spending so much time with my head in a screen.
The Emperor truly has no clothes but it sure has a lot of nonsensical rules – I am sorry I set my photography page up at this point.
If I had it to do over again, I would gather every email and mailing address I could and communicate with people directly. I’m so sick of this added layer of people who want to make money by making how I communicate with people a moving target. I’m working hard to get emails and mailing addresses now, but so many people think Facebook is sufficient. They don’t realize how restricted it really is.
It’s hard for me to really understand why FB has so many rules, and that they keep changing. I spend very little time on it, and it interests me less and less. I’m confident you made the best decision for yourself given the high intensity of your schedule. Who has time for what you just described? Does someone? Anyone? Onward and forward!
They keep changing algorithms to thwart people who try to game the system AND to keep people invested in having to be there.
Facebook also suppresses words like ‘my book,’ ‘my novel,’ etc., because they want me to pay them to show that information to people. If I’m mentioning my books, it must mean I want people to buy them, and if I want people to buy something, Facebook thinks it deserves a share. Sigh. I wish I’d started publishing books in 2007 or 2008. I would’ve built so much more before the profit people came along and changed the internet.
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