Facing Up to Facebook

In a new development for the Zeiger Family Homestead blog, we have created a page on Facebook.

I’ve always known that a lot of bloggers create Facebook pages for their site, but I’ve never really been clear on why. After all, Facebook is kind of a mini-blog, so if you’re already blogging elsewhere, it seems redundant.

Last weekend, a friend pointed out the advantages, mainly having to do with promoting the blog. She convinced me that it was worth setting up a Facebook page.

So, friends of this blog can now “like” it on Facebook and follow us there. If you’re a Facebook user, it’s an easy way to tell your friends about the site.

Beyond that, I see other advantages from my point of view.

Specifically, I’ve always considered myself more of an essayist than a blogger; I’ve tried to craft each post as an essay rather than a journal entry. As such, there’s less allowance for shorter pieces, random musings, quick observations a propos of nothing, and the like. The new Facebook page seems like a good outlet for that sort of thing; if readers show specific interest in a topic there, I can always expand on it here. It also gives me a venue for photographs that may not have a whole post to support them.

I’ve added the media block toward the top of the column on the right side of this page. Surely you recognize the Facebook icon, as well as the other Internet tools, including a direct link to our email, which seems like another improvement worth making.

“Like” us, and enjoy!

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2 Responses to Facing Up to Facebook

  1. BW says:

    I hope you don’t post too much on Facebook that you won’t publish here. My wife and I permanently deleted our Facebook accounts (due to FB’s horrible and ever changing privacy policies) and we would not be able to access your musings there. Additionally, adding Facebook code to your site allows Facebook the ability to track your traffic and visitors to your site.

  2. Mark Zeiger says:

    Hi BW, not to worry–this has come at the end of a long debate on just these issues. And, if I wasn’t totally frustrated with Facebook before, creating this new page has clinched it–it’s been almost impossible to do even the simplest things with the new account or my “private” account (SO much denial required to even use that word in reference to FB!) since I started it.

    As I mentioned above, most of what goes up there would be stuff that doesn’t make it here because it’s incomplete, too short, or otherwise not blogworthy. I’m very determined to continue to offer my best work here on our Website and blog, not on Facebook.

    Right now, the best thing I’m offering on FB is a sneak peak at what the upcoming blog post will be–when I’m organized enough to write a post ahead of the post date. The irony is that the Facebook page is finally bringing the blog to the attention of those for whom it was originally created: my family and friends. Many of them are only now discovering this site after 4 years of me telling them about it in conversations and letters.

    I’m not happy about Facebook being able to track my visitors, but that’s a cost of doing Internet “business,” I’m afraid. I’m sure we’re all being tracked by them, by Google, Twitter, and WordPress (the blog platform). Those are the ones we know about–I’m sure there are others. This is not a safe or private playground!

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