by Nicole Landguth
Category: Facebook

Over the last few days Facebook insiders have posted about two major changes coming the Facebook Pages by this summer, probably being officially announced closer to f8 Conference. One of these changes is a subtle but important word change and the other is the creation of a new genus of Facebook Page called a Community Page. More after the jump.
First, it was reported all over the place this week that Facebook is changing the way you fans interact with you. The summary is that “Fans” will now become “Connections” and they won’t click a “Become a Fan” button but instead a “Like” button. This is expected to boost Page growth as Liking brand content or advertising is more natural than becoming a fan; Facebook isn’t going to announce this to users so there will be some confusion from users who accidentally become Connections without realizing it however no major backlash is expected. For more, check of this Ad Age post.
Second- and this was not an April Fool’s joke- Facebook created a new type of Page called a Community Page. This is the middle ground between a group and a Page and it matters to you if your Page or brand name has been taken by an unofficial owner.
Facebook notes:
We’ve seen all the creative ways our users have used the product to capture the causes, topics and ideas that they care about. So we’ve created Community Pages to give our users opportunities to express their enthusiasm and creativity, while allowing for Official Pages to continue representing official entities such as businesses, bands and public figures.
These hybrids will be different from groups because administrators won’t have the option to message members or control who becomes a fan, they are designed for organizations in the thousands or millions who want updates on a cause but who don’t need to communicate with each other. It’s unclear how official Pages will interact with these Community Pages but there may also be an opportunity to reach new fans here. If you want to create the Justin Bieber fan club or a movement to support your local sports team this is for you. You can create a Community Page in the same place you create an official Page. For more, check out Inside Facebook.
Next week I’ll be breaking down the basic of buying your Facebook advertising. Have a great weekend!
Thanks to Sam Ilic (flickr: Stage 88) for the awesome photo- I think it embodies the TGIF dream.
Crossing the Pond Working with the Media in the UK and USA
April 2nd, 2010 at 2:28 pm
I’d love to hear what type of research Facebook conducts before making a decision like adding Community Pages. I would like to know what led them to create a third type of page instead of simply modifying the features of Pages or Groups to meet users’ needs. Thanks for the post, Nicole.
April 5th, 2010 at 12:17 am
I wonder if this is a movement to create a more professional vibe on Facebook. Because the fastest growing user age group is no longer young adults, Facebook may be trying to engage their older users. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out.