Thursday, March 24, 2011

Do You Use the Facebook Commenting Plugin? NO COMMENT!

I go to the Yahoo front page a few times a day. I go there because they are my main source of Sports Scores, Game Schedules, etc And right on the bottom of the news box there are buttons for each sport. So much more clean than ESPN which has horrible navigation issues.




But Yahoo also plugs into local news. Usually nothing there to pique my curiosity but sometimes there is. WRGB which is the CBS TV Affiliate here uses the Facebook Commenting Plug In. You have no idea how much it freaks me out and sends me aggro when I go to a Non-Facebook site and see this:


I am technically logged into WRGB.COM because I am logged into Facebook 24/7 due to running a Clients Brand Page for the time being. First of all I will never ever comment on your site if you use this plug in. You can be offering me $500 and I will say no. I would rather drive to you, beat you over the head and take the $500 by force than use this commenting system.

But here is the kicker. If you are not logged into Facebook this is what you see:


You have no idea that you can even comment! That blank space to the left is where where that box you see above with my logged in info and the comment box? Missing! So by using this system you only are giving people currently logged into Facebook the chance to comment!

Now you can say that the box shows to log in to see your friend's recommendations. Right. Great. Uhm. But it still says nothing about me being able to comment on this site! And a MEDIA BRAND that has a ton of content, that wants me reading article after article, the box highlights two articles.

Since April 2010 per person usage of Facebook is down 31% from 55mins to 38mins per day. As a Brand with a Web Presence , especially a MEDIA BRAND, do you really feel it is of strategic importance to help Facebook reverse this trend by forcing your readers who are on your site directly to use Facebook more? Wouldn't having a box showcasing most read articles by readers be better for your business? Vs trying to help Facebook who's real intention is not to help you, but take readers off your site and onto Facebook?

Shouldn't Facebook be PAYING YOU for this? And if they aren't why are you doing it?

2 comments:

  1. I don't use it, and I haven't even looked into it very much. But after reading @ginidietrich's post about it, I didn't think it warrants my flooding my Facebook friends' streams with comments they are probably completely uninterested in.

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  2. Shonali thanks for being my blog fan. I really feel encouraged by you though I know I get aggro in my tone sometimes!

    I also wonder if Media properties know Facebook then has access to all those comments. I am fully sold on Livefyre. One day when I upgrade this blog or move it I will definitely add it.

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