Facebook Pages To Drop “Become A Fan” Feature

facebook thumbs Facebook Pages To Drop Become A Fan Feature

Facebook recently announced to their advertisers that Pages will no longer allow visitors to “Become A Fan”. Instead, visitors will connect with a Page by clicking “like”.

Facebook users can currently “like” comments, photos or videos on a Page (as shown below), but soon they’ll be able to “like” a Page. The decision to drop “become a fan” for “like” is intended to increase the likelihood (pun intended) of users connecting with brands, non-profits and businesses. Facebook argues that clicking “like” is a lighter-weight action than “becoming a fan”.

facebook like Facebook Pages To Drop Become A Fan Feature

Core Functionality Will Remain

In the memo, Facebook states that the “core functionality of Pages will remain unchanged”. Your Page will still have distribution into News Feed, the ability to target updates and status updates.

Drop The “Fan” Soon

In the FAQ about this change, Facebook recommends that marketers start using the term “connections” instead of “fans”. As users adopt “liking” Pages, the term“becoming a fan” will become outdated.

Don’t Confuse “Like” With Love

The biggest impact this change will make it a subtle, but important one. As more and more users begin to adopt “liking” Pages, it may be harder to identify true fans. David Berkowitz of Advertising Age writes: “Half the world likes McDonalds, but only a subset (albeit a large subset) would raise their hands and declare themselves fans.”

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  • http://twitter.com/sjmonk5 Stacy Monaghan

    Interesting – I feel as though “Like” might be too much of a light-weight action for some pages. I can like on a “whim,” but put a little more thought behind my “become a fan” choices.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Stacy – This is precisely why this change will have a huge effect how
      nonprofits market with Pages. They'll have to analyze insights differently,
      and find a new way of parsing out true fans from likers.

    • http://www.DebraBerg.com/ Debra

      At the same time, even if I “like” what a cause stands for that pronouncement doesn't commit me to donating. Being a “fan” might incline someone to think they've committed to or have actually joined a cause. But the cause, in this case, now has the opportunity to educate people who merely “like” what they're doing into becoming more of a supporter. I think a bit of the donation intimidation factor goes away with “like.” “Fan” for me implies I'm telling the world that I fully support this cause and that I'm an advocate. “Like” allows me the opportunity to grow into that role.

  • http://www.CaseAceCopy.com/blog Dave Charest

    I agree with Stacy on this. “Like” is too light an action.

    But let's not kid ourselves Facebook is just trying to impress advertisers with numbers. They don't really care how engaged the “likers” are. They just want to be able to say, “Look how many people like you.”

    Now does this mean I can't even “like” things anymore because then I'll become part of the Facebook spam machine?

    [Insert sarcasm] Yippee! They like me. Right now they like me.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Dave – According to the memo, liking a Pages content will be different from
      liking the Page. The later will opt you into updates.

      • http://www.CaseAceCopy.com/blog Dave Charest

        Phew.

      • http://www.wchingya.com wchingya

        That's what worries me, the confusion of both identical words but different effects. I like 'Become a Fan' better or maybe 'Supporters' or 'Interested'. 'Like' may attract but there will be a even grey-er area of who's into what the fan page is doing. Or, it should be the admin's challenge to make sure they do? … *big nail in the head* Oh! So that's the reason…

  • http://domesticatingit.com JonDiPietro

    This is bad news. I'm getting more concerned every day that Facebook will eventually strangle the golden goose. This is plain and simple “trickeration” and manipulation. As Dave said, they are deliberately blurring the line between liking and fanning in order to artificially inflate their numbers.

    At the end of the day, it will backfire on them. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. One of the reasons why Facebook is such a great platform right now is the QUALITY of the connections that are made. A Facebook friend or fan is much more valuable than a Twitter follower or email subscriber. By cheapening what it means to become a fan, they will simultaneously erode its value. Very shortsighted and stupid on Facebook's part, in my opinion.

    All of these incremental changes they are making (like fiddling with the privacy settings) are going to accumulate over time to erode the value of the platform until it's replaced by the next walled community that gives people what they want.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Jon – I agree with you to a point, but in the end Facebook caters to the
      needs to Page owners and advertisers. This means that they will continue to
      create new ways for Profile users to get more value from Facebook, and Page
      owners with more robust ways of marketing to users.

      • http://www.CaseAceCopy.com/blog Dave Charest

        Good point. Just wish they'd stop doing it with things like privacy and trickery.

        But as long liking content doesn't make you a “fan” I feel better about it.

      • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

        There will be two different “likes”, but I wonder if most users won't get
        the difference right away.

  • http://richardmclaughlin.biz/ McLaughlin

    I agree with Stacy, I'll happily click the “Like” button under her comment but that does not make me her fan (or does it?)

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Same here.

  • Wendy McNeil

    Great question, McLaughlin… are we then fans of everyone whos comment we “like”?

    I agree with all that has been said thus far…. BAD MOVE FB! REALLY BAD!
    Some of us will not click the like as a result and it could have the reverse effect and lower numbers.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Wendy – Liking content will be different from liking the entire Page,
      according to the memo.

  • http://www.wolfnowl.com/ Mike Nelson Pedde

    “Liking content will be different from liking the entire Page, according to the memo.”

    Perhaps, but will the average user recognize this difference? Unlikely at best. I agree with what's already been offered…

    Mike.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      I don't think Facebook will making an effort to clarify for users…

  • Animal Outreach

    we recently created a facebook page for our nonprofit. Right now fans are updated to their wall our goings ons, blog posts, events, etc. Will this change?

    How will people follow us now?

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      The memo says that functionality will remain the same.

      • Thane

        John,

        Do fans automatically become “likers” of a page? I know the functions are supposed to remain the same but all my wall postings on my organization's page since the change have not been distributed. Is this a bug or is this a feature?

      • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

        Not sure what you mean by “distributed”. Can you be more specific?

      • Thane

        Sure. I post something on my page's wall and no one get them on their wall. This seems to have stopped around the time of the transition from fans to likers. I went to the Fb help center and followed the instruction to edit my news feed so as to have a higher number of friends and I even picked my page and selected it specifically. I then re-posted on my page and still did not get it. I checked with a friend to see if he got it — he did not. Needless to say, my fairly healthy interaction rating has collapsed to near zero. In the past, anything I posted would have a few dozen comments and “likes” within an hour. Now, a posting gets zero.

        Am I correct that postings on a page's wall should show up on the wall of those who like the page?

        While it probably is not related, my page also had problems with not showing up in Fb search engine for about a month. That really stopped growth! It's working now but I'm wondering if I have something corrupted in Fb's system for my page.

        T

      • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

        Content posted to a Facebook Page wall shows up in a user's news feed if
        they've liked your Page, not on their wall. It's working fine on my Feed.
        That said, a user can “like” your Page but hide your posts in their news
        stream.

      • Thane

        John,

        My apologizes. I meant news feed when I wrote wall. I have over 7k former fans — now likers — and as far as I can tell, none of them are getting postings from my organization's page to their news feeds. I've checked to make sure I've not somehow hidden my page's feed on my personal Fb news feed. I am receiving feeds from other pages that I like. That's why I think I have a technical issue with my page. I just wanted to check to make sure I had not fundamentally misunderstood how pages worked after the transition to liking.

        Another thing that happen just before my feed went dead was that I took the opportunity to set the page's name. The option appeared last week and I set the name. I assume likers are still linked to the page even if the page's name changes.

        T

      • Thane

        John,

        One more piece of the puzzle. I just received my Fb page update email message. Here is what it reports:

        Hi Thane,

        Here is this week's summary for the Facebook Page: Baha'i International Community

        +82 Fans this week (7,366 total Fans)
        0 Wall Posts, Comments, and Likes this week (0 last week)
        1,325 visits to your page this week(1,238 visits last week)

        Well, this seems incorrect. I have multiple postings from last week and this week — and a few likes. But, if Fb is not seeing the posts, then that would explain why the news feed is empty.

        T

  • http://twitter.com/SeanEmslie Sean Emslie

    I am not a Fan of this change, I mean I don't Like it…
    being a Fan seems to show a level of commitment, that just liking something doesn't hold. I think that it will confuse more people than help. I can see liking a comment, video, picture but liking a Page to connect doesn't make sense…I guess we will need to educate our potential “Likers” that they are joining our community.

  • jmarkbangerter

    Will this affect how Brands can interact with “Fans” via updates? If someone “Likes” your brand, will your Brand's wall feed show up in their news feed?

    First impressions, this seems like a really bad idea for brands. But, if Fans become Likers, then Brands have to do more advertising to interact with their “Likers.” Lame. Just when you thought that Facebook wasn't Google.

    • beautifultomorrow

      It looks like if someone “Likes” your brand, then yes, your Brand's wall feed will show up in their news feed. Is that correct, John?

      Nobody seems to like change on Facebook (or any website for that matter…*cough*YouTube*cough*) but I'm guessing the bigwigs at Facebook have thought all this through. Analyzing insights will definitely be different – I hope they come out with some way of determining the “true” fans (those that actually engage with and/or check the page) from those who just “Like” the page and then forget about it.

      The nice thing about “Becoming a Fan” of something on Facebook is that it is clear that clicking on that button connects you with that page. Although in the current configuration when a user “Likes” content, Facebook starts to send updates and notifications on that content, so maybe it won't be so different after all. Maybe “Liking” something on Facebook will eventually become synonymous with “Becoming a Fan.”

  • jmarkbangerter

    I did see however that they are adopting “Community” Pages. This allows Brands to stand out more from the “This Pickle has more fans than Nickleback” pages. A community page after it garners enough support would become a community moderated group, a wiki of sorts. While brands will continue to be able to have their Official Pages

  • http://techshali.com/ Madhav Tripathi

    I think this a good decision taken by Facebook.

  • Michael Wesolowski

    We have no say in what FB does. “My social networking and marketing strategies will continue to bend like a reed in the wind.”

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Bend, Michael. But please don't break!

  • http://www.ficgs.com/blog/lol Arturo

    Sorry, my english is quite weak, does all this mean that the widget “become a fan” will not be available anymore?? Really bad news, in this case.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      I'm sure Fan Boxes and Badges will still be around.

  • http://twitter.com/LisbethTanz Lisbeth Tanz

    Can't say I have much to add here, except that I agree with the notion that “like” is too weak. But I'm not sure that “becoming a fan” was the right text either. I think the only way you'd know the true believers from the casual passers-by is if you have a button that says, “Yes, if I needed a business like this, I would absolutely work with THIS business.” Alas, I think this button will never materialize.

  • http://www.nobullfundraising.com/ Elizabeth Turnbull

    I think this is a terrible idea, especially for nonprofits. Facebook pages are useful for nonprofits because they provide a way to connect with their support group, not half-hearted bystanders. Replacing “become a fan” for “like,” will almost certainly increase the number of connections, but with what quality? I'm also concerned that nonprofits will get lazy. Seeing their numbers increase easily may lull them into thinking they don't have to try so hard to keep their fans engaged. The “fan” relationship has mutual responsibility. “Liking” is too easy for both sides.

    • http://twitter.com/Moptopp Jane Griffin

      I have to agree Elizabeth that from a non-profit perspective this may not be such a good idea. The non-profit I work for is just starting out on our Facebook Page but we recognise that as an HIV charity we're building a community where people who fan us like the fact that their fellow fans have the same feelings as them about supporting a charity that helps such a stigmatised group of people. For us it's not about getting a huge number of fans it's about building a worthwhile relationship with those we have. So making it easier for people to “accidentally” sign up for our updates may not actually be helpful at all. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

  • suzzetteturnbull

    John, thanks for this post. Facebook is definitely beginning to feel like a moving target. As soon as you find the right marketing approach for your clients, there is another significant shift that has strong implications. The removal of contests being run on the wall definitely impacts interaction. Changing become a fan to like begins to convolute the whole marketing process because you're now weeding through the likes. Your content now has to change to help you identify the true fans. On the flip side, it could potentially get your brand in front of more people since it is so easy to click like. We shall see how things pan out… Thanks for all the great work you do!

  • theredheadsaid

    it's semantics. Whether you click “become a fan” or “like” the end result is that Page's news gets to appear in your news feed. If you don't want it in your newsfeed, you don't have to like or fan anyone.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Exactly. Functionality stays the same.

  • http://www.fetchcreativemarketing.com/ Stuart Silverstein

    This is going to confuse the hell out of a constantly confused FB crowd. What is it with them, that once they get something people understand, they have to make it different… not “BETTER” just different. I would love to sit in on their user testing (if they do any). I'm sure there are some very confused people.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Facebook users will adapt. Marketers, on the other hand, will remain
      confused as long as they lack a Facebook strategy (which acts like a compass
      in any winding journey)

  • http://www.mcgrawmarketing.com patmcgraw

    Much ado about nothing. FB changes things so much it's crazy so they will change “Fan” to “Like” today, and in a few months they will change “Like” to “Whatever the hell they feel like at that moment”. The bigger issue is FB is a moving target which makes them less valuable to a great many businesses that are investing limited resources in search of higher returns.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      Bingo!!!

  • KathyJ

    I am a pretty typical FB user and I'm getting weary of all the changes they keep making. Just when I finally get used to something, they change it again! I don't think it matters to USERS what the functionality is, they (we) are just going to be irritated that what they are used to and have used successfully to this point is changing for seemingly no reason. This is the problem with most of the FB changes – they do not seem to reflect what users want. They seem random and, as a previous poster wrote, just DIFFERENT not BETTER. I started social networking on My Space and was gradually lured to FB by friends and family members. I have no loyalty to FB, so if something else comes along that I “like” better, I'm there in a heartbeat. Right now there doesn't seem to be anything new on the horizon, but it's certainly possible. I mean, who knew Twitter would take off so well?

  • sorenbradbury

    I am concerned that Facebook is simply pushing the volume game – the pressure to ramp-up nos and advertising dollars is too great. 'Like' is too weak and 'liking a page' will simply be an involuntary click of the mouse. The issue for brands is that they will simply have too many unpassionate 'likers' and the nirvana of giving the fans admin rights to the community page will be a strategy that will die out. However, worth a try and see if it does improve the experience for users and brands. It won't get better if Facebook never try anything …and change is never easy.

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      I actually like “like”. It will force brands to find ways of identifying
      “real fans” within a group of people.

  • jessica

    John, have you heard anything about whether FB will continue to track and display how many people “Like” a Page? A big part of the value — for both brands AND users — has been seeing the size and faces of the community you're becoming part of as a Fan, um, “Liker” of a Page. I hope that, like, the News Feed, this functionality will also stay the same… but not clear from the memo, from what I can tell. Any idea?

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      All functionality will stay the same, according to Facebook. Facebook is not
      about to take value away from brands.

  • http://twitter.com/prcheney Paul Cheney

    John, what are your suggestions now for creating a second tier of “likeness?” Would those likers just be sent to a blog or newsletter? Would there be any reason to segment them on the facebook page? If so, how?

    I guess the same question would go for fans, it's just a little more relevant now ;)

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      You can't segment fans on a Page by how committed they are (maybe soon for
      admins…), but you can create several “opt-in” strategies to identify
      cultists. In terms of tools, you could use: Facebook Games, Events, Causes,
      email campaigns about events.

  • Pingback: Facebook Fans to become Connections | MediaFunnel

  • http://putnamcic.com Kris Putnam-Walkerly

    Thanks John for this helpful post, and the comments are interesting to read as well. I had just clicked on what I thought was a Facebook Fan Page today and saw that my option was to “like it”. I was very confused, but now I see I'm not losing my mind (at least not today…)

    • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

      FYI – You're scheduled to lose your mind tomorrow.

      • http://putnamcic.com Kris Putnam-Walkerly

        Oh good, at least I can plan for it!

      • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

        There's been a delay. Friday is your day. ;-)

  • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

    Not sure what you mean by “distributed”. Can you be more specific?

  • Thane

    Sure. I post something on my page's wall and no one get them on their wall. This seems to have stopped around the time of the transition from fans to likers. I went to the Fb help center and followed the instruction to edit my news feed so as to have a higher number of friends and I even picked my page and selected it specifically. I then re-posted on my page and still did not get it. I checked with a friend to see if he got it — he did not. Needless to say, my fairly healthy interaction rating has collapsed to near zero. In the past, anything I posted would have a few dozen comments and “likes” within an hour. Now, a posting gets zero.

    Am I correct that postings on a page's wall should show up on the wall of those who like the page?

    While it probably is not related, my page also had problems with not showing up in Fb search engine for about a month. That really stopped growth! It's working now but I'm wondering if I have something corrupted in Fb's system for my page.

    T

  • http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

    Content posted to a Facebook Page wall shows up in a user's news feed if
    they've liked your Page, not on their wall. It's working fine on my Feed.
    That said, a user can “like” your Page but hide your posts in their news
    stream.

  • Thane

    John,

    My apologizes. I meant news feed when I wrote wall. I have over 7k former fans — now likers — and as far as I can tell, none of them are getting postings from my organization's page to their news feeds. I've checked to make sure I've not somehow hidden my page's feed on my personal Fb news feed. I am receiving feeds from other pages that I like. That's why I think I have a technical issue with my page. I just wanted to check to make sure I had not fundamentally misunderstood how pages worked after the transition to liking.

    Another thing that happen just before my feed went dead was that I took the opportunity to set the page's name. The option appeared last week and I set the name. I assume likers are still linked to the page even if the page's name changes.

    T

  • Thane

    John,

    One more piece of the puzzle. I just received my Fb page update email message. Here is what it reports:

    Hi Thane,

    Here is this week's summary for the Facebook Page: Baha'i International Community

    +82 Fans this week (7,366 total Fans)
    0 Wall Posts, Comments, and Likes this week (0 last week)
    1,325 visits to your page this week(1,238 visits last week)

    Well, this seems incorrect. I have multiple postings from last week and this week — and a few likes. But, if Fb is not seeing the posts, then that would explain why the news feed is empty.

    T