GET YOUR FACE IN THE BOOK Greg Diamond – ByrnesMedia For some time now, Myspace has dominated the online social networking scene, but now Facebook looks poised to take over the mantle.
Facebook started out as a college-only site, but last September it bowed to financial pressures and opened up to all potential users. Since then the growth has been stunning.
Both Myspace and Facebook do essentially the same thing, but Facebook is cleaner, less ad-cluttered, and more secure construction have led many first-time social networkers to choose it over Myspace and even lure some long-time ‘Spacers’ to it.
Regardless of how this battle ultimately plays out, both sites offer opportunity for us right now.
In the past week, I’ve received some calls from programmers concerned with “Friends of…” networks that have been created on Facebook. I applaud their initial reservation, since we always have to be protective of our brand, but in these circumstances I feel strongly you should just go with the flow and embrace these networks for what they are – a sincere compliment to your station and a great chance to further build the bond between station and listener.
People love to “belong.” A Facebook network, whether created by you or a listener is a perfect way to have a sense of community about your broadcasting entity. Many stations name their listeners “Zed-Heads”, “Hotties”, etc. That draws the audience in, but this technology takes the process much farther – take advantage of that!
For the PD’s, I encouraged them to join the network and use it as a way to answer listener’s questions, create talk about the station, and just ‘hang-out’ with the customer.
There are also ways we can enhance our participation in these sites and reward the members (and ultimately ourselves).
Try treating a network like you would a listener club – it is another database, after all. There’s no reason you can’t run stealth contests for members only.
Award a prize for caller “x” when a particular song is played. You may or may not want to mention the winner over the air, but at least do so in spades on the page itself.
You can create all kinds of appointment-listening opportunities that only raise the station’s awareness in the minds of the listener and pay off at ratings time.
Keep in mind, your format will determine the level of involvement in these social networking sites, but wise programmers want a presence wherever large numbers of their audience gather, be it in the real world or in cyberspace.
With the pace of technology, it’s hard not to view things like Myspace and Facebook with a sense of impermanence. In fact, the more cynical have already taken to calling Facebook, “Fadbook.” While that’s probably a true statement, let’s use this tool while it’s still fresh and growing. When the next big usurper comes along, then by all means switch and use the opportunities that the next level of technology provides.
For now, though, get your face in the book! |