It’s shortly after 2 o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. I get on Facebook to see what’s going on in the world. Instead of posts from friends, co-workers, and other acquaintances, I’m bombarded by a ton of posts from one Facebook connection. In fact, 17 of the first 33 items in my News Feed are from the same source.
What Happened
I’ve shared on this blog previously some of the changes to the Facebook algorithms that help determine what shows up in your News Feed. Obviously, something has gone hideously wrong with the most recent algorithmic changes. I have over 1,200 “friends” and I’m guessing I have “liked” a couple hundred Facebook Pages. So, what are the odds of 17 out of 33 items coming from the same source? Plus, get this, the 17 posts aren’t even from an actual person instead they are from a company that I “like”. Most of the other top posts were comments to previous posts. Even when sorting by “most recent”, it seems to be a struggle to find recent posts from actual friends.
What’s Happening Next
Facebook announced today the rollout of video ads. These ads will be part of Promoted Posts that show up in your News Feed. Facebook says the ads will include the auto-play function but sound will be muted until a user chooses to listen to the ad by clicking on it. The news release from Facebook also states videos will be downloaded to users’ devices when they access the site using Wi-Fi so users will not need to be concerned about data usage stemming from the video ads.
Also, in a separate effort, Facebook is introducing a “donate” button to Pages of non-profit groups. Certainly these changes are meant to appease Facebook for Business clients, but how will regular users respond? Isn’t that the most important question to always ask?
What’s Happened For You?
I’d love to get your thoughts on Facebook, as a regular user or as a business user. Are you seeing more ads in your timeline? Do Facebook ads work for your business? I hear recent changes have made it tougher than ever for Facebook for Business users to reach potential customers. It seems just as marketers know how to fully utilize the Facebook platform, sweeping changes are introduced, and the learning process starts over.
The Takeaway
As a user, my Facebook experience has never been worse (maybe that’s why this video is so amusing to me). What started as a networking site is now primarily marketing hub. Agree/disagree?
And, yes, I know the irony of voicing disgust with Facebook yet using the site to share this post.
Thumbnail Image: Facebook shown on a computer screen. (Simon/Pixabay)
Shane Goad: Digital Content | Social Media | On-Air Talent | Brand Management 