“Housekeeping Week” continues on DadCooksDinner. I have a list of non-food topics to discuss. Rather than trickling them out, I’m publishing them all this week...kind of like ripping off a band-aid. Thursday will be back to normal, with a recipe post.
TL;DR version: Do you follow DadCooksDinner through Facebook? Do you see all my posts? (Or, any of my posts?). Help me understand what's going on by leaving a comment. (Not a Facebook person? This is not the post you're looking for, please move along...)
...Still here? OK, here we go...
My brother-in-law is a big Facebook user. We were chatting at my niece’s birthday party, and he said “So, you started on the blog again?”
I asked him what he meant. He said this was the first post he’s seen in months on Facebook; he assumed I was on an extended blog vacation, and just started writing again. I frowned and told him I’ve been here all along, posting two to three times a week.
I thought something like this was happening. Late last year, I think Facecbook changed the way Pages (like my blog page) are shown to followers. I have 700+ followers; according to Facebook’s tracking, new posts reach 150 to 200 of them. This is a noticeable drop; early last year, I would reach 250 to 300 people with each post, and that was with fewer followers.
Around this time, Facebook started asking if I’d like to pay for “promoted posts”. I’m sure this is a complete coincidence.
Nice blog you’ve got there…it would be a shame if it disappeared…
But…I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t get Facebook. I could be missing the point. I don’t use my personal Facebook account; I go directly to the DadCooksDinner page to see if there are any comments to answer.
That’s where I get even more confused. There are a group of people who regularly like and comment on my Facebook posts. So, I haven’t disappeared from Facebook - I just don’t get seen by as many people, somehow.
So, I’m reaching out to my readers. If you follow me on Facebook, can you explain what’s going on?
1. What do you see? And where do you see it?
Can you explain how you find my posts on your Facebook page? I post every Tuesday and Thursday - Do you see everything I post? Or do you only see some posts? Or a post once in a blue moon?
Do you have to go somewhere special to see my posts, or do they show up in your news section?
2. Do you only follow through Facebook?
If you’re following me through Facebook, is that the only way you follow me? Or do you use one of my other subscription methods as well (RSS, Email, Twitter?)
Finally…
If you’re following me on Facebook, and you’re wondering where I went (like my brother-in-law), maybe you should subscribe via Email or through a RSS reader. You’ll get to read all of my posts that way.
Of course, according to my conspiracy theory, Facebook followers will only see this post if I pay Facebook to promote it. Oh, the irony…
Let me know what you think. Leave a comment in the comments below. Oh, or on my Facebook page, of course.
Michael Clarke
I follow on facebook and email. Recently, I have seen all of your facebook posts. I believe it has something to do with me hitting the "like" on your posts. The more posts of your that I like, the more that I see.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner
Thank you for sharing, everyone! Like I said, I don't know much about Facebook - don't really use it other than to answer comments on my Facebook page. I'm glad to know that some of you are making it work, and can actually see my posts there.
Janet
I get your posts through email and also from BlogLovin. Those both seem more reliable than Facebook.
Terry Hoey
I see all of your Facebook posts. It helps if besides just liking your Facebook page, that they also add your page to an interest list. They can do this by going to your page, hovering the mouse pointer over the "like" button, and select "Add to interest list". I have several pages such as yours that I am following. I created an Interest list called "Cooking" that has your page and a couple others, another list called "Music, etc.
Stephanie
I follow you on RSS. I found your blog through pressure cooker recipes and you had me all inspired to rotisserie a leg of lamb for easter dinner (first time rotisserie owner), but the rotisserie burner seemed to be catching my grill on fire - oh well, maybe next time!
Chris Lukowski
All of your posts have been showing up in my news feed and I suspect that's because I frequently 'like' the posts which tells Facebook it's something I want to see. They have this really annoying feature that you can't turn off where it will selectively filter out things it perceives that you are likely to ignore. I'll link to an article at the end of my comment that'll explain it better than I can. On other thoughts, I do mostly rely on your Facebook posts to tell me when something new is up so it's nice that you keep those posts timely (many don't). The only other thing I'll suggest is to keep an eye on FB comments, questions, or posts to your wall from fans and jump in the conversation when applicable. I've seen a few FB pages where the author will be responsive in the comments section of the blog/website itself but will "post & leave" on their FB page, which could dissuade people from commenting on the FB side and exclusively head to the source site. That in turn might lead to posts disappearing according to the article. Hope this helps: http://www.epiphaniesinc.com/blog/2012/06/really-getting-your-facebook-page-seen-in-news-feeds/