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Facebook Pages Terms Change for Covers and Contests

Facebook Pages Terms Change, Again

By Brian Huonker on February 15, 2013 in Facebook, Social media tips with 2 Comments

If there is one thing consistent about Facebook Pages, it’s that things change without any notifications. Unless you follow Facebook’s developer’s blog or some other techno-geek blog, you might never know what or when they implement changes. Last December (the 15th to be exact), they did it again by changing the terms the govern your Facebook Pages. While most are relatively minor changes, there are two changes that have bigger ramifications on most users.

III. B. Cover images of Facebook Pages

According to Facebook, all cover images are public. No surprise here, anyone who visits Facebook Pages can see the cover. It’s common practice that the cover images should not be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone’s copyright, but here the new rules you might not know about:

You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines;
Cover images cannot be made of more than 20% text (as a graphic designer who loves typography, not sure I like this one);
Cover images cannot contain price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it on socialmusic.com”;
Cover images cannot contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page’s “About” section;
Cover images cannot ask a visitor to “Like” or “Share” your page;
Cover images cannot contain calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.”

III. D. Promotions on Facebook Pages.

“Like” us to win…. A favorite method of marketers to increase the number of “Likes” on a page is at a end. Facebook is attempting to crack down on the amount of spam appearing in wall post. As such, they have change the rules of promotions.

Promotions on Facebook Pages must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com. What this means is that you will have to create an html page with your contest rules and bring it onto your Facebook page as an application in a tab. The tabbed page must all include the following information:
- A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
- Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
- Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.
Contest registration or entry can not require the user taking any action by using any Facebook features or functionality such as commenting on a photo, uploading a picture to your wall, liking a photo or a post, etc…
You must not use Facebook Pages features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.
You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.
You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.

No longer can you use your cover image to announce your latest promotions, ask the user to “Like” your page for a chance to win, or even let them know your website address. And we are all guilty of rewarding users who “Like” or “Share” our pages through contest. Or use the “Liking” of images to get user feed back on products.

Can you still implement them? Sure, but at the risk of getting your page removed if Facebook finds out. And Facebook is not known for letting users have their banned Pages back, as we found out at Illinois State University early on in our social media adventures. Reggie Redbird was our original profile. According to Facebook, mascots are not real people and as such, cannot have a profile. One evening, they removed the profile. In one sweeping click of a key, they negated over a year’s worth of Facebook relationship building.

Let us know how these changes will effect your social media marketing plans with a comment below.

Facebook Q4 points to an interesting year ahead

By sbarcus on February 11, 2013 in Facebook, Social media tips, Viewpoints with No Comments

By Steven Barcus

Facebook has shared its fourth quarter results for 2012 along with its full-year earnings results. The report, which boasts highlights such as a greater move to capture the mobile market, the launch of Graph Search, and the release of Facebook for Android 2.0, also painted a picture of a company that has maintained profitability but is still struggling to earn the confidence of investors.

Revenue was listed at more than $1.58 billion for Q4, an increase from the $1.13 billion achieved in that same quarter during fiscal year 2011. Revenue for the entire fiscal year was more than $5 billion, again an increase from the $3.7 billion listed for 2011. However, along with the increasing stream of revenue that resulted from Facebook’s more aggressive move into advertising, net income and operating costs also saw changes. Net income for Q4 2012 was $64 million, down $238 million from the same quarter in 2011. In addition, costs and expenses increased by 82 percent from Q4 in 2011 to $1.06 billion.

But perhaps what is most telling about the state of Facebook are the stock prices. Since the much anticipated IPO on May 18, 2012, share prices have experienced a roller coaster of change, starting at $38 per share, dropping as low as $17.73 per share, and then rising back to $28. It is uncertain where shares will rest at the one-year anniversary of the IPO, as trends over the past months indicate that prices have not yet stabilized.

What can be said is that 2013 will be a telling year for Facebook. According to an article in Forbes, nearly 13 percent of all global Internet traffic is from mobile devices. The same article lists smartphone use as growing by 42 percent each year. With such leaps and bounds in mobile adoption, Facebook may have poised themselves to capture this increasing base of users and the advertising dollars that come along with it. In addition, Graph Search may reveal itself to be successful in keeping more users in Facebook. In addition, Facebook has also worked to evolve alongside the changing face of social media through the acquisition of companies such as Instagram and a partnership with Bing.

Just days after the Facebook IPO, critics and users alike lambasted founder Mark Zuckerberg, even suggesting that the underwhelming IPO was evidence that social media will only be a passing fad. Some even went so far as to suggest that Zuckerberg might be better off staying on his honeymoon in Italy. But with an active monthly user base of 1.06 billion and growing, opportunities abound for Zuckerberg and the social media giant. The acquisition And with Facebook’s growth continuing worldwide and mobile phone usage skyrocketing, it was probably a bit premature to tell Zuckerberg to stay in Rome.

Graph Search-Is anything private anymore?

By sbarcus on February 4, 2013 in Facebook, Social media tips with No Comments

By Jennifer Feaman

Facebook is constantly evolving and creating new features. Some of which we love, and many of which we dislike and complain about for months until the next new change comes out for us to complain about. In mid-January Facebook called a press conference to revel the next big feature they were going to roll out. Many people speculated what the new product would be: a phone, mobile platforms, new look, but what they unveiled was a new search feature called Graph Search. Simply put, Graph Search is a search engine for Facebook. It will allow you to sort and search your friends based on four filters: places, people, interests, and pictures. For example, if you want to find all your friends that are from Chicago, Graph Search will produce a list that only shows you friends that are from Chicago. Say you want to know which of your friends “like” @Midwest Social Media Conference. Graph Search could tell you that also! Graph Search will filter through all your friends’ information and give you the results you are looking for without having to search page by page.

I see Graph Search as a tool that could be used to connect people based on the common interests. It’s a way to connect with current friends and seek out new friends that share common interests. It’s a way to see which doctors or restaurants your friends “like” or recommend, and a way to filter through the massive amounts of data stored on everyone’s profiles. I personally don’t know how relevant such a tool would be for me to use. I don’t have an interest in meeting new friends and I am fairly aware of what my current friends’ interests are. But I also come from a generation that calls friends on the phone and talks to them in person verses just having a relationship on the computer. I don’t need to learn about my friends on Facebook because I already know who they are.

Where I could see this new search feature having some relevance is for businesses. They can find out who “publicly” liked or tagged their establishments, products, movies or music and potentially connect with clients based on relevant search results. I can also see this new search feature being used as a tool for online dating. Singles can now search friends of friends and others that have same interests as them and that live in their area, and it’s free unlike other dating sights. I have not yet been able to test the new Graph Search since they are only allowing a limited number of participants in this soft launch but I am curious to see it’s fully capabilities and how it will be used. Just because I may not personally see value in it doesn’t mean I don’t think it can have some valuable application for the Facebook community.

Now I know there is an ongoing debate on the safety of your information on Facebook and many people are concerned about their privacy. From what I understand, your information is still secure. How Graph Search will work is it will only be able to search information you put on your profile and make visible to your friends or to the public. For example, my page is set only for my friends to view and I “liked” the @Midwest Social Media Conference page. If one of my friends wanted to know which of their friends also liked the page, I would then show up in the results of that search. But Facebook also has a privacy setting that will allow friends of friends to view your information so in that instance friends of friends could show up in your search results. So for those of you that worry about their privacy, please always remember that you control your privacy settings. A tip that I can share is you should go to your profile page often and view it as others see it so you are aware of what you are making public. It’s simple to do; go to your profile and click the drop down arrow on the right of the page under your cover photo. Click “view as” and that will show you what your page looks to the public. If you see things on your page from that view that you don’t want to share then go into your privacy settings and make sure everything is set on “friends only”. This will also take care of the pesky problem of your information showing up on non friends timelines because your friends commented on or liked your status or photos. So instead of posting statuses about having your friends change their settings to protect you; you change your settings because you are still in control of what you share!

Want to learn more? Facebook’s Graph Search information site includes videos, a preview and an invitation to sign up for Facebook Graph Search Beta. Check it out and let us know what you think! Do you think this is something that will have valuable application in your personal or professional life? Feel free to comment below or email me personally at jennifer.feaman@heartland.edu.

5 Social Media resolutions for the new year

By sbarcus on January 10, 2013 in Blogging, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, Social media tips, Twitter, Viewpoints with No Comments

By Steven Barcus

New year’s resolutions are generally not unique, nor do they even need to wait for the new year. Eating healthy, exercising more, reading, cleaning out clutter, spending more time with family and friends—we already know we should do these things in our normal lives. The same can be said for social media. The following are five resolutions for you to make that will bring your social media properties to the next level or just keep them shining bright. But don’t look for any surprises on this list…each of these are things you already know you should be doing!

Beyond Social

By jmccarron on May 23, 2012 in Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Marketing, Public Relations, Social media tips, Viewpoints with Comments Off

Have you harnessed the power of video?

We’re all watching, liking, loving, and sharing videos. In fact, 500 years of YouTube video are watched every day on Facebook, and over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute. The stats are beyond social and becoming the new norm for successful organizational marketing.

Video is a powerful medium that brings new life to your messages and credibility to your organization. It serves your target audience with information in the fastest way possible. It is the ideal method for learning and is accessible in the office, at home, and in the palm of our hands. Simply put, video works with our culture.

As much as I dig those cute kittens on YouTube, I’m sold on video based on the many stats that clearly indicate its overall positive organizational impact. We’ve put video into action, and witnessed its ability to achieve amazing goals. Video increases website traffic, increases sales, improves presentations, keeps messages consistent and makes training more efficient. Video keeps your target attention longer and outperforms any other marketing tool available.

So, if you’re thinking social, strategy and success…be sure to factor in video. Its multi-purpose value goes beyond social platform support, providing proven performance metrics that will benefit your entire organization.

5 Reasons to Like the New Facebook Timeline

By Bernia Wheaton on May 9, 2012 in Facebook, Marketing, Recent News, Social media tips, Viewpoints with Comments Off

When Facebook announced that they were transitioning to a new Timeline format, like most users, I reluctantly clicked on the link to preview the change. I was thrilled with what I saw, and instantly fell in “Like” with the new timeline. I immediately converted both my personal profile and business pages to the new look. What is so special about the new Timeline? Engagement! Here are my top 5 reasons to LIKE the new Timeline

Reason # 1 to LIKE the new Timeline: Photos

If you’re in the business of selling a B2B or B2C product, then you will truly benefit from the new photo features in Timeline. Photos throughout the new Timeline are bigger and better. For example, Profile photos are now 66% larger than before (180 x 180 pixels, compressed to 125 x 125 px).

Facebook Timeline

Custom Tabs also have a much higher profile now, as they are sized at 111 x 74 pixels

Photos that are uploaded to an album are now a whopping 403 pixels wide. That means you can actually see the photo without having to click to enlarge it. Highlighted posts (see Reason # 4 below) are 843 x 403 pixels.

These image changes can quickly and easily bring your posts to life.

Reason # 2 to LIKE the new Timeline: The revolutionary Cover Photo option.

This is prime real estate to graphically represent your brand, product, or service. The cover image is a big and beautiful 851 x 315 pixels. If you want to get really creative, try incorporating your profile photo into the cover photo. Just remember...Facebook does have a few rules about how this space can be used. According to Facebook’s Help Centre:

Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:

Price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it at our website"
Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address, or other information intended for your Page's About section
References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
Calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends"

Reason # 3 to LIKE the new Timeline...the "Pin to top" feature

If your business offers a weekly special, then you will find this to be a very useful feature. If you don’t offer a weekly special...the Pin to Top feature may just be the reason to start! Facebook now allows you to Pin a post to the top of your profile for up to 7 days. This keeps important messages from being buried in your feed, and eliminates the need to re-post critical information. How to Pin: As you hover over the top Right corner of a post, the Edit or Remove menu will appear. Select the Pin to Top option. You can unpin a post at any time. After 7 days, the post will automatically be unpinned.

Make use of this feature by posting news releases, specials, new products, important details, contests...limitless potential!

Reason # 4 to LIKE the new Timeline: Highlighting a post

The new Timeline makes use of chronology, with posts alternating from the left to right of the spectrum. The Highlight feature allows you to break up that visual pattern, and create a post that reaches across the entire timeline.

Again, this feature allows you to make use of photos and images that will catch your customer’s attention.

Reason # 5 to LIKE the new Timeline: Milestones

Facebook now allows business users to add Milestones or events to aid in your storytelling efforts. Yes, you guessed it...you can include a photo in each Milestone (843 x 403 pixels). Of course, creating your company history with Milestones, will be most effective if your company actually has a history. For a young start-up company, this is a great opportunity to get creative.

If you’re looking to engage your customers through social media, then the new Facebook Timeline is an excellent way to get the conversation going.

Making it Practical, Making it Real

By Barbara Maldonado on April 22, 2012 in Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social media tips with Comments Off

As I look forward to my return to the @MIDWEST Social Media Conference, I am honored to have the opportunity to return and speak once again for two sessions: Connecting Event and Social Media for your Small Business and Mobile Marketing and your Small Business.

Whether a large corporation or a local company, there are questions that remain the same. After a career spent working with “big business,” I feel that small businesses are in an enviable position to try new ideas, make changes and see an immediate impact on their marketing efforts. What many companies are finding out no matter the size is that the success of any business or brand may not necessarily be impacted by the latest social media or mobile trends but by meeting your customers’ needs first and delivering a message to them in the most relevant place. As I prepare for my two sessions at this year’s @MIDWEST Social Media Conference this insight, focusing on the needs of the small business owner, will be foundation of the information I share.

Foundation questions:

Who is your customer? How much are they buying and how often?
What does sales success mean to you? Customer buying one more item each week? One more visit to your bank each month? A referral to your realty business?
What are your competitors doing that you like? What are some of the things they are doing that you don’t like? Any ideas you can build on?
What marketing tactics have you initiated? Have they yielded success?
How much are you willing to invest in a new marketing idea – whether time or money?

What are some of the pressing questions that are top of mind as you look ahead to the @MIDWEST Social Media Conference? Have you thought about events to drive customers and referrals to your location? Is a mobile campaign the right path for your business? Post a question and let’s start the conversation!

Social Media Legal Risks: Seven Ways to Maintain Social Media Marketing Legal Compliance

By David Adler on April 20, 2012 in Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Social media tips, Twitter with Comments Off

In October 2009, the Federal Trade Commission released it’s updated “FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The purpose of the update was to address the increasing use of endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations and celebrities in online marketing. The update is particularly relevant to the explosive growth of social media as a marketing tool.

The updated FTC Guides contain two notable areas of concern for marketers. First, the Guides removed the safe harbor for advertisements featuring a consumer’s experience with a product or service, the so-called “results not typical” disclosure. Second, the FTC Guides underscored the longstanding principle of disclosing “material connections” between advertisers and the consumers, experts, organizations, and celebrities providing reviews and endorsements of products and services.

Even with the illustrations provided within the FTC Guides themselves, it is still confusing for advertisers, marketers, bloggers and social media users to know how to comply with the guidelines. The purpose of this article is to provided simple, concrete standards to determine (1) when to make certain disclosures and (2) the type of disclosures required by the situation. I have grouped the disclosure into seven categories: Personal Opinion, Free Sample, Free Gift, Promotional Relationship, Employment Relationship, Affiliate Relationship, Healthcare Disclosures, and Financial Guidelines & Disclosures. The key requirement to keep in mind is the obligation to disclose any relationship that may have influenced you.

1. Personal Opinion

If you write a review or blog post and your post contains only your own opinions, you haven’t received any compensation for the review or post, and you otherwise have no material connection to the topic of your post, you have nothing to disclose.

2. Free Sample/Free Gift

If you have been given a free copy, sample, or gift of a product or service and you write a review or blog post, you must disclose the facts and circumstances of how you received the item or service, even if you have not been paid to review or post on that topic. You do not run afoul of the disclosure rules if you receive payment unrelated your content. This disclosure is useful to keep in mind when your content relates to product previews, reviews of samples, services, gifts, books, software, music, movies, etc.

3. Promotional Relationships

If you write a review or blog post and your post is based upon an advertising relationship, and you have received compensation (cash, free services, product samples for personal use or a gift) for the review or post, you must disclose the nature of the relationship, whether you received anything of value, and information about relationships with advertisers or endorsers that would have a material impact about how a prospective consumer would view the message. This disclosure is useful to keep in mind when your content relates to paid posts, sponsored messages, tweets, fan page postings, etc.

4. Employment Relationships

If you write a review or blog post and your post is based upon an employment relationship, e.g. you are an employee or shareholder of a related company, you have a “material business relationship” to disclose, even if you are not being directly compensated for the message. You may post on behalf of a business or brand. In fact, it may even be part of your job description. Again, be mindful of the requirement to disclose any “connections” that may have influenced you, including both direct and indirect relationships.

5. Affiliate Relationships

If you write a review or blog post and your post is based upon an affiliate relationship, e.g., you have included affiliate links on your page, you must disclose the fact that the relationship exists and that you will be paid for referrals from your page.

6. Healthcare Disclosures

If you write a review or blog post and your content is based upon a connection to a pharmaceutical or healthcare product or program, you need to include relevant healthcare-related disclosures or information safety warnings, side effects, or official links with information.

7. Financial Guidelines & Disclosures

If you write a review or blog post and you work for a financial services company, you may be making investor-relations communications and your communications are subject to regulation by the NASD, SEC, FINRA and potentially state and federal regulatory agencies. The FINRA Guidance on Blogs & Social Networking Sites” can be found here. Record Retention: ensure that you can retain records of those communications. Suitability: a particular communication a “recommendation” for purposes of NASD Rule 2310 and is it suitable for potential recipients. Public Appearances: determine whether your post part of an “interactive online forum” and whether supervision is required. Third-Party Posts: If your firm created or “sponsors” and online forum, be aware that, under certain circumstances, a customer’s or other third party’s content on a social media site may become attributable to the firm. Whether third-party content is attributable to a firm depends on whether the firm has (1) involved itself in the preparation of the content or (2) explicitly or implicitly endorsed or approved the content.

Clearly, legal and regulatory compliance for social media remains a minefield. Although this article is intended to give you a working knowledge of the types of risks created by, and disclosures required for, the use of Social Media, it is NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Each situation is unique and you should consult with qualified legal counsel regarding your specific circumstances.

Clarity counts

By Bernia Wheaton on April 16, 2012 in Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Public Relations, Social media tips, Twitter, Viewpoints with Comments Off

How many times have you read a tweet, blog, website or email and wondered exactly what the author meant? The world of instant communication and social media marketing requires the ability to translate opinions, emotions, values and ideas into text, sometimes in 140 characters or less.

Read, read, and re-read your post

There is nothing more embarrassing…or damaging, than sending out a social media post with errors in it. Usually it’s just a typo, but it can change the message completely. Depending on your organization, errors can undermine the professionalism, authority, and credibility of the entire business. Avoid errors by taking the time to read, read, and re-read your post BEFORE you click Send.

A little grammar, please

If you tweet on behalf of a business, institution, or organization, it can be a challenge to speak in a professional voice expected by your audience, using 140 characters or less. We are bombarded by a generation that talks, texts, and posts using shortened words and phrases, but please don’t let this lingo into your professional communications. Take the extra characters and spell words in full, and use proper grammar whenever possible.

Dashboards…accidental posts

It’s not uncommon for social media strategists to be managing multiple accounts on each social media outlet. A social media dashboard can be an effective and efficient way to manage multiple accounts and avoid personal and professional confusion. Dashboards, however, can lead to accidental posts to incorrect accounts.

Undo

If you notice that you’ve made an error or inaccurate post, you CAN delete it.

On Twitter, the Delete option will appear when you hover over your tweet. Your tweet may still appear in the twitter search for awhile, but it will clear shortly.

You cannot, however, delete a post off someone else’s timeline, so if your message has been re-tweeted, you will not be able to retract it.

Posts on Facebook can also be deleted. On Facebook’s new Timeline, the Edit or Remove menu will appear when your mouse hovers over the top right-hand corner of the post.

Mistakes happen

Once in awhile, regrettable posts happen. In those rare instances, quick wit might just smooth over a potential disaster. In 2011, The Red Cross experienced this when a staffer accidentally posted the following message:

The Red Cross recognized the rogue tweet, deleted it, and responded with quick wit:

The Red Cross’ accidental tweet about “getting slizzard,” got the attention of Dogfish Head beer. They noticed, they made a donation to the Red Cross, and in turn, people started donating because of it.

Don’t let a culture of instant communication ruin your message, your business, or your brand. A confused customer is a lost customer. We need to take time to ensure that the information you want to send is what your audience actually receives.

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