Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What makes a good Facebook fan page?

Ask Dave Taylor has a nice article on maintaining a good Facebook group or fan page. Author Patrick O'Keefe writes, "The point is this: offline makes online better. Online makes offline better, too."



My favorite Facebook fan pages foster mini-communities by posting regular, relevant content that is easy to engage with. (An aside about relevance: The day the Large Hadron Collider posted something about Glee, a little part of me died.)



A few examples of companies and organizations I always enjoy seeing come up in my news feed:



City Year



This AmeriCorps organization posts videos of corps members, news stories featuring alumni, and events. They also have a very active wall, where prospective members often ask questions about what to expect and about the details of applying. We in higher ed should take note of how they know when to step in during a discussion (for example, to answer a question about application deadlines if no one else has answered) and when to sit back and let other fans offer their advice.



Full disclosure: I am a City Year alumna.



City Year fan page screenshot

Hymie's Vintage Records



Hymie's posts what they are listening to in the store, which often draws fan comments, but most excellent are the fun sales of the week (15% off records with mustaches on the cover, 20% off any record with a guy named "Ralph" performing on it, etc.).



Hymie's fan page screen shot

Surly Brewing Company



The fans, or Surly Nation, post photos of themselves in Surly gear or drinking Surly in various environments. Fans especially love when Surly posts the dates and locations of special tappings of new beers or other events.



Surly fan page screen shot

What are your favorite fan pages or groups on Facebook?


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