The term 'fan page' itself resonates as something self-serving. A place where your raving fans can find you; those that gravitate to you, excited at the thought of just being connected with you in some form. But that's just one form that a Facebook Fan Page *could* be used as. Just as Twitter allows us to choose between conversing and broadcasting, does Facebook allow us to choose how we utilize our profiles or fan pages. They can be as much, or little, about the community as you want it to be. It's up to your level of interaction and how you use the fan page to really see it for what it's worth.
Just thinking of this from a larger scale, Chris. For you, I don't doubt that you deleted it because it wasn't being utilized to serve your community and the people who want to connect with you. For that, I applaud you for this move - but Fan Pages still have the ability to help people/companies connect with their community ('fans') and create an environment that's both engaging and interactive.
For your shortest blog post ever, you probably pulled out one of my longer comments here ;)
Kristin T. (@kt_writes)
· 6 months ago
I get the sentiment, and I appreciate the intention, but it just doesn't seem to change anything. As someone else said earlier in the comments, like it or not, it IS about you. You have branded yourself using YOUR name, YOU speak all over the world, and you make a living sharing YOUR thoughts and ideas.
Because of who YOU are, you've also gathered together a significant community of people who feel connected to one another because of YOU. I don't see anything wrong with that, and I think it's kind of silly to pretend that's not the reality. I get the sense that you're very worried that people will see you as self-centered, but from my perspective, an act like this sort of over-compensates and ends up having the opposite effect. I don't think you come across as self-centered, so just be yourself and drop the drama.
ChrisDonaldson
· 6 months ago
Nice provocative post. "Because it's not about me" would make a hell of a good tagline for social media as a whole. But I'm not convinced that FB fan pages can't be about community, so I'd be interested to know the real reasons why - especially since the tools will grow and be there eventually.
Chris - be honest - certainly you're not going to pass up the opportunity to register www.facebook.com/chrisbrogan on Saturday morning, are you? Doubtful.
I remember when I passed up the chance to participate in a real early gMail beta for Google in 2002-2003. "I don't need another email account," I thought. What I didn't realize is my potential username of ChrisDonaldson would be associated with ALL things Google - not just gmail. So now, someone else has that cool handle. Regrets.
Can't wait to get more insight on your decision.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
Not for a fan page. For my profile, yes.
jeremyvaught
· 3 weeks ago
oops :)
AmberNaslund
· 6 months ago
I'm really, really amazed by how many people are absolutely literal. And dense.
Chris' point, for those of you ready to pounce all over him because you misread his statement, is that he feels the fan page is about him. He wants it - this, the discussion, the community, and the content - to be about you. So he removed it.
And if you think Facebook is somewhere Chris needs to be to build his community there instead of, say, here at his home base, why not tell him what you find valuable on and about that site instead and why? Isn't this stuff what we make of it? Instead of just telling Chris he's doing it wrong, why not offer something insightful instead? Sheesh.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Looking back it seems as if most of the people that disagreed with Chris's action did support their arguments as well.
The general consensus seems to be that Facebook can be engaging and interactive. It's all what you make of it.
Maybe the real question is why is it okay to use Twitter to build his community and not Facebook? I understand that multiple hubs of communication can become hard to manage, however there are ways to help manage and centralize ones identity across multiple networks without limiting yourself to one.
So now it's on you ... why shouldn't he be on Twitter?
Sonny Gill
· 6 months ago
It is what you make of it, which I stated, but that's of general thought on how you *could* use it. From what I know, Chris didn't see the value of having a fan page for himself and that it didn't serve his community. For that, he deleted it.
But what's the correlation to Twitter and serving his community there? He felt the Fan Page wasn't best suited for his community so he took it down, Twitter obviously is a great platform for him and others to connect w/other, as more importantly is his blog. Not sure how it's related if its how he felt of Fan Pages - regardless of our ideas on how it could be used.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Well that's what I am looking for. If Chris was using it and no one was communicating or it was full of spam, I could see taking it down because his community is not benefiting from it.
But he didn't say any of that. All he said was "Because it’s not about me."
The truth is Facebook can be a great place to build a community.
Gary Vaynerchuk, Robert Scoble, Peter Shankman and Savvy Auntie all have active communities on Facebook, Chris can surely have an active community there too.
AmberNaslund
· 6 months ago
I'm saying, quite simply, that it's up to him. I'm not saying any one is right or wrong. And I'm saying that MY opinion isn't the one that counts.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Okay. Well everyone else here is trying to understand the thought process behind his decision. It's obviously his decision and none of our comments matter when it comes down to it.
But I thought he did care about what we had to say .... isn't that the point?
AmberNaslund
· 6 months ago
Yes, of course that's the point. But it's not about the legitimacy of Facebook in general. It's about whether it's working for Chris and the way he wants to nurture, grow, and contribute to his community.
Whether or not FB "can" be great isn't the point. It didn't make Chris comfortable, so he took it down. Whether or not it works for someone else is irrelevant.
And what I'm asking is for people to say, Chris, I find your FB presence valuable because X and I'll miss it because Y, not "other people do it so you're doing it wrong if you deleted it". There are some great comments here that articulate the former very well.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Chris never said he didn't feel comfortable, he said "Because it’s not about me." .... now all we can do it try and figure out what that means, and that's what everyone here has been trying to do.
And I still think people have been doing a good job articulating why he should be on Facebook.
We can debate the meaning of this post and what constitutes as a good comment or a bad one forever and will get nowhere until Chris himself explains his actions in more detail. I think that's what people are looking for here.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
Isn't it more fun to see what you come up with instead?
What's kind of funny is that very few people asked why. They just posited opinions.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Well you can never expect any one type of response to anything in social media, we're all going to interact and respond based on how we perceive the situation.
That said, I think your commenters do a fairly good job of covering all the bases in that respect.
What sticks out to me is you saying "...why he should be on Facebook."
Why *should* he? Because he's one of social media's 'big boys'? Or because Facebook *can* be used to build community? Regardless of the answer, it didn't fit what he wanted out of it - that should be reason enough, IMO.
The Franchise King
· 6 months ago
I respectfully and totally disagree, Chris. Even though it IS all about the folks that we can help in our individual businesses, we have to be found, and part of that {I learned this from you, Chris} is that we have to foster communities.
In my "The Franchise King" Facebook page, for instance, wouldn't it be terrific if a franchise owner that I helped get into a franchise business, received some much needed help and advice from another "fan" of mine. I mean, I cannot be always help, when asked...
I feel that the folks that I INVITED, know me, like me, and hope to receive some type of benefit from being amongst other like-minded, and chosen people.
For me, it is not about ego. It;s about putting myself out there.
The Franchise King Joel Libava
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
So you just explained why YOU do it. Awesome.
: )
The Franchise King
· 6 months ago
Thank you, Chris.
I hope we'll finally get to meet in person, someday. I am planning on going to BlogWorld 09.
Are you going this year?
Anyone else that commented; Are you going to attend?
The Franchise King Joel Libava
Justin
· 6 months ago
Best blog ever.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
Nice NIN pic, but I was hoping you would expand a bit more as to why you deleted it. I thought Facebook could be whatever you want it to be.
However, for me I choose to keep it very personal. That is why I would have deleted the fan page.
So what do you mean when you say that it is not about you?
gradontripp
· 6 months ago
Jon, I'd say Chris explained it fully. Chris is about community. Fan pages are about celebrating the person. The two don't jive, so he took it down.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
I don't agree.
Like I said, a Facebook page can be whatever you want it to be. If you set it up to celebrate yourself then that is what it's going to be.
Community implies social interaction with other people about a certain topic or idea. How do discussions and wall posts not accomplish this.
I have chosen to remove my facebook fan page because I have a facebook friends account, and that's enough, and because I have twitter, and a blog, and plenty of platforms.
Being on every tool doesn't make me easier to reach. It makes me spread thinner and less able to interact.
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
I agree being on every Tool doesn't make you easier to reach, but Facebook is far more mainstream than Twitter and allows for greater communication and discussions.
From my point of view, none of my friends or family are on Twitter and none of them follow blogs regularly. However they are all on Facebook and are checking each others activity constantly. It would be easier for me to point them to a Facebook fan page of yours than Twitter or your Blog because they understand Facebook.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
I don't disagree that FB has more users. More isn't always better, though. Agree?
And again, this is just about my perspective about my fan page. I haven't passed judgment on anyone else's points.
YMMV
JonBishop
· 6 months ago
You are correct.
But I still can't direct my friends and family to your fan page. That is all. I will still read your blog and follow your tweets.
Barking Dog rules.
Ari Herzog
· 6 months ago
You're missing a key element here, Chris; and it has nothing to do with me. You can't compare your Facebook profile to your blog, Twitter, and other platforms. The only analogy that works is your LinkedIn account; each require mutuality.
I can read your blog and I can comment on your blog, and you don't need to give me permission.
I can read your tweets and I can reply or retweet your tweets, and you don't need to give me permission.
A Facebook fan page is the same as a Twitter account; you don't need to approve me to be your fan. So, by deleting your Facebook fan page with the rationale you have "plenty of platforms" is essentially the same as deleting your Twitter account.
You can't have it both ways, Chris. Logic prevents it.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
I guess you're right.
ByronNewMedia
· 6 months ago
Chris, you consistently amaze me. You are so crystal clear on what it means to lead in Social Media. This is pure genius. Dean
Cecil
· 6 months ago
Well who's fault is that?
elysa
· 6 months ago
Chris - thanks for always providing us with exactly what we need to know ... and nothing more :)
Chris
· 6 months ago
My company has a Facebook fan page and I use it to give shout-outs to clients who achieve something big. You have to use the fan pages correctly or not at all, in my opinion.
tami mccarthy
· 6 months ago
Wait a second! You have to use Fan Pages "correctly' -- are you the self appointed Chief of correct fan pages. I think it's pretty safe to say that the Fan Page on Facebook thing is a pretty straightforward process that a lot of people are using quite well and for great reasons. IMO, like anyone else, you can choose to use whatever SM tool you want, but broadcasting why you didn't is in fact about...well, you. Let's remember, SM is still relatively new for a lot of companies, and Fan Pages can be an effective early step to help build/engage community. It's another way for someone to find out information on -- or connect with -- a company or person or product, or whatever, without going to a corporate web site, and a great way to see who else engages with the brand in a positive way. At some point you created a Fan Page for yourself, otherwise you wouldn't have had something to delete. Not sure of the shift, but obviously you had a need for it at some point. Why would it be *correct* then, or *correct* to put up a fan page for your company to give shout out to clients, isn't that an inadvertent pat on your own back?? Sorry, but I think this was a disappointing post.
Average Jane
· 6 months ago
Yes, but you can still allow yourself to serve as a focal point for a community of people with related interests. That's the best use for a Facebook fan page, IMO.
robin2go
· 6 months ago
To the point.
Nice.
BarbaraKB
· 6 months ago
It's about the search engines?
justbloglah
· 6 months ago
I like all the posts.
Rebecca Leaman
· 6 months ago
Best 5-word blog post ever.
Xavierism
· 6 months ago
Exactly what I was planning to write! :)
paulmerrill
· 6 months ago
You're the best, Chris!!
Humility is greatly under-rated by many - but you GET it.
Amber Rae Lambke
· 6 months ago
Haha, this is fantastic. thank you.
Mary Canady
· 6 months ago
However...creating a Fan Page allows people who are, well, your fans, to comment on your ideas and communicate with each other, so don't you think it's worthwhile? A 'tribe', so to speak?
Skye Callan
· 6 months ago
That's a great pic! I missed NIN on the recent tour. =/
I was also hoping you'd expand a bit more on why you deleted your Facebook fan page...
Inner Genius Coach
· 6 months ago
Grand new perspective! I will think about this some more.
Iyabo Asani
Todd
· 6 months ago
Loved it! BUT think a fan page can be a great hub for *your* community - a place to share/connect - focused not on you, but on those who are in (or want to be in) your orbit.
Rebecca
· 6 months ago
A better action and subsequent title would have been "How I created value and community on my Facebook fan page."
Because I've seen people and companies that are able to do that.
John McTigue
· 6 months ago
Chris, you're a social media celebrity. Like it or not, it is about you.
ajmunn
· 6 months ago
I see this as an illustration of the shift happening in the world as the Information age stakes it's claim over from the Industrial age.
This social media stuff is about how we connect, how we communicate and how we collaborate. It is the tools we use to do this and the open, collaborative ethos behind social media, more than the individual networks or the personalities.
As usual Chris you are leading.
David Niall Wilson
· 6 months ago
I agree. I find those things narcissistic, and silly...FB is for connecting with "Friends" and contacts...not for being idolized...those folks can hang out at Myspace :)
Rick Heil
· 6 months ago
I suppose you've just answered the ultimate question of "fan" style sites and pages - do you want the users to interact with you and your content, or each other about your content?
Kimberly LeRiche
· 6 months ago
I get it. It makes sense. Good for you.
Dude
· 6 months ago
Right on Chris. THis is awesome. Best post I have read this year.
LavaLilly
· 6 months ago
you know, I agree. I use my maiden name there on a "profile", because I love Facebook for connecting with friends and family. But the fan page thing... well said.
Vijay Rayapati
· 6 months ago
Best one line blog post I ever read :)
Kim Fenolio
· 6 months ago
I can understand deleting the the fan page because it's not about you. Do you still plan to keep your persona Facebook profile? Standard profiles have a friend limit of 5,000 people. Fan pages didn't have a limit. In removing the fan page, aren't you in essence limiting people from connecting with you on Facebook?
Jim Brochowski
· 6 months ago
The more I thought about this after you asked about fan pages, I think you made the right decision. Fan pages for companies and organizations - okay. For individuals - Well I think you said it best.
For the folks that want that to be a "hub," I would say this blog is Chris' hub. How many hubs does one need?
Chris_in_Canada
· 6 months ago
I agree, everything you hand us each day is a gift, a nugget, except maybe this point. Social Media is about reaching out to those places where your fans or potential fans live on the web rather than expecting them to come to you (kind of like Government Portals). Isn't it all about making it easy for them to connect with you.
Unless I'm missing the boat, it is about you. No matter how you slice it, those people are there for you, or because of you....like minded people meeting in the place of their choice to 'talk' about those golden nuggets you pass to us each and every day, a way to connect on their terms about you.
Colin Alsheimer
· 6 months ago
Hah. Thanks for the answer. I've heard bits and pieces from this debate. Good to hear your stance on it, however short it may be.
Deanna Lawrence
· 6 months ago
True, it’s about me, but without digital tools to connect us how does your (influence) mesh with the digital me? How will our combined presence be absorbed into the digital chi/sprit of another?
Witty
· 6 months ago
your facebook page was an RSS feed of your blog posts? so, are you deleting your blog too, since it's not about you?
by it not being about you, you are making it about you..
you're so hip, dude
Emory Cook
· 6 months ago
This is ridiculous. I read all these comments that praise you for your revolutionary social media tactics when in the end, I wonder if this is just another way to draw sensationalized attention to yourself.
Facebook is a wonderful medium to reach and connect with followers. It isn't really supposed to be about you, is it? It's about them. It's about helping people and finding ways to interact. Those Facebook fans of yours valued your opinion and now you've shut them out. A Facebook page is a forum that fosters interaction and debate on a personal level, with photos, discussion boards and, arguably, more information than any tweet can provide.
You deleted your Facebook page because it's not about you? What a joke!
AmberNaslund
· 6 months ago
You missed the point entirely.
The point was that BECAUSE the page is focused on him instead of on his community, he deleted it. If your comment above is the extent of your knowledge about Chris' intentions, you've not been paying attention.
tami mccarthy
· 6 months ago
Amber - I think it's irresponsible of Chris. Look at the poor woman's comments who worked so diligently building her fan page, only to read Chris' post, and now she's utterly confused and feels she has done the "wrong" thing. Others are no doubt feeling this way, who know how many, because not everyone will post a comment... If you go out there, building yourself up and touting all you are doing in the SM space, including blogging & tweeting about your every move as Chris does, then you have a responsibility to be careful with your words as you make these decisions. IMO, it was bad judgement and in poor taste to handle it in the manner he did. He should have said he made a personal decision to take down his Fan Page, because that's what it was. And he should have been more sensitive to those that leverage the tool to help build/community and engagement. Or perhaps, Chris has forgotten what that was like when he was getting started?
AmberNaslund
· 6 months ago
Tami, those are well articulated points. My comment above was in response to someone who misinterpreted Chris' intentions. You're free to disagree with his approach, absolutely.
I just wish others would follow your lead and explain WHY they disagree, as opposed to being obtuse, confrontational, and defensive.
Emory Cook
· 6 months ago
I did not misinterpret Chris' intentions. I follow his blog and his tweets. I know what he says about putting focus on customers and community. But this proves to me that Chris, like so many other social media 'experts', misunderstand Facebook. A pity.
If he was smart, he would learn how to use Facebook. All he ever did on his Facebook fan page was link it to these blog posts. He didn't USE it like he should have. No discussions. No forums. No user-involvement of any kind. He didn't use Facebook as a tool to connect with his fans. So he deletes his page and posts some sort of existential rubbish-post about it on his blog? I love Chris, but give me a break.
PromoMarketer
· 6 months ago
Sensationalized attention? I hardly think so. Unless some choose to make a mountain out of it. I don't see where he shut out people anywhere.
You can still follow Chris on Twitter and engage with him there or on any of his blog posts. That's where he chooses to connect with people.
Nothing really has changed except a deleted page for the reason he cited.
DaveG
· 6 months ago
I'm not going to read your blog anymore....it's just not about me. Or maybe you're just too cool for me.
iGoByDoc
· 6 months ago
Excellent and I agree this is the "Best 5-word blog post ever".
Not really big on the fan page idea for personal usage myself... but then again, it's not like I have over 5000 people dying to read what I have to say on Facebook anyway. LOL
Kudos to you for pulling the plug!
Doc
Solveig Muus
· 6 months ago
Having just started Silk Road Spirit's Fan Page last week, and worked my tail off for a week to learn the app and to ramp it up to 65 fans it now has, I'm dismayed to discover it may be a wasted effort. Or worse yet, somehow narcissistic. Is it, or isn't it, a place for fans to come and register their comments or complaints, view your merchandise, see your event schedule...? It seems I'm hopelessly behind the social media curve once again!
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
Er, um, the post was about why *I* deleted *my* post, not "you're a bad person."
Solveig Muus
· 6 months ago
Nah... it just seems that by the time I finally get to the party, someone tells me the party's moved. Just trying to keep up, and I consider you one of the leaders in the this field. If you're saying you're over it -- and all these folks are writing that your comments are 'brilliant,' I know I should rethink. Thanks for giving me some new ideas to consider.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
It's definitely a personal take, though. The FAN page doesn't make sense for MY business. Yours is probably different. My business is focused on bringing human back to the web, so making people into "fans" isn't my goal.
Chuck Reynolds
· 6 months ago
well played sir... simply stated and effective.
PromoMarketer
· 6 months ago
Chris, you're one of the first of many good people I've met and engaged with on Twitter. All this time, you've maintained your stature from pure hard work evident from the posts you share, networking and extensive travel. I've never detected ego from you and clearly, you could have filled up a fan page. By removing it - in 5 short words - you succeeded in explaining the true meaning of social media-ness. Building communities, reaching out, teaching, learning and sharing. Leaders / innovators don't play the celebrity game. You done good by me!
SaraKate
· 6 months ago
Absolutely right. If your 'fans' want a place to talk or gravitate, why not do so here, where they can interact with you personally?
I love how concise and relevant your entry is and, though I didn't see the fan page, it could be taken one of two ways: either the fan page didn't jive with you - your ideas, ideals, and overall essence OR that the point is that what you write about isn't YOU, but community. So, literally and figuratively, you've made your point in one sentence. ROCK ON.
marilyn58
· 6 months ago
To me, Fan Pages can be pretty much what you want them to be. I think the word "fan" is what bugs people ... myself included. My posts on my Page are there to lead viewers to things that might be helpful or interesting to them, and the feed from my blog which covers diverse topics. It isn't just there to show off my works. They are what you make of them, and I don't subscribe to other Pages because I am a 'raving lunatic fan' but because I am interested in what they are doing and what they have to say.... same as I follow on twitter, stumble or clipmarks - for an exchange of information.
krissy knox
· 6 months ago
Because it's all about community. You get it. I don't know what else to say, except you amaze me, but I won't say that, LOL, bc you wouldn't like it, you're too humble for that, LOL. Keep being you,
If you think this anything about getting attention, you obviously don't know Chris.
I'm amazed at how many of the comments have gravitated toward the defense of Facebook and the anger and backlash for a simple personal decision. Facebook, Twitter, whatever social media outlet isn't for everyone. Where does it say that Facebook Fan Pages are bad for everyone? It doesn't.
Chris decided that a fan page about him didn't serve his community. The conversation that preceded the move on Twitter was all about making it about others. He made the decision that his fan page didn't do that for him. It's called living your values.
Emory Cook
· 6 months ago
It didn't serve his community because he didn't use it correctly. That show poor judgement and a lack of knowledge on his part. It also alienates many of his fans.
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
Wow, you've got me pegged. You should stop following my work now and get a jump on the massive exodus.
SaraKate
· 6 months ago
The only thing it shows is that Chris Brogan doesn't choose to use a Facebook fan page to interact with people. He would rather use this blog and twitter, email, his personal Facebook page, etc. There's nothing wrong with that.
Also, see his above comment about spreading too thin with too many SM tools.
John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises)
· 6 months ago
Chris, I happened to see one of your tweets pre-deletion, and then subsequently saw the deletion announcement itself.
As it turns out, I just joined two Facebook fan pages - one for Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist/blogger David Allen, and the other for the Upland (California) public library. Why? Because of common interests. The people who join a Facebook fan page share a common interest - not necessarily a hero worship of you or of David Allen, but of the things that you and Allen choose to talk about.
And if you're going to establish communities somewhere or another, doesn't it make sense to maintain a community on one of the top social media services in terms of numbers?
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
It's great to have a fan page there. Enjoy it. I just chose not to have one for me. I'm not telling folks to drop their fan pages. The post was about me.
Lucretia (GeekMommy) Pruitt
· 6 months ago
I actually love the post, but I'm laughing about the irony of a comment that says "The post was about me" with regard to a post that simply says "Because it’s not about me" -- I'm probably the only one finding that amusing, but I had to point it out, because there was something that just made me laugh. (No judgment call on that one - I actually get the distinction... unless of course you delete this post - then we end up in an infinite loop!) ;)
Chris Brogan
· 6 months ago
I really and honestly laughed out loud when I wrote that reply, but I'm happiest that YOU caught it.
Deanna Lawrence
· 6 months ago
This post certainly inspired debate!
AngelaConnor
· 6 months ago
Wow, the comments here are really interesting. My take: There are some people out there who *enjoy* being fans. If not, rock stars would be out of business. We equate fans with that kind of stardom, but one can be a fan in a way that is low key. If I am a fan of a persons work, it is simply that, nothing more..nothing less. It doesn't mean I'm going to go stake out the next conference with my lawn chair and battery-operated radio, prepared to stay overnight to hear their keynote address. It all about the way you interpret having fans. We all want and need fans. Just maybe not to the degree we have placed on the concept. Chris clearly doesn't like the connotation. To each his own. Again, the conversation here is very interesting. Gald I stopped by today.
Doug
· 6 months ago
Chris makes an excellent point!
For some business and organizations, however, it's not a choice to have a fan page. If you need to provide pictures of your product to your "fans", Facebook will usually get around to asking you to create a fan page to do your "advertising." Facebook profiles are meant to be for individuals to communicate to each other, friends and family. The connections are family, schools, organizations one participates in and companies one works for. If you own the business and you're "advertising", it's kind of not what Facebook was supposed to be about.
I think if you want to create community around your product, or if you want to do low-level advertising, a fan page is the way to go. If you want to tell us what you ate this morning or what precious thing your kid said, you should leave it on the profile.
Mandy Vavrinak
· 6 months ago
My bottom line for this is... goodness, it's his choice. He (and anyone else) has the right to build community wherever he chooses... and to not engage in forums he doesn't want to... for whatever reason.
I don't use Plurk, rarely update my LinkedIn profile, and have a hard time seeing the value of Namyz. Yeah, I get that Chris has a MUCH bigger following/rep/presence than I do... but that doesn't obligate him to be anywhere. Is it possible he'll miss out on some opportunity to connect because he's NOT on FB? Sure... it's likely there are some folks who ONLY follow him there. That doesn't make the decision "wrong" – it's still HIS decision and not one that should keep folks up at night. Really.
Kneale Mann (@knealemann)
· 6 months ago
(Chris, sorry for the third-person talk)
I am a fan of Chris Brogan and his work and his sharing. He is one of the reasons I was tossed in the deep end of sharing and social media. I agree with Amber, if you are fan then support his work and share yourself.
Ask yourself how you can contribute. He asks himself that question every single day, that is why we are fans.The conversation is what's important. And let's not lose the fact that has a bright marketing mind and is not only a forward thinker, but a forward doer.
Cheers, Mr. Brogan - keep sharing and stay curious!
km
Ethan Yarbrough
· 6 months ago
Facebook fan pages should be about delivering value to your community. But you already do that here everyday, so the fan page was redundant. Good move.
Alexa Scordato
· 6 months ago
Chris,
I can't believe you deleted your fan page! I specifically remember being on an Amtrak train going from New York to Boston and volunteering to "unfriend" you so you could add more people on your account. I was under the impression that more people wanted to connect with you as friends, but due to Facebook's limit, you couldn't add more. Fan pages are the perfect solution to that.
Your reputation speaks for itself... we know it's not about you. :)
tami mccarthy
· 6 months ago
The bottom line is it was an arrogant post. It is his decision, and it was a personal one. But for someone who is squarely planted in the SM space, it was poor judgement. Who really cares if he has a fan page or not...that's not what people are reacting to. It was how he chose to communicate it to an audience that follows him. And for anyone, any company starting out in social media for their own brand or cause, it sends a confusing message. Obviously, he had a Fan Page. It would have been way more respectful and downright classy to explain to his audience the Why behind it. And if he feels that one word sentence is enough, then people should reconsider who they follow, listen to, and why. It's like a wild goose chase. And frankly, don't we all have better things to do with our time?
ericbrown
· 6 months ago
12 words. 12 words and you made me think. Congrats...don't think that has ever been done in such a small number of words.
brianhester
· 6 months ago
THANK YOU!!!! Ego's need to GO!
jon b
· 6 months ago
Incredible.
Gina Kay Landis
· 6 months ago
re: the FB (now fiasco in some people's minds) - not a big deal. Go deep where you can make the most difference in people's businesses and lives.
Now there are FB "experts" that may disagree, and it would be interesting to hear their logical opinions versus all the chaff of blaming and emotional reaction.
Cheers, gk
Amy Shropshire
· 6 months ago
Humility in social networking. Refreshing. I'm still a fan. :)
Lucretia (GeekMommy) Pruitt
· 6 months ago
Of course it's not about you - we all know it's about me. So what do you think of me? ;)
(Seriously, don't answer that - I'm up at 1:30a after a day of surrealistic news, so I have a warped sense of humor and you know I don't mean anything by it other than a 'check... makes sense to me' kind of way.)
Sharon Hearty
· 6 months ago
Wow Chris this got everybody hot and bothered. A great test of the lengths the community will go to discuss and push out an opinion. Great case study. ;)
Lara Kretler
· 6 months ago
Five more words for you, Chris: This is why you rock.
suzemuse
· 6 months ago
Dude, it's your stuff - do what you want! Have a blog, don't have a blog....have a Facebook page, don't have one...does it really matter?
Doesn't matter who it's about - what it's NOT about, is the tools. At some point, hopefully, people will start to realize THAT.
Pranav Bhasin
· 6 months ago
Chris - If it was called a "Facebook Page" instead of a "Facebook Fan Page", would you still delete it?
Just trying to assess how big an impact the presentation of a feature can have on end users.
Brindey Weber
· 6 months ago
I feel like somewhere, a few months ago, you said something to the effect that you created your fan page because too many people wanted to be your friend on facebook and you ran out of room....didn't you? Did someone else say that? I could be wrong... But if I am right.......then wasn't your fan page Part II of your "friends" list? And you virtually rejected all those friend requests?
Travis Campbell
· 6 months ago
Anyone notice the tag for this post 'cultofpersonality' - nice. Chris, as I scroll through the fuel of this post (comments) and learn why you chose this, I understand. There is a tension between personal branding and the perception of being self-adorationist (is that a word? :-). From this end of the post, there seems to be two issues here. Branding, and personality. You are branded very well...with, well, you. Great for many reasons, yet has it's share of downfalls. One being, your personality (if I'm reading you correctly) is uncomfortable with it becoming too much about you. I share such sentiments.
The great thing about social media is what you have demonstrated in this act. There are no rules. We are all figuring this thing out as we go. And true, it is good to be found everywhere possible online for branding purposes, but as you state, it doesn't necessarily make us better participants (spread so thin).
Julie Perry
· 6 months ago
Amen. For some, a Facebook Fan Page makes sense. I understood it when Internet marketing "guru" John Reese did it--he'd reached the (at that time) friend limit and had many people expressing interest in connecting with him there. Note though that the friend limit has now been reached.
It certainly also makes sense when big name celebrities or companies do it. (Or rather, when the marketing teams BEHIND the big name celebrities' and companies' brands do it.) Mainly because, it doesn't make sense for a company to have a personal profile (I don't think)...And celebrities are protecting their privacy by not allowing friends to connect with them on their personal profiles; yet they still want a way for fans to connect.
As for others, let's get over the narcissism, shall we? You've got a personal Facebook profile (don't want to mix business with pleasure? then how about you take your business elsewhere and stop spamming me on Facebook), and you've probably got a Twitter account, a FriendFeed profile, a MySpace page (or 2 or 3 or 4 from back in the day), a LinkedIn page, and a YouTube Channel. OH, and a blog. ...Isn't that enough?
And for all the Fan Pages I've been invited to on Facebook lately, I really have to ask: Who ARE you??? And why do all your "fans" share your same last name and/or many of your same physical features? ;-) (Hi mom!)
dub.authentic
· 6 months ago
Hey Chris. I like the idea of deleting a fan page because it takes the focus off of you and places it on the information and insight you provide to so many of us. I'm sure you know this, but you HAVE fans. There are people that read your newsletters and blog all the time. Why put one more thing out there that says "Hey look! I'm popular". We know that, and you know that. So what? Your popular because of the work you do and the information you give.
To me, there's a difference in being a star and being a thought leader. Thought leaders promote and encourage progression. When the star fades, nobody cares.
Awesome post Chris.
gerardmclean
· 6 months ago
TECHNICALLY, it is a six word post. It's is a contraction of "it is"
Damn!! Who let the freaking English grammar geek in the fricking room??? Can't anyone shut a damn door around here? :-)
Kami Watson Huyse
· 6 months ago
Holy cow, who would have thought so many people would care about a silly Facebook fan page. When you first created it I didn't like the idea of a personal fan page created for oneself, but hey, I figured you were just experimenting - and trying to figure a way around the 5,000 friend limit on a personal page.
What amazes me is that a 5 word post has inspired one of the biggest outpourings of comments. Amazing what happens when you give people the space to make of something what they will. Get out of the way...
MLDina
· 6 months ago
Wow- quite a bit of buzz over such a short, but impactful post. I found the fanpage too much to maintain on top of profiles, groups, and all the social networks. That, and I feel silly running my own fan page :)
Plurk Layouts
· 6 months ago
LOL, I'm looking for the post, then I just saw that "Because it’s not about me." line. anyway, ur right..
Angelika Blendstrup
· 6 months ago
Chris, You dazzle with your clarity and brevity!
Lori Bee
· 6 months ago
Hi Chris. Thanks for making me think. I do always seek to engage others as Jeff Turner always says. But it is also about me, being me, and sharing who I am.
You make your choice, and I repsect that. I am just gonna "bee." :-)
Andrea Hill (afhill)
· 6 months ago
that could be read two ways:
1) the page is not centered around you 2) "it" - the reason for people to communicate and gather, is not for the purpose of being your fan.
I know which you meant. Just interesting that the phrase could be interpreted either way.
katrina Brogan
· 6 months ago
what is facebook? what are you people talking about?
ankaravizesi
· 6 months ago
good move
facebook fan page
· 3 months ago
Off course you can still allow yourself to serve as a focal point for a community of people with related interests. That's the best use for a Facebook fan page, IMO.
MKF
· 2 months ago
I really wish I COULD delete our band's fan page. When creating it, I encountered problems with the page. I cannot even access it to delete it, and have tried for months. It (and also an email from FB) says that the account is deleted, yet it is still there through searching. One band member is no longer with the band, and this is irritating for him. Our friends and followers get confused when searching for us. It is the number one listing on Google - and calls itself the "official page." Not to mention, some idiot on a blog has tagged the page and my name on a blog page that is frankly lewd, unprofessional, and totally unrelated to me or the band - and refuses to remove it due to his right to free speech. I have already set up a personal page for the band, but cannot get FB to simply remove the page. This is so incredibly exhausting to me. I now know why so many of my musician friends opt for the regular friend page for their followers.
J. Paul Duplantis
· 1 month ago
What a fascinating thread. I know it is old but I just happened across while looking to connect with Chris on Facebook. I know the chances are slim to connect as a friend (tried this before) so I thought he might have a fan page. My interest to connect with Chris is less about him and more about the information coming from his network. This would be the benefit of a fan page for Chris which is about me and not him.
But I love his willingness to share his thoughts on why he doesn't want a fan page and the time he spent on this thread discussing his position. It helps me evaluate why we have a fan page for certain.
All Comments
The term 'fan page' itself resonates as something self-serving. A place where your raving fans can find you; those that gravitate to you, excited at the thought of just being connected with you in some form. But that's just one form that a Facebook Fan Page *could* be used as. Just as Twitter allows us to choose between conversing and broadcasting, does Facebook allow us to choose how we utilize our profiles or fan pages. They can be as much, or little, about the community as you want it to be. It's up to your level of interaction and how you use the fan page to really see it for what it's worth.
Just thinking of this from a larger scale, Chris. For you, I don't doubt that you deleted it because it wasn't being utilized to serve your community and the people who want to connect with you. For that, I applaud you for this move - but Fan Pages still have the ability to help people/companies connect with their community ('fans') and create an environment that's both engaging and interactive.
For your shortest blog post ever, you probably pulled out one of my longer comments here ;)
Because of who YOU are, you've also gathered together a significant community of people who feel connected to one another because of YOU. I don't see anything wrong with that, and I think it's kind of silly to pretend that's not the reality. I get the sense that you're very worried that people will see you as self-centered, but from my perspective, an act like this sort of over-compensates and ends up having the opposite effect. I don't think you come across as self-centered, so just be yourself and drop the drama.
Chris - be honest - certainly you're not going to pass up the opportunity to register www.facebook.com/chrisbrogan on Saturday morning, are you? Doubtful.
I remember when I passed up the chance to participate in a real early gMail beta for Google in 2002-2003. "I don't need another email account," I thought. What I didn't realize is my potential username of ChrisDonaldson would be associated with ALL things Google - not just gmail. So now, someone else has that cool handle. Regrets.
Can't wait to get more insight on your decision.
Chris' point, for those of you ready to pounce all over him because you misread his statement, is that he feels the fan page is about him. He wants it - this, the discussion, the community, and the content - to be about you. So he removed it.
And if you think Facebook is somewhere Chris needs to be to build his community there instead of, say, here at his home base, why not tell him what you find valuable on and about that site instead and why? Isn't this stuff what we make of it? Instead of just telling Chris he's doing it wrong, why not offer something insightful instead? Sheesh.
The general consensus seems to be that Facebook can be engaging and interactive. It's all what you make of it.
Maybe the real question is why is it okay to use Twitter to build his community and not Facebook? I understand that multiple hubs of communication can become hard to manage, however there are ways to help manage and centralize ones identity across multiple networks without limiting yourself to one.
So now it's on you ... why shouldn't he be on Twitter?
But what's the correlation to Twitter and serving his community there? He felt the Fan Page wasn't best suited for his community so he took it down, Twitter obviously is a great platform for him and others to connect w/other, as more importantly is his blog. Not sure how it's related if its how he felt of Fan Pages - regardless of our ideas on how it could be used.
But he didn't say any of that. All he said was "Because it’s not about me."
The truth is Facebook can be a great place to build a community.
Gary Vaynerchuk, Robert Scoble, Peter Shankman and Savvy Auntie all have active communities on Facebook, Chris can surely have an active community there too.
But I thought he did care about what we had to say .... isn't that the point?
Whether or not FB "can" be great isn't the point. It didn't make Chris comfortable, so he took it down. Whether or not it works for someone else is irrelevant.
And what I'm asking is for people to say, Chris, I find your FB presence valuable because X and I'll miss it because Y, not "other people do it so you're doing it wrong if you deleted it". There are some great comments here that articulate the former very well.
And I still think people have been doing a good job articulating why he should be on Facebook.
We can debate the meaning of this post and what constitutes as a good comment or a bad one forever and will get nowhere until Chris himself explains his actions in more detail. I think that's what people are looking for here.
What's kind of funny is that very few people asked why. They just posited opinions.
That said, I think your commenters do a fairly good job of covering all the bases in that respect.
What sticks out to me is you saying "...why he should be on Facebook."
Why *should* he? Because he's one of social media's 'big boys'? Or because Facebook *can* be used to build community? Regardless of the answer, it didn't fit what he wanted out of it - that should be reason enough, IMO.
In my "The Franchise King" Facebook page, for instance, wouldn't it be terrific if a franchise owner that I helped get into a franchise business, received some much needed help and advice from another "fan" of mine. I mean, I cannot be always help, when asked...
I feel that the folks that I INVITED, know me, like me, and hope to receive some type of benefit from being amongst other like-minded, and chosen people.
For me, it is not about ego. It;s about putting myself out there.
The Franchise King
Joel Libava
: )
I hope we'll finally get to meet in person, someday. I am planning on going to BlogWorld 09.
Are you going this year?
Anyone else that commented; Are you going to attend?
The Franchise King
Joel Libava
However, for me I choose to keep it very personal. That is why I would have deleted the fan page.
So what do you mean when you say that it is not about you?
Like I said, a Facebook page can be whatever you want it to be. If you set it up to celebrate yourself then that is what it's going to be.
Community implies social interaction with other people about a certain topic or idea. How do discussions and wall posts not accomplish this.
Look at how Starbucks is using it: http://www.facebook.com/Starbucks?v=wall&viewas...
Looks like a community to me.
Being on every tool doesn't make me easier to reach. It makes me spread thinner and less able to interact.
From my point of view, none of my friends or family are on Twitter and none of them follow blogs regularly. However they are all on Facebook and are checking each others activity constantly. It would be easier for me to point them to a Facebook fan page of yours than Twitter or your Blog because they understand Facebook.
And again, this is just about my perspective about my fan page. I haven't passed judgment on anyone else's points.
YMMV
But I still can't direct my friends and family to your fan page. That is all. I will still read your blog and follow your tweets.
Barking Dog rules.
I can read your blog and I can comment on your blog, and you don't need to give me permission.
I can read your tweets and I can reply or retweet your tweets, and you don't need to give me permission.
A Facebook fan page is the same as a Twitter account; you don't need to approve me to be your fan. So, by deleting your Facebook fan page with the rationale you have "plenty of platforms" is essentially the same as deleting your Twitter account.
You can't have it both ways, Chris. Logic prevents it.
Nice.
Humility is greatly under-rated by many - but you GET it.
I was also hoping you'd expand a bit more on why you deleted your Facebook fan page...
Iyabo Asani
Because I've seen people and companies that are able to do that.
This social media stuff is about how we connect, how we communicate and how we collaborate. It is the tools we use to do this and the open, collaborative ethos behind social media, more than the individual networks or the personalities.
As usual Chris you are leading.
For the folks that want that to be a "hub," I would say this blog is Chris' hub. How many hubs does one need?
Unless I'm missing the boat, it is about you. No matter how you slice it, those people are there for you, or because of you....like minded people meeting in the place of their choice to 'talk' about those golden nuggets you pass to us each and every day, a way to connect on their terms about you.
by it not being about you, you are making it about you..
you're so hip, dude
Facebook is a wonderful medium to reach and connect with followers. It isn't really supposed to be about you, is it? It's about them. It's about helping people and finding ways to interact. Those Facebook fans of yours valued your opinion and now you've shut them out. A Facebook page is a forum that fosters interaction and debate on a personal level, with photos, discussion boards and, arguably, more information than any tweet can provide.
You deleted your Facebook page because it's not about you? What a joke!
The point was that BECAUSE the page is focused on him instead of on his community, he deleted it. If your comment above is the extent of your knowledge about Chris' intentions, you've not been paying attention.
I just wish others would follow your lead and explain WHY they disagree, as opposed to being obtuse, confrontational, and defensive.
If he was smart, he would learn how to use Facebook. All he ever did on his Facebook fan page was link it to these blog posts. He didn't USE it like he should have. No discussions. No forums. No user-involvement of any kind. He didn't use Facebook as a tool to connect with his fans. So he deletes his page and posts some sort of existential rubbish-post about it on his blog? I love Chris, but give me a break.
You can still follow Chris on Twitter and engage with him there or on any of his blog posts. That's where he chooses to connect with people.
Nothing really has changed except a deleted page for the reason he cited.
Not really big on the fan page idea for personal usage myself... but then again, it's not like I have over 5000 people dying to read what I have to say on Facebook anyway. LOL
Kudos to you for pulling the plug!
Doc
By removing it - in 5 short words - you succeeded in explaining the true meaning of social media-ness. Building communities, reaching out, teaching, learning and sharing.
Leaders / innovators don't play the celebrity game. You done good by me!
I love how concise and relevant your entry is and, though I didn't see the fan page, it could be taken one of two ways: either the fan page didn't jive with you - your ideas, ideals, and overall essence OR that the point is that what you write about isn't YOU, but community. So, literally and figuratively, you've made your point in one sentence. ROCK ON.
krissy knox :)
follow me on twitter:
http://twitter.com/iamkrissy
I'm amazed at how many of the comments have gravitated toward the defense of Facebook and the anger and backlash for a simple personal decision. Facebook, Twitter, whatever social media outlet isn't for everyone. Where does it say that Facebook Fan Pages are bad for everyone? It doesn't.
Chris decided that a fan page about him didn't serve his community. The conversation that preceded the move on Twitter was all about making it about others. He made the decision that his fan page didn't do that for him. It's called living your values.
Also, see his above comment about spreading too thin with too many SM tools.
As it turns out, I just joined two Facebook fan pages - one for Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist/blogger David Allen, and the other for the Upland (California) public library. Why? Because of common interests. The people who join a Facebook fan page share a common interest - not necessarily a hero worship of you or of David Allen, but of the things that you and Allen choose to talk about.
And if you're going to establish communities somewhere or another, doesn't it make sense to maintain a community on one of the top social media services in terms of numbers?
For some business and organizations, however, it's not a choice to have a fan page. If you need to provide pictures of your product to your "fans", Facebook will usually get around to asking you to create a fan page to do your "advertising." Facebook profiles are meant to be for individuals to communicate to each other, friends and family. The connections are family, schools, organizations one participates in and companies one works for. If you own the business and you're "advertising", it's kind of not what Facebook was supposed to be about.
I think if you want to create community around your product, or if you want to do low-level advertising, a fan page is the way to go. If you want to tell us what you ate this morning or what precious thing your kid said, you should leave it on the profile.
I don't use Plurk, rarely update my LinkedIn profile, and have a hard time seeing the value of Namyz. Yeah, I get that Chris has a MUCH bigger following/rep/presence than I do... but that doesn't obligate him to be anywhere. Is it possible he'll miss out on some opportunity to connect because he's NOT on FB? Sure... it's likely there are some folks who ONLY follow him there. That doesn't make the decision "wrong" – it's still HIS decision and not one that should keep folks up at night. Really.
I am a fan of Chris Brogan and his work and his sharing. He is one of the reasons I was tossed in the deep end of sharing and social media. I agree with Amber, if you are fan then support his work and share yourself.
Ask yourself how you can contribute. He asks himself that question every single day, that is why we are fans.The conversation is what's important. And let's not lose the fact that has a bright marketing mind and is not only a forward thinker, but a forward doer.
And if you are a fan - then visit http://newmarketinglabs.com and see how you can help Chris and partners Justin and Colin. And check out the Media Hacks podcasts http://www.mediahacks.org. And pick up a copy of Trust Agents (co-written with Julien Smith) when it's released. http://www.trustagent.com
Cheers, Mr. Brogan - keep sharing and stay curious!
km
I can't believe you deleted your fan page! I specifically remember being on an Amtrak train going from New York to Boston and volunteering to "unfriend" you so you could add more people on your account. I was under the impression that more people wanted to connect with you as friends, but due to Facebook's limit, you couldn't add more. Fan pages are the perfect solution to that.
Your reputation speaks for itself... we know it's not about you. :)
Now there are FB "experts" that may disagree, and it would be interesting to hear their logical opinions versus all the chaff of blaming and emotional reaction.
Cheers,
gk
(Seriously, don't answer that - I'm up at 1:30a after a day of surrealistic news, so I have a warped sense of humor and you know I don't mean anything by it other than a 'check... makes sense to me' kind of way.)
Doesn't matter who it's about - what it's NOT about, is the tools. At some point, hopefully, people will start to realize THAT.
Just trying to assess how big an impact the presentation of a feature can have on end users.
But if I am right.......then wasn't your fan page Part II of your "friends" list? And you virtually rejected all those friend requests?
The great thing about social media is what you have demonstrated in this act. There are no rules. We are all figuring this thing out as we go. And true, it is good to be found everywhere possible online for branding purposes, but as you state, it doesn't necessarily make us better participants (spread so thin).
It certainly also makes sense when big name celebrities or companies do it. (Or rather, when the marketing teams BEHIND the big name celebrities' and companies' brands do it.) Mainly because, it doesn't make sense for a company to have a personal profile (I don't think)...And celebrities are protecting their privacy by not allowing friends to connect with them on their personal profiles; yet they still want a way for fans to connect.
As for others, let's get over the narcissism, shall we? You've got a personal Facebook profile (don't want to mix business with pleasure? then how about you take your business elsewhere and stop spamming me on Facebook), and you've probably got a Twitter account, a FriendFeed profile, a MySpace page (or 2 or 3 or 4 from back in the day), a LinkedIn page, and a YouTube Channel. OH, and a blog. ...Isn't that enough?
And for all the Fan Pages I've been invited to on Facebook lately, I really have to ask: Who ARE you??? And why do all your "fans" share your same last name and/or many of your same physical features? ;-) (Hi mom!)
To me, there's a difference in being a star and being a thought leader. Thought leaders promote and encourage progression. When the star fades, nobody cares.
Awesome post Chris.
Damn!! Who let the freaking English grammar geek in the fricking room??? Can't anyone shut a damn door around here? :-)
What amazes me is that a 5 word post has inspired one of the biggest outpourings of comments. Amazing what happens when you give people the space to make of something what they will. Get out of the way...
You dazzle with your clarity and brevity!
Here's my blog response: http://bit.ly/19uhhS
You make your choice, and I repsect that. I am just gonna "bee." :-)
1) the page is not centered around you
2) "it" - the reason for people to communicate and gather, is not for the purpose of being your fan.
I know which you meant. Just interesting that the phrase could be interpreted either way.
what are you people talking about?
But I love his willingness to share his thoughts on why he doesn't want a fan page and the time he spent on this thread discussing his position. It helps me evaluate why we have a fan page for certain.