Crikey, Screw Facebook
It seems the good folk at independent news outlet Crikey have finally had enough of the changes Facebook has been making to its algorithm, accusing the social network of ‘screwing’ publishers in a quest for yet more dollars.
Today Crikey’s engagement editor, Sophie Benjamin, penned a piece bemoaning the fact that the site’s Facebook organic reach has dropped by 30%, year-on-year, despite its audience climbing 10% on the platform, saying “Facebook wants to force publishers to pay to promote their content instead of sharing it for free”.
She adds:
Cheers Dr Mumbo. By the way, the post was open because it’d originally been published on my personal blog. Nothing to hide here.
Imagine if Facebook did try and show all of the content publishers pumped into it?
No engagement, publish more! Publish more!
Pay up or be more interesting.
Ask News/Fairfax, the broadcast channels or OOH providers to give you ‘organic reach’ and they’ll laugh. Facebook (all social media) should be treated by as any other media outlet – its a means to drive people to your own platforms/articles through paid media.
Old, pointless debate…
https://stratechery.com/2016/facebook-versus-the-media/
Or if you want the podcast version
http://exponent.fm/episode-088.....-facebook/
TLDR; Facebook isn’t killing traditional media, traditional media is dying and Facebook is growing – don’t conflate that with FB screwing media. So stop whining and get on with just figuring out the new world, it’s your only hope.
Seriously, Crikey’s is a straw-man argument…
Slow down there Croaky! That Stratechery argument ain’t new or as complete as you contend. Like Facebook, you’re showing all the signs of the same arrogance so despised of the ‘old world’ in media, retail and the rest.
Awww c’mon, the fact the argument isn’t new was my point. I’m no particular fan of Facebook, but I won’t concede noting it’s commercial success is arrogant. Nor am I cheering the contraction of the old. I’m just deeply frustrated with some (like dear author) who think their way forward is to complain about another commercial entity who’s not even interested in competing directly with them.
If it’s good you won’t need to pay. Sadly 99% of news media content isn’t very good. Hence no market for it. Complacency cost the industry big time. When you continually put the advertiser before the reader you can’t expect the reader to see value in anything you produce.
Everything is a joint venture nowadays. The fourth? estate my a***!