So, Facebook, what’s new? | Weekly Roundup
- Facebook is making my head hurt this week. Let’s start with the easy one: language changes. If your organization has a Facebook Page, you’ve probably noticed the button formerly known as “become a fan” is now a “like” button. Facebook hopes this will lower the bar for engagement. Time will tell…
- …and quickly, because Facebook has also created a “like” button that can be used on any webpage anywhere. This is just one of many new changes and initiatives announced this week at Facebook’s developer conference, helpfully summarized on the Fast Company blog. The implications are still emerging, but they’re big–Facebook has just made a serious bid to be the owner of your online identity. For nonprofits, expect the game to start changing as your website and your Facebook presence become ever more closely linked.
- Happily, the second annual Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report (produced by NTEN, Common Knowledge, and ThePort) is here, just in time to help us figure out whether all this Facebook hoopla is even worth it from a nonprofit communications perspective. Download a copy, and see how your nonprofit’s social networking activity stacks up against the sector at large.
- Ning, a popular platform for building white-label social networks, has announced plans to discontinue their free service in the next few months, affecting thousands of online communities (and many nonprofits–check out Manny Hernandez’s post urging Ning to offer a program for nonprofits and educational networks). In spite of the bad news, Robin McIntyre on Social Media Bird Brain points out an opportunity to make lemonade: think of this as an important reminder to plan for the unexpected, and factor long-term strategy into your short-term social media plans.
- And, of course, the biggest news of the past week: grammar! The AP Stylebook has officially changed its guidelines from “Web site” to “website”. The future is here.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Follow me on Twitter @elizabethricca or check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
