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Facebook Graph Search is exciting and terrifying

January 25, 2013 —  Comments

introducing-graph-searchLast week I covered Facebook’s Graph Search beta for Smart Insights, the online marketing advice hub of esteemed marketing guru Dave Chaffey.

Graph Search is a red-hot topic which has got a lot of people very hot under the collar. In just a few days since its launch there’s been rapid and widespread concern for personal privacy and calls for people to act quickly to protect their Facebook profiles from Graph Search so they cannot be unwittingly exposed in the search results.

The funny thing (if the viral smash that is Actual Facebook Graph Searches isn’t fun enough) is that all the data people are now allegedly clamouring to protect was already put out there in the public domain by them – voluntarily and willingly! The only change that Graph Search brings about is the way this information can be surfaced in a variety of new and potentially exciting scenarios previously unimaginable. But it’s this ‘discoverability’ (does such a word exist?) that’s causing people to re-evaluate things for a moment.

It doesn’t really help matters that Facebook restricted access to a tiny number of US users while in beta phase, especially given the big song and dance they gave about how it was an “amazing new product”. So there’s inevitably a lot of misinformation from people without any hands-on access to the service (and I include myself in that camp). The inherent problem with this invite-only approach is that it gives everyone plenty of time to digest the scare stories, take action by locking down their privacy or worse still deactivate their accounts. Any significant rush towards privacy and un-sharing will serve only to severely undermine the core value of Graph Search in the short term, which could be disastrous  But Facebook will have to address these specific issues head-on if they’re going to make it both a valuable and comfortable experience for users.

If you want to understand more about Graph Search basics check out my Smart Insights post where I attempt to explain in simple terms what it is and how it might affect marketers. Over the coming weeks I’ll be adding my own random thoughts on Graph Search here on my personal blog, plus guest blogging the ‘meatier’ stuff over at Smart Insights.

Do let me know what you think of Graph Search in the comments – the good, bad or ugly. Love to hear others’ opinions.

In Facebook
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Cakes are exceedingly like Facebook

November 16, 2012 —  Comments

“Cakes are like Facebook” say Facebook.

I agree, but not for the reason they cite in the caption.

No. My interpretation comes from the old saying “You can’t have your cake and eat it”. To me that just about sums up the Facebook news feed algorithm saga that’s irritating lots and lots and lots of marketing-types right now.

Anyone care to agree? Or disagree ;-)

Bonus link: Toilets are like Facebook too.

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In Facebook, Uncategorized
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Facebook-Messages

Facebook plans to let advertisers spam you

October 25, 2012

Facebook-Messages-smallSome more sleuth-work by developer Tom Waddington (he of Want button fame) has uncovered what looks like Facebook’s next monetisation ploy: Sponsored Messages

Tom writes:

“Messages have long been a part of Facebook. For a while, brands could send a message to all their fans. In 2011, Facebook relaunched messages, combining emails, SMS and messages across all devices, in a project codenamed Project Titan. It’s quite a technological feat, and blurs the lines between communication channels. It’s also what led to everybody owning an @facebook.com email address. However, brands lost the direct contact to the Inbox, with messages appearing in an obscure ‘Other’ folder. It seems like sponsored messages could be a new income stream for Facebook in the next few months.”

Was the overhaul of the Messages user interface back in August laying the foundations for this new ad channel? Since that refresh took place messages have appeared in a side-by-side format that would be familiar to any Outlook or Mail (Mac) user, with a message list on the left and message content on the right:

Facebook-messenger

This format would ensure advertisers obtained good open rates because the message content is automatically loaded in the preview area. Naturally it’s easy for Facebook – and thus advertisers – to track when a message is opened or ‘seen’.

What remains to be seen, however, is precisely how and where any sponsored messages will appear. They will surely be escalated from the ‘Other’ list – a little known catch-all that holds messages sent from people with whom you have no connection – as messages that land here are not (currently) pro-actively flagged to a user. This presents a precarious tightrope walk for Facebook. The Messages feature already serves as a really useful – and almost completely spam-free – communications tool for one-to-one and group messaging. I use it daily and it can be a great way of reaching friends and groups of friends on the Facebook Platform due to the instant notification via the nav bar jewel, email notification and – if you have one of the Facebook or Messenger Apps – by push notification. Imagine how a promoted message could – in an instant – undermine this experience, filling your message stream with unwanted ads.

So what does this all mean to marketers? Well it seems almost certain you’ll soon get a new ‘product’ (Facebook refers to each of these new ad channels as products) to target messages to a user’s Inbox on Facebook. No idea what they’ll call this but Sponsored or Promoted Messages might be close. Presumably users will have already Liked your Page or installed your App so there’s at least a hint of relevancy. There may be other targeting options too, and probably some limits on the number of ‘Hides’ or ‘Mark as Spam’ before your campaign gets pulled by Facebook in much the same way has been introduced in Open Graph Guidelines.
Some advertisers will no doubt be salivating at the prospect of this new ad product’s arrival, but in my mind this smacks of yet another ill-conceived measure borne out of a desperation to prove value to disillusioned Facebook investors.
Ask yourself this: “Do I want my Facebook inbox spammed with ads like my email inbox?” Thought not.

 

In Digital Marketing, Facebook, Social Media ,
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