Facebook Fan Page Netiquette

Here is a little wisdom for anybody who is managing a Facebook Fan Page.

Managing a page allows you to send updates to fans at any time. These updates appear on the user's homepage in the same location as friend requests and application invites. I am currently a fan of about 2 dozen artists on Facebook. Some of these artists I have yet to receive an update from and some I receive updates from all the time that are of little or no value to me. For example, this morning I received an update from British piano jazzer Jamie Cullum asking me to participate in a contest in which I would win free tickets to a concert in London. While a trip to London to see Jamie perform would be nothing short of a dream come true, I can't help but feel a little irritated that I had to take time out from my morning routine to read a marketing message that was of no value to me. Unlike a myspace bulletin, fans are obligated to read the updates in order for the '1 new update' message to disappear from the homepage.

Here is what I strongly suggest. Use Facebook updates sparingly for very important messages that are applicable to all fans.

*New Album Release
*New Video Premiere
*Large-scale contest with wide fan appeal
*Tour announcement with all dates confirmed

Fans will appreciate this and resist the temptation to 'De-Fan' you from their profile if you respect their space.

Here is a useful alternative. For lesser communication with fans that does not fall into the 'update' category, install the 'Notes' application and simply post a new note. It will post to your fan page for awhile but more importantly a large number of your fans will see it in their own status feed. This way they are able to determine the value of the message for themselves and click on it only if it is applicable to them. Think of a note as a myspace bulletin with a much higher probability that your fans will actually see it.

Always communicate with your fans online in a way that is unintrusive and provides value rather than interruption.