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6 Reasons Not To Have A Facebook Page

Written by - 43 Comments
Categories: Blog, Facebook, Social Media

In 2009 Facebook launched in Indonesia and with that arrival according to “The Economist”  a “vast field of dead blogs were discovered” numbering several thousand as people deserted their blogging platforms and moved to Facebook.6 Reasons Not To Have A Facebook Page

Facebook is a phenomenon and its ease of use and spread has enabled tens of millions of people to have a publishing platform and printing press that allows them to share their thoughts,content and passions with ease.

Facebook’s constant experimentation has brought innovations, such as comment threads, and the ability to mix thoughts, pictures and links in a stream, with the most recent on top, so it provides that ease of use that we all love.

I also received a public Tweet the other day and it said

“Yes! Facebook is killing the blog. My FB page IS my blog.”

This was in response to a recent post titled “Is Facebook Killing the Blog?”

For some strange reason this Tweet and the discovery of the vast field of dead blogs worries me and I want to tell you why you should not just have a Facebook page instead of a blog.

If you are wanting to be taken seriously as a blogger in a niche as opposed to just blurting out your thoughts and photos in a random fashion then using Facebook as your blog is dangerous.

Why?…well here are some reasons.

1. Facebook own your page not you ..think of it as renting or cyber squatting if you don’t comply with their terms and conditions your Facebook page can be terminated with the push of one button. If you have a blog on your own domain and self hosted then you own it and have total control.

2. Facebook is not forever. As with all trends it will fade away (eg AOL) or morph into something else as the Web continues to evolve.

3. On Facebook it is extremely difficult to backup and maintain your content to save for the future

4. Facebook keeps changing its look and feel and features without your consent (Your blog is totally under your control)

5. You cannot optimize your Facebook page for search engines but you can with your blog

6.  With Facebook you are constantly at the mercy of what they will allow and don’t allow you to edit or change or customize. You can add almost unlimited customized features to your blog.

These are just some reasons why, if you are wanting to publish online and maintain control over your content now and into the future that your blog should be your primary web presence and your homebase and not a Facebook page.

By all means have a Facebook page to allow you to share your content on social media but remember, you don’t own your Facebook page, Mark Zuckerberg does!

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  • http://www.dallasseoblog.com steveplunkett

    Jeff… you are sooooo right on the money.

  • The Raging Scotsman

    Jeff, an astute observation on the enterprise known as blogging. Congratulations.

  • http://www.toddweisscfa.com ToddWeissCFA

    Jeff:

    Couldn’t agree more. Facebook is a social networking site, hosted by someone else. No design or layout input and no control. It’s a great way to build relationships and stay in touch with friend, but not a substitute for a blog. Great post. TW

    • asemoon

      ur right

  • http://oooooozoooooone.com Fatin

    AGREE WITH YOU IN MOST POINTS AND AGREE WITH TODD, FACEBOOK IS A SOCIAL NETWORKING WHICH CAN ALLOW US TO COMMUNICATE WITH FRIENDS.
    GREAT POST

  • http://www.burtchiropractic.com Eduard Burt, D.C., MUAC

    Very Informative Post. I like the voting part. What kind of plug in did you use for Voting?
    I agree with you 100% that FB is just another channel for your content distribution but not a main source of your content.

  • http://www.myportablenavigationsystems.com Caroline J

    How nice to see someone explaining this in a clear and concise way. But do the people who would benefit most from reading this read this blog? I hope so.

  • http://www.umcle.com Tim Baran

    The issues that you cover with FB (which can be applied across platforms) are spot on, Jeff! Unfortunately, I don’t think small businesses can ignore as large a phenomenon as Facebook. Checking out and engaging on the myriad of social media/networking platforms can be useful but the blog remains my home base, and should be as you summed up so beautifully.

  • http://www.siblingsnotspouses.com Courtenay Rogers

    I agree that Facebook shouldn’t replace your blog, but it is a great social media tool to use along with a website, blog and other social media platforms. I think they key is never putting all of your eggs in any online basket. Thanks for the post!

  • http://pradical.org Doug Ragan

    Hi. I disagree. I have a facebook site – about 2100 friends at last count. I cross post my blog to my facebook page to twitter. The forms of communication are different — facebook is for the masses. I get a broad range of people commenting, some regulars, other new “drive bys”. I post additional multi-media content, and many of my friends re-facebook my blog. My facebook posts are no more than 200 characters, but usually less.

    I see this all as a continuum – not as an either or. You start with twitter – 140 characters — you link to facebook — 200 or so characters — and you then go to a blog (I would add linkedin in there as well). Each reaches different audiences, has different strengths which you can use to drive your message. And lastly, how can you argue with the fastest growing social media platform of 500 million people (even if in reality that is probably 50 million)?

    • http://www.umcle.com Tim Baran

      Thoughtful perspective!

    • Gemma Weirs

      I know you posted this a year ago, but Jeff tweeted out this article today so… 

      You’re talking about cross-posting content. Jeff was talking about people who actually use their FB pages as their actual blogs. That’s not the same as cross-posting your content from your blog to Facebook then to Twitter, which is an acceptable and encouraged practise. Using a FB page to replace an actual blog isn’t a great idea so Jeff is quite correct.

      • http://twitter.com/3xperts Steven Morell

        Then Jeff should pick a corresponding title for his post.

  • http://timtfj.wordpress.com Tim J

    Just one addition: if you do choose to use a Facebook page as a blog, please make sure that people can actually read the thing. I’m forever following links on Twitter which are meant to go to a blog post but actually take me to a page telling me that I need to sign up to Facebook to read it.

    But I don’t want to sign up to Facebook, with all its security hazards (about which it seems utterly complacent) and its cavalier attitude to messing everyone’s settings up every few weeks without warning. So I don’t see the post.

    • Magic Bartender

      I second this 100%. It has to make SOME difference to any business, that NOT everyone has or wants or will EVER get a FB. So, there is a large potential audience that are excluded completely by anything offered through FB. Right?
      Cheers `*>~[

  • http://www.6smarketing.com Chris Breikss

    Agreed that Facebook should not be your blog but I disagree with most of the rest.

  • http://www.melodylealamb.com Melody Lamb

    Great post Jeff! Your points are clear and right on. I actually find Facebook so visually overwhelming, that I would not follow someone’s blog posts in that format. The longer I blog, the more I am determined to create rich and valuable content. I do not see how this would be possible in the confusion on Facebook.

  • http://www.facebook.com/juhliselbysocialmedia JUHLi SELBy

    I absolutely agree with all of the points in this article. Thanks for the good info. I also agree with Courtenay’s comment above–don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

    Two points: FB is a great place for branding & building relationships. If it’s done right, you can connect with your clients/fans/patients. And second, so many people are already comfortable with & spend time in FB, plus it’s free to create a page for your business!

    A tip: If you create a photo album for your business page, it allows you to use links in the description field–you can link back to your site, blog, or video.

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  • http://www.markcz.com/ Mark Czerniec

    Excellent points, Jeff. I would add one more: Monetization. When you create content for Facebook, you’re basically working — unpaid — for them. When you create content for your own site, the pageviews, analytic data, and everything else belong to you, as does the option of monetizing them:

    http://blog.markcz.com/facebook-social-media-servitude/

  • http://www.americasinterest.com Stephen Graves

    Ultimately if you are putting in time to create valuable content on the web, you are creating a brand. Why would someone put all of their energy and resources to build Facebook’s brand and not your own?

  • http://www.klagroup.com Kendra Lee

    Thoughtful perspective. Good perspective on the value of your blog, what to put there. Helps clarify what to put on Facebook and the continued importance of driving people to your blog.

  • http://www.708media.com Chris Edwards

    I could not agree more with you. My thoughts are Facebook is more for connecting with your friends and old friends, not for posting up your blog items. Twitter and Facebook are tools that should always be used in conjunction with a blog or website. I often tell my clients that having a Facebook page is not really that huge of a deal unless your market is young adults.

    Thanks for your perspective, I will be retweeting this.

  • http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1923458/ Melinda Augustina

    Totally agree. Excellent post.

  • MarkieD

    Some good points about Facebook. Especially about control. It’s not a substitute for one’s blog. However, FB can be a useful tool when starting a blog by helping to generate some interest.

  • Magic Bartender

    Remember MySpace? Somday, it WILL b remember FB, 2!
    Plus if u think ANYTHING is private or secure there, especially original images, trust me….they are NOT!
    Cheers `*>~[

  • http://companies.to/attractmoneynow/ Frank

    I don´t agree.
    FB is a nice tool to be up to date with friends, run a biz, or just to have fun.
    Agreed that Facebook should not be your blog but I disagree with most of the rest like Chris Breikks said.
    The Hype about FB is easy to understand because it is so EASY to USE for a lot of people. The “philosophy” behind FB might be questionary, that is right.
    Yes, FB is changing a lot – but we all are…
    Perhaps my mind changes when i will see the movie of Mark Zuckerberg or read the biography.

    Thanks to Jeff Bulllas …

    Kind Regards,
    Frank Thiemann

  • http://www.deliveredmovie.com Linda Nelson

    Several errors in your post. Facebook provides a very easy way to back up all your Facebook data. Look under “Account” and “Download Your Information”. If you follow the rules, you have no need to worry about having your account shut down – no porn, don’t spam, don’t pretend to be someone else. The biggest advantage Facebook has over other sites is that there is a certain level of authenticity and trust that exists. There are excellent controls in place to let you decide who you want to see what you post. It’s easy to customize pages. Any web-based business can fail. Remember when MySpace was all the rage? Go with the flow, be where your audience is, stay flexible. If you just want to broadcast, a blog is fine. If you want to engage in a conversation, you can’t beat Facebook.

  • http://www.asbtdc-asu.com Herb Lawrence

    Jeff great article and rationale not to abandon blogs. Especially the fact you mentioned that you don’t “own” your Facebook page. facebook is a great place to promote your blog or give readers an alternative way to read your article but I can’t see turning FB into your blog site either. Love your posts like sharing with our community

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  • http://waynemcevilly.com Wayne McEvilly

    My intuitive hunch on which I rely heavily always has said to me: “NO FACEBOOK” – (My intuitive voice always speaks boldly>)
    Thanks for the reminder.

  • http://twitter.com/natedevore Nate Devore

    Very interesting post Jeff. I agree with some points but with the new iFrame feature, you get to host all of your content (not your wall of course) on your own server. I see Facebook as a foundation for other services to build on and don’t see it fading away like Myspace.

    Thanks for the neat perspective!

    Nate.

  • http://twitter.com/dbvickery Brian Vickery

    I really enjoyed this read. As a new blogger, I appreciated the points you made for keeping that independent blog versus getting sucked into the Facebook vortex where we would lose control (and I’m already an avid Facebook user from a “personal” perspective). Thanks, Jeff. I will enjoy retweeting this one.

  • J.W.

    From my short experience blogging - facebook leads.  You have to serve your blog, like a “cake to your guests” – but with facebook – they are already eating, you simply have to join in. 

  • http://cheap-family-holiday.com Rogburton

    I think there are an awesome amount of people who would tend to disagree …. but if they searched their souls as to why …. it would merely be the amount of time and effort they have already invested in Facebook. Personally I agree with you.

  • http://cheap-family-holiday.com Rogburton

    I think there are an awesome amount of people who would tend to disagree …. but if they searched their souls as to why …. it would merely be the amount of time and effort they have already invested in Facebook. Personally I agree with you.

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  • http://euonymous.wordpress.com euonymous

    Points well taken. I thought you were going to ding them on the email address raid and change policy. I can’t believe they were arrogant enough to think they could take over your mobile phone address book and alter email addresses. Facebook appears to be its own worst enemy right now. At least now that the IPO is over ;-)

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  • http://twitter.com/3xperts Steven Morell

    Nice write Jeff, but you got the title wrong. It should read “5 reasons to have your own blog” – You don’t mention a single reason NOT to have a facebook page…

  • http://twitter.com/3xperts Steven Morell

    Hm… “6 Reasons NOT to have a FB page” – Which of his 6 good reasons to have a website (which are all good and right) is actually a reason “NOT to have a FB page”? – Where did I go wrong? Did I miss something?

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  • Ashutosh

    You are right in sharing your thoughts but you cannot deny the fact that using a Facebook Page, you are helping yourselves in spreading a word about your posts. Using it only as a media for promotion could have better results.