"Trusting Your Business Communications to Facebook?" Topic

I recently learned of a major miniatures company that is no longer advertising on the miniature wargaming websites, but trusting everything to their Facebook page.

Of course, I am biased in this discussion, as I run a miniatures website.

However, I am amazed that anyone would trust their livelihood to Facebook.

Do they realize that Facebook passes your posts along to only some of your followers, based on some who-knows-why algorithm? Then FB asks for more money to 'boost' your post.

Do they realize that a large chunk of the wargaming community isn't on Facebook? Or if they are, they don't use it for wargaming but to get pics from the grandkids?

Do they realize that their entire FB strategy could be wiped out at a whim from Facebook? What if someone in some office decides you're a warmonger or politically incorrect? What if some innocent posts gets flagged and your account is locked? (Remember the guy whose account was locked for mentioning selling Iranian models, they thought he was selling arms!)

How does committing exclusively to Facebook build the wargaming community? Does Facebook provide the services which the dedicated wargaming websites provide?

It really seems like a shortsighted decision to me.

Which company has done that?

And one more thing. I'm on Facebook. I use Facebook. I 'follow' every wargaming company I know of that's on Facebook, plus many of the wargaming groups.

So what's in my feed? Cat videos, pictures of relatives, some political stuff, kitchen gadgets… but I seldom see anything wargaming-related on Facebook, and if I do it's from a regular wargamer, not a company announcing a new release.

So if my experience is typical, using FB to sell minis doesn't work unless gamers are deliberately visiting your company's FB page daily.

When I check my Notifications, I see a few more wargaming-related posts, but still next to nothing from any wargaming companies. Despite my following all of them. ALL OF THEM.

Which company has done that?

I'm deliberately not saying, I don't think they would want me to announce that.

Who doesn't like cat videos?

FB knows exactly what you want. Exactly.

And to ask the reverse question: TMP is on Facebook. I regularly post about our latest articles and reviews. Do you ever see those posts?

I have many, many followers, both of the TMP page and my personal page. Yet the FB stats show that only a small number ever see my posts, and it doesn't even tell me if they are my followers or just random people FB selects to see my posts.

It's crazy that FB doesn't show your own posts to all of your followers. (Well, I know why, they want you to pay for boosting the post…)

So that's my experience on the other side: FB is not effective at getting the message out. Even if you pay to boost, you get little info on who your post got boosted to!

Not a user of Facebook. Have a login from years ago, never post now. Too dangerous, they've got the ethics of an alley cat! Would never dream of buying things from Wargames companies on Facebook. Laughable level of security and trust.

Facebook was originally designed as a rather sleazy rating system for girls, so it aimed low and maintained the standard.

Won't use facebook so I never see any of the wargaming sites.

I use Facebook as another way to sell old games and figures. I haven't gotten any at posts. 😢

I follow some miniature companies (usually small ones) and some that only post on there as far as I'm aware. I don't shop through FB but go to the company's site. I get product updates and am able to reach the company usually faster than email and in near real-time. If the companies think FB-only is good for their business then I'm not questioning it, they'll find out one way or another. As for users, most activities I have interest in that are also of interest to those under 40 (airsoft, paintball) are becoming exclusively on FB, forums are dying for those groups, I know I am down to 3 from about 12 airsoft ones I used to be on. That's also something that only time will tell if it was a good decision especially since FB is not really replica gun friendly.

I avoid FB like the plague. Too many leaks, too many hacks, too much sharing of personal data.

Your local sheriff would be glad to show you his facebooks.

My own experience is that ads on miniatures sites nowadays simply don't generate enough clickthoughs (and stopped doing so many years ago). Stats show that Fighting 15s, for example, receives 10 times the referrals from search engines than from TMP or Facebook (TMP and Facebook run about equally), which probably indicates that working on SEO is more important. Random posts about a product on various forums make up the other noticeable surges for referrers.

If a business can blow its trumpet effectively on its own site, and on social media, with appropriate tagging and effective SEO, a "pay for news site" doesn't look that attractive.

I prefer Instagram for my social media, with crossposting to Facebook and Twitter: it forces a pictorial approach. Facebook alone seems so passé. :-)

Ian
fighting15s.com

I will name a name… DM Scotty: he has a YouTube channel, wherein he crafts 2.5D dungeons out of cardboard, and cheap bits from hobby stores. He set up a forum, which was quite popular; then he moved it to another forum host after he had issues with the previous host service; forum fans/participants did 90% of the work transferring old posts, not DM Scotty. Then, he created a FB page, and he walked away from the lively, popular, successful forum.

That all took place over a five year period, several years ago. Recently, one of the active forum members contacted him asking him if he would return to the forum. He claimed he did not know it was still active; he further claimed he forgot his password, and the Admin had left, so he was locked out… LIE! The forum can give him a new password, without the Admin.

I don't care that DM Scotty walked away from the forum to pursue Social Media, to promote his channel (epic business failure, IMO, but his choice). What angers me, is he lied about not being able to access the forum anymore, to get a fan off of his back.

FB is impossible to follow crafting projects on, because they get pushed further, and further down. You cannot follow a thread on there, because it is designed to force you to log in every few hours, to avoid missing anything! I hate FB.

I used to have an account on FB, just to get photo's of my grandkids. Didn't work, even for that. Posted around six times, over six years, to my account. Disabled it a few years ago. Will never go back to it. Did I mention that I hate FB? It is designed to addict the users to it. I only use traditional forums for my hobby interests. I do not use any Social Media -- they are all designed to enslave the user to them. I consider them garbage, and a disease. YMMV. Cheers!

I am with Extrabio1947, have no desire to do anything on Facebook.

I prefer to read sites like this and have had innumerable recommendations, and subsequent purchases, from TMP.

However I do read Facebook too, though not as often.
I have to admit I haven't noticed the problems you mention. I follow a ton of wargaming clubs/dudes/companies and they always seem to be there when I scroll through. I've made a few purchases as a result. It's easy to look at the list of who you follow and just read their posts for a more focused page.

Now they are mixed in with the 'what I'm eating today' and kitten pics from family and friends, so I'm wondering if having 2 accounts might be useful. Dunno.

It is annoying that threads and posts disappear so quickly, so if something interesting pops up I just hit the 'save post' button. Pretty easy, and if its particularly interesting I'll save the thread or string of posts to the computer, or maybe print it out.

Mostly its a great way to keep up with friends and family around the world. It's the only social media I use.

I'm here right now though, and this is where I get most of my news

Cats eh. That sounds interesting. Maybe face book is worth looking into?

martin

I like pictures of cats.

I'm on dozens of gaming, airsoft and re-enactment groups on FB. They all seem to work OK, and for a lot of those things FB has completely replaced forums. And yes, some organisations do much, if not all, of their business on FB. If it works for them, well, what is the problem.

I have seen a few small manufacturers on FB, but what I have seen was so amateur that viewers couldn't even figure out how to order miniatures. I suppose someone who knew what they were doing might be able to make it work, but I don't go to FB to buy miniatures or to see what is out there.

I don't go to FB (even when it's clickbait), so, it's no issue for me… ;-)

Family is trying to get me to open a Fbook account.
I am not sure if I shall.

I know I am not a cat person.
I do like squirrels.
Does FB send pics of squirrels?

Ok. It's late. Please blame the rum.
Have fun.

I don't trust Facebook with anything!

If you have watched The Social Dilemma it explains how your FB feed works. The more you watch of anything, the more similar recommendations FB keeps sending you.

If you follow 200 wargaming FB groups and only look at cat videos and conspiracy theory groups. Then FB will keep sending your feed cat videos and conspiracy theories.

In short you can be extremely visible or invisible on soshall meedya depending on user habits.
I have FB but rarely use it. FB is hopeless for searching and FB businesses are virtually invisible to me.

They also have funny squirrels.
Home of the ephemerous picture likes. Go further? Not much.

I have a Fife and Drum Miniatures FB page, but I only use it to advertise new products or to post eye candy pictures. I don't sell my products on FB, selling only through my web site.

I do most of my product promotion on my blog and on my forum and through word of mouth.

I see lots of interesting products for sale on FB, but I would never buy those products for fear that I would never receive the product. Read the comments on these products and you will be scared from ordering after you hear all of the bad customer service reviews.

Nope I do not. My Facebook is frozen due to some reason.
I am thinking of doing parlor.