alyssagardina.com - Facebook

When there's a rumor that Facebook is fixing their promotions guidelines, that really means...

agardina — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:08:17 +0000

Facebook will now remove their qualification that you have to spend thousands of dollars a month with them in advertising, but replace it with the caveat that all promotions must be run through an application.

So, no, All Facebook, this isn't a game changer. It still limits businesses (particularly nonprofits and small businesses) from engaging with their fan bases via promotions on their wall. Now, however, there isn't even the option to get approval via an ad buy. On-wall promotions are gone. Kaput.

I'm sure that these promotions presented a huge legal threat to Facebook, and that's probably why the new guidelines focus on legalese and disclaimers. Anyone else have an idea why Facebook would change their guidelines... for the worse?

Facebook Places: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

siteadmin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:40:33 +0000

Facebook Places has been out and about for the past few weeks now. Many of us have used it (or at least tried out out and turned it off), and there are definitely some good things, some bad things, and some downright ugly things about it.

The Good
The first weekend after Facebook Places launched, I went home for a visit. My newly iPhone-d mother wanted to tell me all about this new tool she found, where she could share where she was with all of her friends. Now, I had tried to convince her to use Foursquare, but I was her only Facebook friend using the tool.

For her, Facebook Places has some serious value with its built in audience. For me, that group was already on Foursquare, so Places is a redundant tool. Different audiences, different needs. Places definitely fills a gap.

The Bad
As with any Facebook product roll out, there are downsides. For businesses, the process of claiming, measuring and moderating venues is incredibly labor-intensive. Facebook requires scanned documentation of a Better Business Bureau accreditation or Articles of Incorporation to even claim a business, and owners with multiple locations currently have no way to bulk claim or integrate their many venues.

For users, the interface is pretty rigid. You can add a venue and comment on your check-in, but you can't leave tips, earn badges, become mayor or share with other social networks. For many users, these extensions make these geolocation applications more useful, and the elements of competition keep them engaged.

The Ugly
Well, look at it:

If someone checks me in with them, it posts twice. Plus, there's no option to check-in "off the grid" or to share with certain friends.

What do you think so far? Is Facebook Places mostly good, bad or ugly?

Facebook Scam Applications Strike Again

agardina — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:58:03 +0000

You've got to wonder who, if anyone, is approving applications for distribution on Facebook. A far cry from Apple's "deny first, ask later" policy, Facebook seems to have allowed yet another spam application through.

The application is called Photo Comments, and it appears to be a reincarnation of Phetas, an application that made its rounds a few weeks back. Phetas has since been removed, and all notifications generated by the application deleted. Here's how Photo Comments works, and why Facebook needs to start weighing in:

Photo Comments goes viral by notifying you that one of your friends has "commented on a photo of you". The image in the notification looks exactly like Facebook's built-in photo application.
You click the notification and are directed to add the application Photo Comments. Don't, because if you do...
Facebook notifies your friends that you've commented on a photo of them, and the virus/scam spreads further.

Review of Photo Comments average one star, with users saying:

"this thing attacked me, linked to a bunch of adds and is purposefully trying to look like normal picture comments."
"This appears to be a bogus application - possibly virus?"

Facebook is losing a lot of ground. In the past month they have implemented new privacy policies that are as confusing as they are incomplete, and now they have approved (passively or actively) at least 2 spam applications that look and feel just like one of their native apps. Where are they going to go from here?

Update: While Photo Comments & Phetas have disappeared from Facebook's list of applications, as of 2/24, a new one has appeared. "Like", an application that uses graphic elements similar to Facebook's "Like" button, works in exactly the same way as the other spam applications. Interestingly enough, they also seem to have been developed by the same group of people. Caveat, Facebooker!

Social Media for Nonprofits: Getting Your Hands Dirty

agardina — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:11:13 +0000

In one of my earlier posts, I discussed social media strategy. Nonprofits, corporations, professionals, students - no matter who you are, you need to have a goal for your interactions on social media and a path to reach them. As a nonprofit, your goal could be to increase awareness, grow local event attendance or create issue advocates. Take that and create a strategy (maybe with a solid trunk and branches?), and you're ready to start getting your hands dirty.

It's time to get down to the nitty-gritty of social media tactics. In my next couple of posts, we'll talk best practices, ideas for campaigns and some case studies. There are a lot of great resources to help with specific tools and technology questions. Following are posts that serve as a great jumping-off point for nonprofits new to social media, or anyone who has a few questions:

From this blog:

Technology Terms Translated (Need to explain "Twitter" to your boss? This is a good place to start!)
Trunk and Branches: Social Media Strategy (It's important to start with a solid foundation and a strategy that coincides with your brand and mission.)

From the web:

4 Ways Social Media is Changing the Non-Profit World (Beth Kanter, writing for Mashable)
Social Media for Nonprofits: 26 Great Slideshare Presentations (These presentations, collected by Rebecca Leaman, cover a wide variety of topics, tips and case studies)
Messages, Stories, and Conversations: Creating a Strategy for your organization and your supporters (Great post from Amy Sample Ward that can apply to overarching strategy or individual messages)
Market or Promote Your Cause on Social Media? Yes, You Can! (Kivi Leroux Miller)
Are You Ready to Take the Social Media Leap? (LevelTen, registration required for download)

Next post, we'll talk online video - in a video! If you have any additional resources you'd like to share for nonprofits who are new to social media, let me know in the comments!

Facebook at a crossroads with media literacy

agardina — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:05:02 +0000

Facebook is somewhat infamous for its ever changing privacy policies. Facebook's inconsistent approach to privacy has made life difficult for professionals and students looking to monitor their online reputation. In addition, this social networking giant has found itself at a crossroads - moving forward with new features vs. the growing gap in media literacy in America.

A consequence of the digital divide, disparity in media literacy has become more evident as online advertising grows and social media networks expand. Due to a variety of factors, including age, economics, education and geographic location, a significant portion of America's population now has access to the Internet, but lacks the knowledge to ensure that their information remains private. This group is more susceptible to identity theft, fraud and the embarassment of information overshare on social networks.

A story on NPR this morning explores these concerns, which have been made newsworthy by a variety of privacy groups. These organizations have filed a complaint letter (PDF) with the FTC, asking the commission to explore Facebook's privacy settings & recommendations. The letter alleges:

"Facebook’s changes to users’ privacy settings disclose personal information to the public that was previously restricted. Facebook’s changes to users’ privacy settings also disclose personal information to third parties that was previously not available. These changes violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook’s own representations."

These claims have a dual impact. For social media denizens, it means that users must proactively review any or all of Facebook's privacy settings and keep abreast of new developments. Second, and perhaps more problematic, privacy organizations, Facebook and perhaps even the government must now look at how the failure to educate millions of Americans about the risks of online information sharing has impacted social networking. For each privacy setting that Facebook adds, more and more users are convinced to use their "recommended" privacy settings. These settings err on the side of sharing, not privacy, as Facebook is, at its core, a business. And the business of selling information is a very profitable one indeed.

Conclusion? Social networking is growing faster than most can handle. Facebook needs to become a more responsible online citizen and take several steps:

Create a recommended privacy profile that is more closed than open
Create informational videos and posts about each privacy update and not just provide general, nonspecific instructions
Become more open about deals with search engines, and provide such information in an easily digestible format

And it wouldn't be social media without expecting a contribution from the public. We must:

Take steps to learn more about privacy on all websites
Share information with our friends and family, many of whom may not have the time or inclination to take a proactive privacy stance
Know our online information privacy rights

What are your thoughts on Facebook's privacy settings? What steps must interested parties take to ensure fairness on all sides?

Social Media: I'm giving you one (or several!) good reasons

agardina — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:36:20 +0000

Growing up, my dad and I would always read Prince Valiant in the Sunday Comics. I never got that into it, but I vividly remember one comic, where Prince Valiant has to ask a difficult, almost unanswerable, question. He asks, simply, "Why?" The villian, unable to answer, gave up. The answer?

Because.

Why should you give social media a shot? Because! Okay, there are more detailed answers than that, but, when it comes down to it, social media is a great thing to try - it requires minimal financial investment and there are tons of resources online (like this site!) to help you along the way! More specifically:

Why blog?
Blogging is a great way to tell a story. It's easy to incorporate photos, videos and links, so you can connect it to other sites. Many organizations integrate their blog with their website. You can add several authors to a blog, so each person in the organization has a chance to contribute.

Why Twitter?
Reason #1 is because you can't afford not to. In the past year, Twitter's unique visitor count has grown 1,192.13%. Granted, user accounts are being opened and abandoned at high rate as well, but it's still growing - and is now the #3 social media network. Plus, Twitter's benefits, from conversations to a wide range of user search and metrics functions, make it a great place to start a social media campaign.

Why Facebook?
If you're going to start anywhere and you want something quick and easy, try Facebook's Pages. Facebook's system allows you to add information easily and select applications that are right for your page. The pages system was recently reworked, making it very similar to Twitter.

Why Flickr/YouTube/Vimeo/Blip.TV/etc.?
Odds are, your organization has a camera (whether it's 5 years old or older remains to be seen) or maybe even a camcorder. Start taking it with you to events and uploading what you capture. Your videos may be dark, your images blurry, but having a multimedia presence is more important than your photography skills. Plus, if your photos and videos are a hit, all the more reason to put in a reqeust for some new equipment!

Why social bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is just like regular bookmarking. If you're already using the tools your Internet browser provides, it's just one small step from there to sharing what you're saving. Start an account on Delicious or StumbleUpon and install the right Firefox add-on. (You are using Firefox, right?) Now you're bookmarking and sharing.

So go give it a try! Really! Got questions? Leave a comment or contact me!

Technology Terms Translated: Social Media in Plain English

agardina — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:17:50 +0000

I'll never forget the day I told my boss that we should probably be on Twitter. Actually, I may have said, "We should be Twittering!" - this always results in a raised eyebrow and a question as to whether the word "Twittering" is work-appropriate. If you've ever had a conversation like this, you know that social media technologies aren't easy to define. Thus, I present to you a Social Media to English dictionary, so the next time someone tells you that your organization should "do a blog", you can send them here!

Blogging
A blog is anything from an online journal to a series of articles ordered in a chronological fashion. Blog entries or posts are invidiual articles that often include photos, video and links. Popular blog platforms include Blogger and Wordpress.These are free tools, but can be improved for a very low cost. Blog readers will often subscribe to your blog and read it on another website, such as Google Reader.

RSS Feeds
On a related note, a quick definition of RSS Feeds. They're lifesavers. RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and is a way for your readers to add your blog or podcasts to a website that automatically updates when you post.

Twitter
Twitter is completely its own entity. Some describe it as "micro-blogging" (as in, blogging in 140 characters or less), but it's much more collaborative than that. It's a cross between a blog, an away message and a conversation with a random person on the street. You can request a good Twitter how-to guide (free!) here. I'll go into more depth about Twitter in the future, but, in the meantime, try it out! Make a bio with a personal twist and use Twitter search to find people who are talking about your organization or your topic (i.e. Washington D.C. food banks).

Other basic Twitter terms:

Tweet: a message published on Twitter
DM: Direct message, or message that's sent to the user and not visible on Twitter
"@" or "at": A reply that's visible to others on Twitter but specially notifies the user whose name comes after @ (for example: @agardina would be a message that I would see!)
RT: Retweet. Sharing a link or a message that someone has already "tweeted" (see definition 1!)

Facebook
It's way more than college kids. Facebook's average users now include high schoolers, Baby Boomers, and everyone in between. It's a social network where people connect by "friending", or requesting a friendship with someone. Facebook also offers applications, pages and groups - all of which can be used for your organization! Pages share information, photos and events about your organization and allow Facebook members to become Fans and receive updates.

Podcasts
A podcast is an audio or video file that's distributed via the Internet. Similar to blogs, podcasts are shared and people can subscribe online or using a program like iTunes. While the term "podcast" makes it sound like this media is only meant for iPods, don't let that fool you! You can listen to podcasts on your computer, on any MP3 player and on many mobile phones! Podcasts are great for sharing interviews, providing audio tours, or putting together quick video pieces.

Social Bookmarking
I'm sure you've bookmarked something in the past - social bookmarking just shares those links you save with the public. Tools like Delicious, StumbleUpon and Digg help you share your content with a larger audience.

I know I've left something out - leave a comment with what I've missed or fill out the contact form and I'll get back to you with more info!