Why the New Facebook Timeline Has Me Smirking

by | Mar 29, 2012

 

There hasn’t been this much press since Y2K.

Remember how the world was supposed to crash when we hit the year 2000?

Now the looming date of doom is March 30, 2012 – the day Facebook forces its timeline on users.

  • There are emails reminding business owners
  • Marketers jumped on the bandwagon with how-to webinars
  • Admins for Facebook Pages are scrambling

Me? I’m smirking. Why?

I don’t have a Facebook business page.

Page-Free and Loving It

Millions would argue I am an idiot – for a lot of reasons, but especially because I don’t have a Facebook Page for my business.

I certainly do not judge those who include one in their business strategy.

  • I wish you success
  • At least for now – it does not work for me

I decided not to create one.

Facebook Business Practices

There are things I do not like about their business practices.

  • The lack of trust in their privacy policies
  • The opt-out instead of opt-in mentality for changes
  • Their We know best attitude about layout

The Time Suck

As a sole proprietor, I’m the whole company.

Yes, I waste time like anyone else, but I decided that I could not afford the all-consuming business page.

  • Staying current on the changes is mind-boggling
  • Upgrading a business page is one less task

And so I smirk – I love it when a plan comes together.

Return on Investment

It’s all about choices.

  • Which social media platforms to use
  • How you develop your marketing strategy
  • Where you spend your time

The only reason I signed up was for my business. Because of the reasons listed, I put the business page on hold.

I admit it, I got hooked on the connection Facebook provides with family and friends.

Even with that, I do not spend a ton of time on Facebook.

  • I hate the games
  • I rarely use an app
  • I Like very few pages

Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. All I know is I am happy with my decisions regarding my business.

So much so, I’m smirking all the way through March 30th.

Go ahead Page lovers – zap me. I defend your right to do so.

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15 Comments

  1. Lori

    I would argue that not having a business page on Facebook is the best decision you ever made. I tried putting up a page for a Webinar once — what a ridiculous process! First, you cannot share it with your friends because in Facebook-land, a “webinar” doesn’t have any friends. So you have to get everyone you know to become your “friend” again, and only then can you share it. And forget sharing it with strangers. If there’s a way to do that, I’ve yet to discover it.

    Reply
  2. John Soares

    I use Facebook a lot to interact with friends and family, but like you, I haven’t felt that setting up, updating, and maintaining a business page was a good use of my time.

    I may do it in the future, but I’ll likely investigate Google+ first.

    Reply
  3. Cathy

    Hi Lori: That’s exactly the kind of frustration I wanted to avoid. I find I simply cannot deal with it now.Thanks for weighing in.

    Reply
  4. Cathy

    Hi John: You and I have very similar thoughts. I, too, am planning on giving Google+ page a try 1st because it seems to come with a lot less baggage. Who knows – things change, but, for now, I am very happy to stay away from a Facebook Page.

    Reply
  5. Sharon Hurley Hall

    I have set up a Facebook business page but I probably wouldn’t if I had to do it all over again because I’m not totally convinced of its value. I still think periodically about deleting my whole Facebook profile, but I’d miss updates from family and friends (plus I have a serious Words with Friends/Scrabble habit).

    Reply
  6. Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    I spend a fair amount of time ON Facebook for business purposes- to see what people are worried about, what they need to do, what they want to learn.
    My BUSINESS FB page only lists one or two items a day that I think would be of interest to others. And, about 1 to 2 items a week that others feel should be in our conversations.
    So, while I have a business page, I am in alignment with you, Cathy. Oh, but I do “like” other pages, when requested, since there is a requisite number of likes to adorn one’s page with a vanity URL. Gotta’ help folks out!

    Reply
  7. Cathy

    Except for the Words/Scrabble habit (and the business page), Sharon, I am exactly where you’re at. I often think of deleting the account, but I would miss all the updates/photos of family/friends.

    Reply
  8. Cathy

    Hi Roy: I will Like a page to help someone out, but that’s about it. I don’t Like every big business page or share with the world my likes.

    Thanks for sharing your view, Roy.

    Reply
  9. Anne Wayman

    somehow I’ve managed to get my blog posts to show up on facebook… don’t ask me how because I don’t know. But I pay almost no attention to it… I don’t even know what this timeline business is… 😉

    Reply
  10. Jason Mathes

    At first I didn’t see a point in create a group or fan page for my little blog (or Twitter even!)

    Now that I’ve done it and used a free RSS Syndication service to automagically keep it updated for me? It has started to sell itself with very little time investment from my part. For me its just another avenue to get some traffic to my blog.

    Once you get used to its foibles, and spend the initial time investment in it – it will pay off.

    Reply
  11. Amy

    You’re not alone here. I guess, for me, Facebook should be used mainly for socialization among long lost friends and far-away relatives and I prefer Google+ to be used in business. It is much more organized I think.

    Reply
  12. Cathy

    Hi Amy: Good to know I’m not alone. 🙂 I’ve got to get back to Google+. I think it has potential for me. Glad to hear it’s working for you.

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing your perspective, Amy.

    Reply
  13. Cathy

    Hi Jason: I appreciate you bringing a view of the plus side. Glad it’s working for you. Thanks for sharing that information and taking the time to drop by.

    Reply
  14. Wade Finnegan

    I totally agree with Amy. FB is for friends and family and Google+ is for business. Granted, there is some cross-over, but in general G+ doesn’t have the silliness like FB. I know many entrepreneurs that use it to their advantage, however I’m out.

    Reply
  15. Cathy

    Hi Wade-love that way of describing FB-silliness 🙂 I agree. Thanks for sharing your point of view.

    Reply

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