Facebook Page Updates: Spring 2016

facebook logoAccording to Facebook, over a billion people visit Pages each month. A while back, Facebook announced a new communication feature attached to Pages. In the past, the only way to respond to comments on your Facebook Page was to “Reply” back in the comments. Now, Page admins will be able to respond to comments privately.

Facebook announced this feature way back in August of last year, but apparently, it took a while to launch. In February, they finally made the feature available to the masses. So what’s the hoopla all about? Continue reading “Facebook Page Updates: Spring 2016”

Writing on Our Walls – Our Facebook Walls, That Is

writing on the wall facebook graffiti-482367_640I’ve written about using your author’s Facebook page to build you platform several times before, here and here. Still, in almost every authors’ group I belong to, I hear the familiar refrains: “Facebook sucks.” “I’m not paying Facebook to show my posts to my own fans.” “Facebook stopped working when they changed their algorithms.” Those things may be true for many writers, but they are not true for me. After my mailing list, my Facebook page is my second most effective free platform builder.

In my previous articles, I shared a few of my strategies for building up your traffic and fans on your Facebook page before — post consistently, don’t post about your books constantly, put links that lead off Facebook in the comments of your posts instead of the body of your message. Here’s a new idea for you, though — write. You’re a writer, so write. Continue reading “Writing on Our Walls – Our Facebook Walls, That Is”

The Facebook Mentions App

Facebook pagesWhen I wrote about Facebook verification for your author page last week, I noted that one of the perks available to verified page owners is a special smartphone app. The app is called Facebook Mentions, and it’s aimed at busy celebrities (ahem…) who want an easy way to keep in touch with their fans while on the go. The app is only available to those of you who have a verified page. It’s a two-step process — Facebook sends you the link to the app once your page has been verified.

Once the app’s installed, its controls appear at the bottom of the screen. Continue reading “The Facebook Mentions App”

I’m somebody now: Facebook Verified Pages

facebook-verified checkmarkOne of my favorite misquotes is from Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk. The phone book delivery person stops by and hands Martin’s character a copy, and Martin goes off in raptures (here comes the misquote – ready?): “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here! I’m somebody now!”

You too, dear author, can be an official somebody. All you have to do is set up a page for your author business on Facebook, and then fill out a form on this page to tell them that, yes, you are really you. But basically, all you have to do is make sure you’re logged into Facebook, go to that page, fill out their form, and hit submit. Once Facebook has verified that you are who you say you are, they will reward you with a blue check mark next to the name of your page. Continue reading “I’m somebody now: Facebook Verified Pages”