Here’s a comment – or better yet, a bitch – taken from Reddit, just one of many forums where Facebook customers are expressing anger and frustration at how their privacy is deteriorating.
As they say, that’s an N of 1. To look at more than 1,000 people who weighed in last Thursday on SodaHead.com, here’s a nifty infographic that lays out consumer reaction to the changes on Facebook:
Not a pretty picture, especially among Facebook’s heaviest users – women. The new “Timeline” feature on Facebook is perceived to be another assault on users’ ability to hide their private lives. And of course, it’s yet another change on the social media behemoth that has angered many people. On the one hand, Facebook must innovate. On the other, its constant changes upset a lot of its users.
We know this is in radio. When things are going pretty well, listeners tend to dislike change. They get into the habit that we as programmers create. So when we shake up the on-air lineup, change the time of a feature (or kill it altogether), or move a weekend show, we hear about it.
We gave up our privacy long ago when we signed up for Facebook. Our information is being culled, sliced, diced, and mined. After all, isn’t that the purpose? We interact with friends, family members, and customers. And Facebook aggregates all of that usage and data into a profit-making venture.
Well that’s the price you pay, isn’t it? Facebook is a free service that no one is being forced to use. Brands don’t own data on “like” pages any more than individuals do on their personal “profile” pages.
And that’s another reason why radio stations need to keep the role of Facebook in perspective. As Bob Pittman intoned at The Radio Show, Facebook is good for radio. But once you get beyond the relationship building aspect of this platform, you’re simply a renter on Facebook. You own nothing. Not your friends. Not your posts. Not your photos.
It’s why your station website and your email database are so important. Aside from the fact that they’re still primary destinations for station fans (see the word cloud from Techsurvey 7 below), they’re the place where you own the metrics, you own the sign-ups, you can contest or promote any way you like, and you can sell advertising to your heart’s desire. It’s another reason why Facebook should be a gateway to your website – not a replacement for it.
Don’t lose sight of the value of your database and your website assets, because some guy named Mark can’t change the rules on you whenever the mood strikes.
You’re the owner and you’re in control.
P.S. There is a way to “hide” what you’re playing on Spotify. Lori Lewis notes that under the “Edit” tab in Spotify, you simply click “Preferences,” scroll down to the Facebook area and uncheck the “Get personal recommendations by sending music you play to Facebook’s Open Graph” box. If you wish to share your Spotify music with “friends,” go to Facebook’s “Privacy Settings,” select “Apps and Websites,” click “Spotify” and go to “App Activity Privacy.
Now, aren’t you glad it’s all that simple?
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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