So today was my first day on the job as Social Media Guide at The Gazette, and it was a good one. We now have a newsroom blog, to help making us more transparent.
I also posted on Wired Journalists, asking for some advice. I got one commenter; he suggested two things: twitter to send out updates and using Facebook.
We’re already using Twitter, and I think we do it pretty well, but I’m not sure how we can use Facebook well. I already have a profile, and The Gazette has a page. But what do we use it for? Do we turn it into a glorified RSS feed? A calendar for events? A place for people to talk about what we’re doing?
It’s not really ideal for any of those things, and we have better solutions for all of them anyway. So I’ll put it out there to my tens of readers. How should we be using Facebook?
Responses to “To what end Facebook?”
September 16th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Jamie, I’d suggest that our Facebook page could be a good marketing tool and a way to build community around the brand. Fans of the page could serve as focus groups and sounding boards, for example. The Facebook page also could be an entry point to a customer service community.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Gaz needs a Facebook Page (you know, like the Polticians and every other non-human entity on Facebook has)
You can put videos on Facebook. Post status updates like on Twitter. Have discussion groups. You could create a Facebook app for Gaz RSS feeds etc.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Zach
We do have a page that includes our RSS feeds and little else, but the discussion groups really do sound interesting to me.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:45 am
I’m not sure what the “use Facebook” advice means either, though I’ve heard it before. (Often seems like it comes from those who don’t “get it” but know that “the kids” are using it.)
I don’t think building Facebook applications, for example, are worth it; if The Gazette has a programmer, his or her talents are best used elsewhere.
Instead of “using Facebook,” the goal seems like it should be creating content that others find worth sharing on Facebook.
But perhaps it means creating a social media personality — a la the Chicago Tribune’s Colonel Tribune — building a friend network and sharing interesting Gazette stories (which will then show up in other Facebook news feeds).