I read an article about how Facebook is experiencing record usage during Covid outbreak. Since we have forced in to indoors record usage on the social networks happens. Zuckerberg said; “In a time of disaster, people rely more on social services … we are seeing surges in traffic, especially in areas most affected”.
I have several pages at Facebook and I have an account since 2007. Time to time I take a break of it. Last ten years I believe I’m using more, since G+ closed down more. One of them is about photography. I saw the “photographer” page has some special selling options on it. I wondered how it is going to work, so I created one. I’m interested in taking photos with my mobile phone since my Siemens S55 phone in 2003.
Well honestly the page’s selling part did not work well on Facebook, because all images are downloadable. Why people should pay for it when they are able to download it? Anyway I kept the page and still sharing my photos just for fun. I don’t exactly remember when, but last few years Facebook is trying to earn money to spread my images on its platform. The algorithm was asking for me to pay to spread the images soo often. Facebook was asking for XX$ or XXTL (depending on where I am) to spread the post to XXXXX amount of people.
People did not want to pay me since they were downloading, why should I pay Facebook, since it has a share button? I signed in many groups and started to share my images without paying Facebook. I guess many people were doing same. So here came limits! My account was blocked many times by Facebook, because I was sharing my own images throughout the page I created.
I really don’t think this is fair!! Because the image selling page was allowing people to download, and on top of it my account was blocked down many times because of “communıty standards”.. which was the limitation. The limit was 10 times, If I share images through my page continuously 10 times was the reason to be blocked down!
At the beginning of this year thank God they did give up on such a blocking.
Then I think with Covid their marketing strategy has changed too, now the page doesn’t ask any money to spread my images. I think this marketing strategy – aka “community standards”- to earn money from users is irritating!
Can small businesses do marketing on Facebook with Facebook’s marketing tools? I think the only positive thing about those tools is businesses can measure their marketing.
So I don’t think Facebook will earn as much as it can be from small businesses throughout pages while small businesses may earn some with just sharing posts from their accounts. I think Facebook lost small businesses, since there are many more other solution for them. So I believe “Page” time is over.Follow up my next article about what is going to be next in Facebook.
Bye for now..
©Oya Şanlı, June 2, 2020